# Afternoon at Nunhead Cemetery...



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

I had a lovely wander around *Nunhead Cemetery* (and Nature Reserve), t'other afternoon - I even remembered to take my monopod too :grin:

I've discovered that I can tuck the monopod carry-strap around my belt a couple of times and it happily stays there until needed. It swings with my leg and I hardly noticed it was there :laugh:

From the main gate....











No, I hadn't been drinking..... :grin:











I find the hole underneath this one a bit ominous 











No, the camera wasn't tilted, the whole chapel is lop-sided - The graves down either side are still vertical grin:





























More.....


----------



## Dori1960 (May 19, 2011)

These are wonderful shots! 
#1 Great shot!
#2 Are your sure? :wink:
#3 The hole is a bit creepy
#4 Beautiful building! Why does it lean?
#5 Very ornate
#6 I love the POV! My favorite!!!ray:


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Thank you Dori :smile:

The whole area is near the top of a massive ridge that runs across the SE corner of London, that's why the transmitter-tower is so prominent, in lots of my other pics elsewhere. The ground dips and rises all along the tops and sides, or it could be from fire-damage, back in the late 1800's when the entire chapel was gutted out - It might also just be ground subsidence :4-dontkno

From the chapel, I decided to go around 'widdershins' (anti-clockwise), to see where it led to....

From along the route - Almost the entire area is dense woodland, like this :grin:.... - The tree on the right isn't in 'Autumn-Mode', we have a particularly nasty blight that's hit most of our Sweet-Chestnut trees and slowly decimating them. The leaves turn brown and drop prematurely so the tree can't store it's Winter reserves, the result is that it slowly starves and dies of malnutrition :sigh:











I couldn't find any writings, but I suspect this might be a child's grave, from the flowers in the kiddies-bucket....




















Dated 1904...











Although it's a beautifully peaceful and tranquil walk during the day, I bet it's really creepy, in true Gothic style, of a night - Zulu could make an excellent vampire-film here :grin:











More....


----------



## Dori1960 (May 19, 2011)

Thanks for the info!! A truly beautiful place! You would never drag me out of there, so much to see!
What a shame about the trees. :sigh:
It looks like someone is still tending the child's grave, nice to see. 
The last one does have a lot of 'creep factor' to it!


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

There's a lot of 'gems' hidden around, like this tiny angel approx 18" high - No markings or indications as to who, the grave-stone behind if for an 83 year-old lady who passed in 190?, the writing's mostly worn away.











There's also a lot of wonderful stone-crafting too...











This one (family plot) dated from 1860-1880











I noticed lots of overgrown side-paths and trails that wandered off, some through dense undergrowth, some not quite so....











Zoomed in....











More 'Spooky props' :grin:











More...


----------



## Acuta73 (Mar 17, 2008)

Old graveyards are cool to wander through. Living across the pond they'd probably tend to be a lot older than here. Have found the occasional pioneer grave while out hunting near the Barlow Road (overland portion of the Oregon trail via the Cascades). Problem is, they usually used wood markers that rotted away or simple rock cairns so there usually isn't much to see.

Don't think I have any "favorites" thus far, but the ambiance is well captured. Do love the Gothic structures!

And yeah, I don't think I'd be wandering around there at night...


----------



## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

WereBo said:


> Although it's a beautifully peaceful and tranquil walk during the day, I bet it's really creepy, in true Gothic style, of a night - Zulu could make an excellent vampire-film here :grin:


maybe a werewolf one would be more appropriate? :grin:

some nice pics there WereBo - the low angle of the chapel and some of the headstones ones give a good gothic/creepy feel.
Always interesting reading old, old gravestones - they don't pull any punches often very straight to the point. Many years ago for our honeymoon we went to Norfolk Island - settled as an old penal colony - and there were some interesting graves there: 

so & so (can't remember names) 
died 18xx aged 19
killed by a whale


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

@ Acuta - Oddly, the oldest grave I saw was dated 1814, which is rather curious as the cemetery wasn't opened until 1840









@ Zulu - I assume the 19 year-old worked on a whaling-ship? - I can't think how else a whale could get it's revenge, otherwise.... :wink:


Some more markers, rather more elaborate this time....






























Now why would a grave need a ventilation-grille in the base?..... 











Strangely, I felt a particular kinship with this guy - A 'Type Founder' designs fonts for the print-trade, something I learnt about when studying for my DTP qualifications - They never mentioned *Vincent Figgins* though....




















More....


----------



## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

"I assume the 19 year-old worked on a whaling-ship?"

Yes I presume so WereBo - another said something similar but this time death was "executed for mutiny" - many of the people on Norfolk Island are descendants of the sailors that took part in the original true mutiny on the Bounty - still many families of descendants of Fletcher Christian

this article explains the link between norfolk Island and the descendants of the mutineers.


----------



## Dori1960 (May 19, 2011)

What a wonderful series of photos! I almost feel as though I was there! ray:

It does seem odd to put a grill on a monument...

Fascinating read, Zulu!


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

@ Zulu - As Doris says, a fascinating article and one that's never mentioned over here - That's the 1st I'd ever heard of it :laugh:


One small thing I found disappointing during my walk, although the air was full to overflowing with bird-song, I didn't see a singe bird other than our mangy pigeons :sigh: - There weren't many wild-flowers in bloom either, I suspect the woodland was too dense for most of the time, there were only occasional patches of sunlight in open glades etc.


Here's a few I did manage to snap.....











Another one, this time with a friend who was too embarrassed to have her photo taken, she'd flown off before I could even view the pic on the rear-screen..... :laugh:











Dandelion.... - I think the auto-focus got a bit confused with the fluffy bits, this was the best of 4 shots - I like the geometry in the centre, it's reminiscent of a sea-anenomone.... :laugh:











Some lichen.....











More lichen.....











Now, this must've been some big woodworm!!!



















More....


----------



## Dori1960 (May 19, 2011)

More great shots! I really like the purple flower and the escaping bee!

What do you suppose caused the hole in the stump?


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

@ Dori - I'm not right sure really, the hole appears to have bark lining it, so it might just be a 'design-flaw' :grin: - There was a big nettle-bed between it and me, so I couldn't get any closer to it :wink:


A fuzzy tree....











I haven't a clue what was happening here, but it's a nice splash of colour :laugh:












Some Blackberries, but still a bit too bitter (I tried 'em :grin....












Peekaboo....











It's nice to see this is still well maintained, they're Canadian, New Zealanders and South African soldiers who fell during WWI











More....


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

I forgotted to add this pic earlier - The pics with the lichen on the branch, this is the end of one of the branches....











I think this is where the 'Pagans' and 'Heathens' end up..... :laugh:












I found it rather amazing how, although lots of the graves are now neglected, they fit perfectly into the scenery....





























The next 'stop' is where I saw the tree-seed on the spider's thread and learnt about the '*Benefits of Patience*' :grin: - The building to the right is the back corner of the chapel in some of the pics in that thread (and also the opening shots in this thread)....


More..... (Final shots :grin


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Finally, I reached my starting-point again, this pic shows just how small the chapel actually is, despite it's grand-looking portico....












These are in the circular raised-bed by the entrance, seen in #1. It weren't until I got home and looked at 'em on the 'big-screen' that I saw a tiny little spider on the petal - I'd loved to have got a super-macro of it :grin:





























As I'd just finished snapping the flowers, I looked up and promptly wondered how I'd missed seeing this on the sky-line - I guess I was too absorbed in the stonework, trees and general 'feel' of the place..... :grin:












That's the end of another wonderful afternoon walk. It's a pity the most famous of the 'Magnificent Seven' is so far away, Highgate Cemetery is world renowned for the famous folks interred there - Karl Marx, Michael Faraday, Malcolm McLaren and Douglas Adams, amongst many others.

Now back to the map-book, to see what else there is to visit and where :laugh:


----------



## Dori1960 (May 19, 2011)

Such fun! Thanks for taking us on this trip!
I love the little white flowers and the skyline! ray:


----------



## sjb007 (Dec 10, 2007)

Some great photo's there Bo :grin:


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Thanks sjb :grin:


----------



## Deejay100six (Nov 24, 2007)

Great pics indeed, nice one Bo.

I noticed that Vincent Figgins' wife was 21 years his junior. :smile:


----------

