A New Type of Cemetery
The Victorian Garden Cemetery was created as a response to the overcrowding of local church graveyards and the rapidly increasing urban populations. In Britain, an Act was passed in 1831 to permit the opening of private cemeteries. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, the new cemeteries were designed to be havens of tranquility in beautiful parkland settings. Here families and friends of the departed could reflect, stroll, admire incredible sculptures, and picnic. They were one of the few places where widows and single women could stroll accompanied.
Kensal Green Cemetery, England
Kensal Green Cemetery was the first of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ Victorian Garden cemeteries to be built in London. It covers 72 acres, houses over 65,000 graves and is home to 33 species of birds and wildlife.
Bun Hill Field Burial Grounds
Bunhill Field Cemetery is a former burial ground in north London, now a public garden. It was used as a burial ground from 1665 until 1854, by which date approximately 123,000 interments were estimated to have taken place. Over 2,000 monuments survive. Bunhill Fields would accept anyone as long as they could afford the internment fees. It was nondenominational and was particularly favored by nonconformists.
Highgate Cemetery, London, England
Highgate Cemetery opened in 1839 and during the mid- to late-1800s, it was a highly sought-after burial ground.
West Brompton Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland
Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, USA
Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia was founded in 1836 and was the second major garden or rural cemetery in the United States. It is a National Historic Landmark, a distinction that few cemeteries have received.
Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, USA
Woodlands Cemetery lies on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. In 1840, the Federal-style mansion and garden landscape was transformed into a Victorian rural cemetery with an arboretum of over 1,000 trees. More than 30,000 people are buried at the cemetery.
Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland
Mount Jerome Cemetery & Crematorium is situated in Harold's Cross on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. Since its foundation in 1836, it has witnessed over 300,000 burials.
Deansgrange Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland
Since it first opened in 1865, over 150,000 people have been buried in Deansgrange Cemetery. It is one of the largest cemeteries in the Dublin area, occupying 70 acres.
Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Recoleta Cemetery is located in the Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The BBC hailed it as one of the world's best cemeteries and CNN listed it among the 10 most beautiful cemeteries in the world. It has been called ‘The City of the Dead’.
Chacarita Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cuenca Cemetery, Ecuador
Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, USA
