Glasgow Necropolis

From the Cathedral churchyard, there is a cobblestone pedestrian bridge over a highway to the hill where the dead lie, the Glasgow Necropolis. One of the first markers you are greeted with as you climb the switchback lane that climbs the hill is that of William Miller, As you see above, he is known for his children's literature of the 19th century.



Climbing on up the hill, we get a nice view back across the way to the Cathedral.

This cemetery is in the fine Victorian style of High Gate or other of the large Victorian cemeteries in London. Lots of large monuments to important rich people of the day. This one below is fascinating. The symbology of the curtain coming down on a life is unique in my experience and I especially like that the stone mason shows the wrinkles in the "cloth" of the curtain as it hangs. The curtain is down and the footlights are out. This play is truly over.

Other monuments have common themes for the period; draped urns, obelisks, and statues of the deceased.

Because there is a steep hill to climb to get the top, the sides are terraced. This image below is of the steep-sided roof of a crypt on the terrace below where we were standing.

On top of the hill, the graves are in rows, back-to-back.

The sandstone catafalques do not age well in the rainy, acidic, weather.

Others, made of harder stone, do much better.

The angels have lots their arms, but the bulk of the design remains intact on this grave.

The many tall monuments indicate the money that was once in the city that produced such men and women.