Tuesday, 17 January 2023

Kensal Green in the snow (December 2022)

The tomb of Alexander Nesbitt Shaw ('late of the Bombay Civil Service")

I took all these photos at Kensal Green Cemetery on the afternoon of the 15th December. The snow that had fallen a few days before was still on the ground and the temperature was still hovering around zero despite it being a sunny afternoon. The light was spectacular, a clear, cloudless afternoon with the sun already low in the sky by the time I arrived at 2.30. Despite it being ten days before Christmas there were still leaves on some of the trees and the colours of sky, snow and the last gasp of autumn were just beautiful.

I also took a lot of twilight pictures but I’ll post them later in the week.

Previous previous pre-Christmas visits to Kensal Green can be seen here (2018) and here (2019) and here (St Mary's Catholic Cemetery 2021)

View along Central Avenue towards the Anglican Chapel

Memorial to Major General Sir William Casement, Indian army officer

The Tomb of William Mulready, artist and Royal Academician 

The tomb of the circus equestrian Andrew Ducrow

A multitude of Angels (playing with your heart?)

The grave of George Ryall formerly of Lahore, India

Damn, I can't for the life of me remember whose grave this is...

6 comments:

  1. Snow gives a whole different look to a cemetery

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    1. It gives a different look to everything Bill!

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  2. The grave that you couldn't identify is that of Henry Kendall, architect, who won the competition intiated by the General Cemetery Company, to design the buildings for Kensal Green Cemetery. His Gothic designs were never used, the GCC preferring the Neo Classical designs of the runner up, John Griffiths.
    Henry Kendall is buried at a prominent site at KGC, perhaps 'cocking a snoot' at the GCC for rejecting his designs?! :)

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    1. Thanks! I knew it was one the architects involved with the cemetery but I couldn't for the life of me remember any of their names.

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  3. Wow, the architecture here looks amazing! I've only been to Highgate of the magnificent 7 but this one is definitely on my list when I next pay London a visit!

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    1. Kensal Green is my personal favourite of all the London cemeteries. And you can do a two for one trip as there is the Catholic cemetery, St Mary's, next door.

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