Life and Death

 Super-dramatic title, I know - but Brompton Cemetery is actually a fascinating example of how spaces of death are merged into everyday life. I spent an hour Sunday afternoon (May 1st) wandering around a city-block-(bigger?) sized graveyard stuffed full of historical artifacts. It’s been around for a couple of centuries at least, and has been planned (re-designed?) with community life in mind. The paths are full of walkers and joggers, and there is a posted dog-walking route through the space. Gravestones are piled together, all different eras, singles and family groups, and everything is roughly laid out in blocks. These sections have varying levels of greenery; some are nearly waist-high fields of weeds and wildflowers, some with stands of trees and bushes, others cut down to turf. I do wonder if there is a grass-cutting schedule…

There’s a major theme running through exhibitions and discussions right now on the Suffrage Movement, and Emmeline Pankhurst was one of the leaders.

Usually, when the community is invited in to this kind of space it’s because vampires are looking for a snack (Buffy).

A very small selection of the headstones and markers on offer - TONS of crosses and Christian symbology.

Fascinating place (includes - locked up! - catacombs) for walking and thinking and pondering mowing techniques.