Necropolis, Glasgow

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I am kind of person who likes silent and extraordinary places. This is the one. I don't know if a graveyard can be called beautiful, but Necropolis definitely deserves being called like that. Astonishing. Walking alone or with your firends and admiring a giant heritage of Victoian times can be very calming experience for your body and soul. A must-see on Glasgow list of things to do.

For some unconventional sightseeing, the Glasgow Necropolis found behind Glasgow Cathedral is an interesting place to visit. Crossing the bridge from the cathedral, you are transported to Glasgow's very own 'City of the Dead', a vast hilltop cemetery featuring some remarkably ornate (and expensive) tombs and memorials. This is the resting place for many of Glasgow's successful Victorian merchants who attempted to outdo each other in death as in life.
The website below is a great resource as you can find out a little about the merchants buried here before you visit. Walking tours of the Necropolis are available. Check out the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis website for more info. I would love to visit again on a brighter day and spend more time taking photos and taking in the hilltop vista.

Now I'm not really one for walking around graveyards but this place I had read about and was supposed to be worth a look at. I wasn't disappointed.

A beautiful place to be buried in amongst the rich and the famous of Scotland. No small gravestones here. It was a case of the big and the brash.

This place is definitely worth spending a morning walking around.

"The monument to John Knox, which was erected in 1825, dominates the hill. The cemetery itself, like several in Edinburgh, was modelled on Père-Lachaise in Paris. According to David Williams' 'The Glasgow Guide', "a total of 50,000 burials have taken place here, with 3500 tombs being built".

It's been a graveyard since recorded history.Lots of famous Victorian people are burried here. The 19th-century Glasgow merchant William Miller (1810-72), author of the "Wee Willie Winkie" nursery rhyme.

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Is there anyone else out there who just enjoys a good old cemetary walk through? I know, I'm weird, but I love taking in the solitude of an old cemetary, as well as the beautifully hand-carved headstones, tombs, and statuaries. In my opinion, Glasgow Necropolis is one of the best. Please take a look at my photos to see what I mean.

Modeled after Pere la Chaise cemetary in Paris (which I've also had the pleasure of visiting), the Glasgow Necropolis honors the dead from all class systems, religions and walks of life. Because the Necropolis is situated on a hill behind the Glasgow Cathedral, one is treated to a nice view from the highest point of the cemetary.

As always, a cemetary is great stomping ground for the history buff who wants to peer into the past of a city. The Glasgow Necropolis is not exception, as it is the final resting place for iron workers, engineers, inventors, ship builders, locomotive makers, scientists, factory owners, and business peopele of Victorian Glasgow. Monuments throughout the cemetary were designed by sculptors and architechts who built much of the city itself. The Necropolis is also the final resting place countless ordinary Glaswegians, who by and large made the city what it is today.

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Behind the Glasgow Cathedral, perched dramatically on a green hill and dominating the skyline with statues, gravestones, monuments, obelisks, and musoleums, is the "Glasgow Necropolis". What better way for us to spend an afternoon after a six-hour flight, being awake for more than 24 hours, and having walked all over Glasgow, than to climb up a 62-metre high hill to a cemetery?
The Necropolis was started by the the Merchants' House of Glasgow in 1831 (some sources say 1832) and modelled after "Pere Lachaise" cemetary in Paris. It was designed as a final resting place for Glasgow's wealthy, elite, and noblemen.
To date there are 3500 tombs and a total of 50,000 burials have taken place here.
A massive statue dedicated to John Knox, a Scottish Presbyterian reformist who died in 1572, was erected in 1825 and dominates over the graveyard.
The "Bridge of Sighs", used to access the Necopolis from behind the Cathedral, got its name because it is the route of the funeral processions on their way up the hill. (Inspired by a more famous crossing in Venice, Italy.)
Despite the Necropolis's appearance from lower lands, the site is very large so make sure if you wander off from your companions that you arrange a rendez-vous point in advance. Bring bottled water and wear a good pair of walking shoes, you’ll need them. No admission charge.

I love this view :-) Click on the picture and you'll get the real thing.
It's a short walk from Glasgow Cathedral to the top of Necropolis, literally a city for the dead. You can see quite far from there, and also have a look at all the graves, both younger and old. Strangely compelling!
What we noticed was the graves that had an "urne" on top of it, and on the top of it a sculpted drape(-like thing). We didn't know what it meant, but it came back when we visited other burial grounds (aren't we morbid...).
We also saw a deer running around on the grounds, which looked quite tame. We went closer and it didn't run away until we got within reach (wasn't even scared off by us;-) ).

The Glasgow Necropolis is one of the oldest burial grounds in the Glasgow area, it's probably not the most riveting or happy place to go to but it does have it's attractions. Most Glaswegians don't know it as it's "Sunday Name", preferring to call it the big cemetary behind the Royal Infirmary, it is a big place without a doubt and goes up a fair height, when it was designed it was done in such a way that the more affluent people had plots at the top of the hill, so in theory the more wealthy people could still look down on everyone ! And incidentally it even has it's own Bridge of Sighs, the bridge was the official entrance/walkway years ago in to the cemetary hence the name coming from the sadness of people entering. The burial ground is near to where the old Molendinar Burn flowed, and this was the source of an old brewery years ago, more importantly the cemetary was used because of the proximity of the hospital. Among the "residents" of the Necropolis are a few famous Glasgow traders and a man by the name of William Miller - more commonly known as the man that wrote about Wee Willie Winkie, and a fantastic tribute to John Knox. In addition it is rumoured it is the home of a rather strange species, it houses some wild deer, and being about 100yards from the busiest motorway in Scotland and also only 1 mile from the centre of Glasgow thats not bad.

This is a Victorian cemetary which is situated directly behind the Cathedral. The statue on the left of the photo is of John Knox. It contains crumbling monuments to the dead of Glasgows wealthy merchant families. Climbing up to the highest point of the cemetary I was half expecting some vampire to jump out of one of the crypts/tombs but maybe I have just watched Buffy once too often!
There is quite a view over the city from up there and the guys that cut the grass are very friendly! :) Forget the tourist info, just ask one of these guys where to go!

This is a cemetary, apparently based on the Pere Lachaise in Paris, located above Glasgow Cathedral.

I was a little disappointed in the Necropolis. I was expecting some really interesting tombstones and a good selection of angels but the majority of the tombstones are either obelisks or urns. The view isn't too bad, though.