For some people, London’s oldest cemeteries are just alternatives to parks. All the same, overgrown and filled with crooked gravestones. Not something to think about, really. A bit creepy, true, but better than nothing if you need some grass to walk your dog! Others know slightly more – that there’s seven of them, they originate in Victorian era, and that Highgate is the most popular one, but you must pay to get inside.

And there’s the third group, for whom ‘The Magnificent Seven’ are one of the most amazing innovations developed in the 19th century – a unique combination of landscape gardening, architecture and a long-forgotten funerary art.

Beware… This article will put you in the latter!

So, what’s so special about London’s great Victorian cemeteries?

Since the Middle Ages, Londoners were laid to rest in plots of land tucked around their parish churches. But then came the Industrial Revolution, doubling both London’s population and its mortality rate. Soon, these churchyards turned into a stinky squish of corpses.

With no space left, the Victorians had to get creative and continuously re-use the slots. Basically, rotting corpses were exhumed, chopped into bits and spread around to make room for the newcomers. Oh, the smell wasn’t even the worst part! All that decaying matter was contaminating the city’s water supplies, causing regular epidemics and bringing even more dead bodies to squeeze into already jam-packed grounds!

Luckily, some forward-thinking activists, together with a business-minded guy inspired by a French invention called a ‘cemetery’ (which actually originates in Ancient Rome), stepped in to fix the chaos. After years of mocking the government with petitions, the first big private burial ground was launched on London’s outskirts. Soon, it was followed by few more. Eventually, all the smelly, overflowing churchyards were shut down, and the government opened even more neat and tidy cemeteries available for everyone.

These new burial grounds were part of a Victorian era wave of city’s innovation, right alongside other shiny new things like hospitals, railways, drainage system and clean water supply in every house, laying the groundwork for the modern world we know today.

Back in 1804, the French government banned burials in overflowing Paris graveyards and set up a big cemetery on its outskirts. Soon, the grandeur of Pere Lachaise, so different than the grimy churchyards of London, became a must-see for every English tourist. One of them, George Frederick Carden, a lawyer and businessman, became totally obsessed with it – and with creating its London equivalent! So, in 1830, with the support of several wealthy investors, he launched the General Cemetery Company and started negotiating an official permission to open London’s first private burial ground.

When the Parliament finally gave the thumbs up two years later, the architects started dreaming up the most bizarre projects! Of course, it had to be bigger and better than Pere Lachaise – no way for a ‘no muss, no fuss’ attitude when it comes to competing with Frenchies!

Francis Goodwin, for example, designed a massive 150-acre cemetery to be situated in Primrose Hill, with a replica of 30-metre-high Trajan’s Column. Thomas Wilson, on the other hand, proposed a huge mausoleum in a form of a pyramid, higher than St Paul’s cathedral, which would hold bodies of 5 million Londoners…

Yup, they were both turned town.

Meanwhile John Claudius Loudon, a botanist and landscape designer, suggested that the style of Pere Lachaise, based on a simple grid pattern of paths, was actually a great starting point, which could be easily upgraded with some twisty paths of different sizes, as well as more trees and shrubs, like in botanical gardens. Genius!

The planners took his advice and boom! Kensal Green, London’s first garden cemetery, opened in 1833. Over the next decade a bunch of similar ones popped up on the outskirts of the city.

Since the cemeteries were ran by different companies, standing out was crucial to win customers in a competitive market. The most prestigious architects and landscape designers were hired to ensure that London’s elite would be anxious about securing the fanciest plots at the right one.

First off, an impressive entrance gate that doubled as a lodge and offices was essential. Then, a grand main avenue leading straight to the central chapel, visible from all the prime viewpoints. Naturally, extensive catacombs underneath were non-negotiable, preferably with super modern features like hydraulic coffin lifts. Carefully laid out paths were waiting for mausoleums and monuments to flourish along them, complementing the architecture of the chapel.

A selection of decorative trees and flowering shrubs adorned the open green spaces, with elaborate carpet-beddings and ponds added in between. The scenic landscape, which could compete with most beautiful gardens and parks, was intended to soothe the mourners – but also encourage them to return regularly.

Each of the grand private cemeteries had their unique features:

majestic, spacious and elegant, the most prestigious one

the world’s first cemetery designed in the Gothic Revival style

located on dramatic hillsides, with the most spectacular views thanks to winding paths, different levels of terraces and series of unique features, like the Egyptian Avenue or Circle of Lebanon

peaceful and quiet, gently hilled, with design focused on a wide, formal main avenue of towering limes

the only nondenominational and not consecrated one, designed as the first arboretum-cemetery, with over 2,500 varieties of trees and shrubs

flat, formal and symmetrical, designed as an open-air cathedral with impressive colonnades

with Byzantine style dissenters’ chapel, and quite big part of the site allocated specifically for public burials in shared graves.

Of course, improving the sanitation wasn’t exactly why Carden wanted to create London’s version of Pere Lachaise. As a businessman, he couldn’t ignore the potential profits from burials – everyone dies, meaning a glorious, never-ending flow of customers! Could there be a most certain source of income?!

Carden’s idea was simple: a joint-stock company with cemetery as a form of property development. After buying a suitable land, they would sell shares to fund the layout and all the necessary buildings – and then sell plots at a profit, reinvesting the capital to keep the shareholders happy.

Intended for money-making, these private garden cemeteries had to be perfectly organised and efficient. They were divided religiously, into sections dedicated to various denominations, as well as socially – with grave plots priced accordingly.

Location was everything – the most prestigious (and expensive) spots were near the chapel and along the main avenue. Then there was a hierarchy of paths – the narrower and further away from the main avenue, the cheaper the plot. The least attractive areas near the boundary walls and cemetery corners were left for the poor. I mean… for the middle class on a budget – the real poor couldn’t afford private cemeteries and still had to squish around local churches.

Anyway, to ensure a constant cash flow, cemeteries offered extra on-site services, like flower stalls, grave tending, gardening, and even stonemasons. A whole crew of staff worked from dawn till dusk to keep everything running smoothly – with gatekeepers pulling night shifts as well.

Death is said to be a great leveller, but at these posh cemeteries, social divisions were strict as ever! Location of a grave plot, as well as the size and elaboration of a monument, reflected status of a person they commemorated. Families were lavishing money on extravagant grave markers – they’d rather go into serious debt than let that annoying neighbour from down the street to outshine them in the afterlife with a fancier one!

designed by prestigious architects in a variety of styles, filled the prime locations; these free-standing mini mansions with ornate entrances were sometimes almost as large as a cemetery chapel

created by the best sculptors were another luxury option suitable for the main path; a wide range of symbolic themes, like broken columns, allegorical figures or weeping angels, was reflecting the position and accomplishments of those buried beneath them; a relief portrait was a much-appreciated personal touch

commisioned, hand-carved and personalised with symbolic themes capturing the essence of who the person sleeping below was in life; telling those, who visited the grave about their occupation, faith, age and marital status

a budget option for those who couldn’t afford commissioning an artist; they came in all shapes and styles, with their own elaborate language of symbols offering a personal touch

were marking cheaper graves; the further away from the main avenue, the smaller they got

There was one more type of headstone, but it didn’t really exist at private cemeteries – a simple, big slab inscribed on both sides with a long list of names and dates of death, marking GUINEA GRAVES, as it was their price. It was a common slot for up to 30 unrelated people, but still representing the lowest level or a respectable burial. It was such a big deal, that even the workhouse residents were ready to skip meals and drop a weekly wage for a grave with a headstone! Only penniless paupers couldn’t avoid the shame of ending up in unmarked, mass graves.

Victorian obsession of showing-off, turned the grand cemeteries into open-air galleries, displaying the work of the finest sculptors, receiving reviews in press. Their love for sentimentality and secret messages, on the other hand, resulted with a fascinating funerary art.

From mausoleums to budget headstones – everything was decorated with intricate symbols of mortality. Back then, everyone could decode all these draped urns, lambs, snakes, doves, torches and clasped hands. Botanical motives presented an additional language of flowers, with each plant and bloom having their own meaning! Today both that knowledge and art got lost in time, but are highly admired by heritage experts.

At a time when public parks we know today didn’t exist, the new open spaces filled with lush greenery and sculptural beauty, quickly started buzzing with life, with upper and middle-class city dwellers visiting them on a regular basis.

One of the very few places, where Victorian ladies could be unaccompanied, cemeteries became perfect spots to look for a potential husband. From flirting with passers-by, to weekly checks if no one had beat the grandeur of their family tomb – every reason was good enough to put on the best outfit and get there!

They became popular sites to host a Sunday picnic, gathering friends and family beside the grave of a loved one. Death was everywhere anyway and people just wanted to stay connected with those who were already on the other side.

From rebellious members of the royal family, through artists, writers, social campaigners, scientists and inventors – so many historically important people are buried in the Magnificent Seven! Kensal Green itself has over 500 members of the British nobility and 970 people listed in the Dictionary of National Biography!

Sadly, the golden age of private cemeteries couldn’t last forever. In the 1850s, Burial Acts shut down London’s old graveyards, replacing them with public cemeteries, open to everyone. Of course, they weren’t fancy enough for the rich, but quickly became popular with those on a budget.

Still, by the end of the 19th century, all the Magnificent Seven became full. Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, ending the era of lavish funerals and strict mourning routines, didn’t help. Then, with thousands of young men killed at the fronts of World War I, and piled unnamed into mass graves, it seemed inappropriate for ordinary people to get overblown monuments. All in all, with the society spending less, the cemeteries couldn’t keep up with maintenance, and slowly fell into disrepair. By the World War II, there was nothing left from their elaborate landscaping, and chapels were falling apart. Nazi bombs just finished off the rest…

After the war, the bankrupted sites were abandoned and left to decay. With entrance gates taken for scrap, they filled with vandals running wild, damaging and stealing whatever was left. Once lovely gardens turned into urban forests, with overgrown shrubs destroying the monuments. Nobody cared about relics of some dark, creepy times. Modern design with plywood and plastic was in – anything granny-style was out!

But then along came Sir John Betjeman, a beloved English poet, writer and broadcaster, who also happened to be a passionate enthusiast of the Victorian era, rescuing endangered buildings from demolition. Thanks to his popularity, more and more people became interested in local history, cultural heritage and its conservation. In 1975, a group of volunteers dedicated to clearing brambles and opening the access to graves, formed the Friends of Highgate Cemetery. They ended up taking ownership and launched a big restoration project.

Soon, all the other Magnificent Seven followed with their own ‘Friends’ groups. With the help from local councils and English Heritage, they were all saved and turned into the public parks we enjoy today.

The amazing volunteers are still busy offering guided tours, running the cemeteries’ websites, managing archives, and recording details from gravestones before time wears them away. They’re charities and by buying a membership, you’re basically chipping in to save the museum-quality monuments!

Needless to say, these amazing reminders of Victorian approach to death are important part of English heritage, listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. They are all well-maintained, with the most significant monuments restored to their former glory. Plus, as urban forests and wildlife sanctuaries, some have been declared Local Nature Reserves to ensure conservation of their unique ecosystems. With their whopping 250 acres of purifying greenery, they’re also London’s lungs.

During the years, they were dubbed as ‘The Victorian Valhallas’, ‘Sleeping Giants of London’ and ‘The Cities of the Dead’. In 1981, architectural historian Hugh Meller nicknamed them as ‘The Magnificent Seven’ after the 1960 western film – and, you must admit now, they totally deserve it!

Was it only seven, though??? Oh… I guess it’s a story for another post!

I wonder if all the Victorian planners, architects and landscapers would still recognise their grand designs in these overgrown and romantically decayed sites? I think they must look even more picturesque now than in the 19th century, with their ivy-clad headstones and mossy angels…. But I can also imagine them with neat paths, flowering shrubs and colourful carpet-beddings between the brand-new monuments standing straight.

Ohhh, I wish I could go back in time and see those people picnicking among the graves… With ladies in their lacy summer dresses and big hats, sitting on checked blankets… With impatient children opening the basket full of scones… An old, crooked gardener taking care of the rose bushes, greeting someone with his hat off.

Anyway, have you seen them all? Which one is your favourite??? Let me know in the comments!

PS. If you’re still hesitating to have a peaceful stroll among the graves, check my other article with 10 reasons to visit a Victorian cemetery! And if you’re craving more gruesome details of the story of London’s grand gardens of death, then read this one… if you dare.

Main sources:
NECROPOLIS by Catharine Arnold (Simon and Schuster, 2007)
THE VICTORIAN CEMETERY by Sarah Rutherford (Shire, 2008)
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN by J. Turpin & D. Knight (Amberley, 2016)
LONDON CEMETERIES by Darren Beach (Metro Publications, 2019)
A TOMB WITH A VIEW by Peter Ross (Headline, 2021)