A
couple of days ago on our way home we spotted a poster advertising the Nunhead
Cemetery Open day. So that is where we went today.
It
was very easy to get there, just a short train ride, then a walk of a mile or
so.
We
went past an interesting sign.
The
school, according to ’wiki’ was founded in 1690 by a royal charter that was
granted to the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers from a legacy by one Robert
Akse.
Nunhead
is one of London’s ‘magnificent seven’ cemeteries that were established around
the outskirts of the city. It was consecrated in 1840.Unlike church burial
grounds this was a private burial ground. When it became nonviable financially
in the middle 20th century the owners simply closed the gates and
walked away.
Years of neglect followed, as did looting and vandalism.
Early in
the 1980’s a group called Friends of Nunhead Cemetery began to renovate and
protect the cemetery. It reopened in 2001. The group continues to care for the
now woodland nature reserve and raises awareness about its work on days like today. Much of the more than 50 acre site remains a
tangle of brambles and ivy providing an invaluable habitat for local wildlife.
It
was interesting to see the different styles of headstones and to try to decipher
the symbolism. Anchors represent hope and steadfastness,
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