cemeteryscapes [archives]

Welcome to the cemeteryscapes [archives]

2011-11-04T20:34:00.003Z

Dear colleagues, contributors and readers. After the two years of fascinating posts and discussions the cemeteryscapes blog has now been turned into an archive. Cemeteryscapes will continue to exist online and in PDF form as an online publication and I sincerely hope that it will continue to be a useful resource for all things cemeteryscape-related. My own research has moved into different directions and so I am no longer able to edit and compile this blog as I have done over the past few years. From reviewing the Funeral Trades Monthly to coffin exhibitions, cemetery open days and discussions about natural burial grounds we have received contributions and enquiries about every subject and it has been a privilege to be part of this lively research community.
I find that the issues we have addressed, including our way of dealing with the passing of time, changes to social and natural environments, our own mortality and its material expressions, have been stimulating and highly relevant and they continue to gain significance as our knowledge about cemeteryscapes increases. This blog has shown how diverse a subject cemeteries are and that there is much that is yet to be discovered across different countries and throughout different ages. I hope to be able to contribute more to this debate in future, but for now, I wish you all the best. Thank you.
Maren

Coming soon in published form

2011-09-09T15:57:00.003+01:00

Our summer break is over and there is news that all the posts of cemeteryscape will be turned into an online publication, so that we can keep all the contribitions we have received over the past few years together in more easily accessible format.

If you have something you'd still like to include, it's not too late to contribute.

Welcome back!

Cemeteryscapes takes a summer break

2011-06-05T18:51:00.000+01:00

Cemeteryscapes is taking a summer break this year as I will be busy in the world of learning technology and most of our guest contributors are either on holiday or away doing fieldwork.
Thank you for your readership this past year and we look forward to welcoming you back with lots of interesting posts at the start of the next academic year.
Maren

Reading List: The Material Culture of Death in Medieval Japan

2011-05-22T16:57:00.000+01:00

The Material Culture of Death in Medieval Japan, by Karen M. Gerhart, is the first in the English language to explore the ways medieval Japanese sought to overcome their sense of powerlessness over death. By attending to both religious practice and ritual objects used in funerals in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, it seeks to provide a new understanding of the relationship between the two. Gerhart looks at how these special objects and rituals functioned by analyzing case studies culled from written records, diaries, and illustrated handscrolls, and by examining surviving funerary structures and painted and sculpted images. August 2009 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3261-2 (Source: University of Hawaii Press).

Something for the weekend

2011-05-13T20:28:00.000+01:00

Cemetery sky

Westminster Abbey - Burials and Memorials

2011-04-29T15:07:00.001+01:00

On a day of celebration such as this one, Cemeteryscapes would like to send its best wishes for the future of the happy couple - and mark the occasion with a little Westminster Abbey trivia as of course it is home also the burial place of many not only Royal persons, but also other notable figures from history and in some case those who worked at the Abbey.

One of the most culturally fascinating parts of burial at the Abbey is an area commonly called Poet's Corner, which is the last resting place of many poets including William Blake, Robert Burns, Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, John Dryden, George Eliot, T. S. Eliot, Thomas Gray, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Samuel Johnson, John Keats, Rudyard Kipling, John Masefield, John Milton, Laurence Olivier, Alexander Pope, Nicholas Rowe, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Thomas Shadwell, William Shakespeare, Alfred Lord Tennyson and William Wordsworth.

For a more comprehensive list, have a look at the Wikipedia page.

High above the cemetery

2011-04-17T08:38:00.000+01:00

"Adventure Balloon" over Oxford Cemetery

TWELFTH COLLOQUIUM ON CEMETERIES

2011-04-12T20:53:00.000+01:00

This event takes place every year and comprises a day meeting of scholars with an interest in cemeteries and burial. Disciplines that are routinely represented include historians, art historians, sociologists, anthropologists, historical archaeologists, landscape architects, conservators and policy analysts. The Colloquium often draws international speakers. A key aspect of the Colloquium is its informality, and the large amount of time that is given to question and debate, making it a highly valuable forum in which to present new and emerging research.

TWELFTH COLLOQUIUM ON CEMETERIES
University of York, York, UK , Friday 27st May, 2011

Objects and cemeteryscapes II: Guest contribution on boneyards

2011-04-03T15:18:00.004+01:00

Following our previous post on boneyards, we have received a guest contribution relating to Britain's Most Famous Derelict Fight Plane, an English Electric Lightning F.2A.
For more information visit http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2009/08/britains-most-famous-derelict-fighter-plane/

Another really interesting link als submitted points to buildings made from recycled ships:
See the website for more information. Below we have quoted in image from the website:

Objects and cemeteryscapes I: Boneyards

2011-03-19T18:11:00.000Z

Over the next weeks and months Cemeteryscapes is going to be looking at cemeteries and other, similar spaces and places for objects. As objects become ever more important to our lives, their disposal becomes not only a practical, but a cultural and social process. By examining cemeteryscapes for objects and how we relate to them, we may be able to learn more about contemporary notions of death and disposal in the context of living things.

This first post is about boneyards, cemeteries for airplanes. I've always had a deep fascination with airports, but I have to admit that I've only recently discovered cemeteries or graveyards for airplanes, commonly called boneyards in the US.

There was a recent news story about these on BBC News (read the article) and since then I've been actively searching for more information about these truly gigantic spaces. The BBC articles is about a site in the US which covers 2,600 hectares and is home to 4,000 'dead' or retired aircraft. The aerial photographs of row upon row of airplanes are visually arresting.

I've also come across a 'Field Guide to Boneyards' online by John A Week III which can be accessed via http://www.johnweeks.com/boneyard/index.html#SITEC and which in addition to short descriptions also has some very good photographs.

As most of these sites are located in desert regions (a better climate to prevent corrosion it seems) the cemeteryscapes that develop look unique, filled with reflective metal and giving you a strange sense of scale because of their flatness.

As recycling centres boneyards also have some very interesting links with industry, in particular with furniture makers. One widely-known example of recycling airplane materials to make furniture is a company called MotoArt (see their website) which makes all kinds of things from recycled airplane parts. One example from their website is quoted below:

Furniture made by MotoArt http://www.motoart.com/

Next time, how to give your mobile phone a proper burial.

Internment.net - Cemetery Records Online

2011-02-27T13:08:00.002Z

A free online library of cemetery records from thousands of cemeteries across the world, for historical and genealogy research. Published by Steve Johnson, edited by Maggie Rail.
http://www.interment.net

Spring comes to the cemeteryscape

2011-02-19T17:54:00.002Z

Add caption

100 posts of cemeteryscapes

2011-02-12T15:22:00.000Z

Dear all, this is post no.100 and we felt this would be the ideal time to celebrate and showcase the all-time most popular posts from the cemeteryscapes blog. So, these are the top 5, as read, shared and followed by you:

5. At number 5 are the Crazy Coffins from the Sepulkral Museum in Germany.

4. At number 4 a recent guest contribution and feature on cemetery photography:
11 ANGELS by Sebastion Linnerz.

3. The third most widely read and shared post is about Igualada Cemetery in Spain.

2. Going underground and looking at what lies beneath the surface of the cemeteryscape

is the second most popular post on West Norwood Cemetery's catacombs.

At number 1 - another guest contributions which looks at a most relevant question, namely "What makes a natural burial ground distinctive"?

To keep up to date with the blog and posts, you can subscribe to our RSS feeds and follow us on Twitter @cemeterscapes.

Cemeteries from the air

2011-02-06T09:10:00.000Z

There is an interesting paper from mapping cemeteries from the air, which was presented at the ASPRS 2008 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon April 28 – May 2, 2008 and was written by Ming-Chih Hung, Assistant Professor, Department of Geology/Geography, Northwest Missouri State University and Eric B. Wolf, Ph.D. Student, Department of Geography, University of Colorado-Boulder.

The full paper is available via this link and I have quoted the abstract below:

Many times, aerial photos via platforms like airplanes and helicopters are chosen for ground reference. Compared to satellite-borne images, such aerial photos provide spatial details that allow investigators to closely examine features and their spatial distribution. Aerial mapping companies update their aerial photo archive once in several years, even once in decades in some areas. Requiring flight lines to fit special research needs normally is time consuming and expense prohibiting. This project demonstrates the use of balloon aerial photos for mapping small features over a small geographic extent, e.g., gravestones in cemeteries. The imaging system consists of a consumer digital camera, a camera mounting rig with picavet suspension, a balloon measured at 1.5 meter diameter filled with helium (sometimes a 2.8-square meter kite) , and a tether. The altitude of balloon was controlled by the tether at about 50 meter above the ground; resulting in high spatial resolution images at about 1.5 centimeter cell size. Another advantage of the balloon aerial photography is the flexibility. As long as weather permits, the temporal resolution can range from years, months, weeks, to days, hours, or even minutes. The system was tested on three cemeteries exhibiting several qualities of the Upland South Folk Cemetery complex near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gravestones were digitalized from these aerial photos. Locations and facing directions of gravestones are compared to ground measurements using DGPS.

Guest contribution: 11 ANGELS by Sebastian Linnerz

2011-01-30T11:07:00.003Z

11 ANGELS - Sculptures from Cologne cemeteries
Photographs by Sebastian Linnerz

I'm a graphic designer based in Cologne, self-employed since 1988. Photography is a very important part of my work. Many years ago my wife Corinna suggested to take a walk in the oldest and most famous historic cemetery of Cologne: "Melatenfriedhof". Since then it is our family tradition to take a walk there on the last day of the year: 31st of December. I always take my camera and what fascinates me most are the stone and metal sculptures of angels. My collection grew and in 2009 I extended my photographic walks to many other Cologne cemeteries and published a pack of postcards with 11 motives ("11" is Cologne’s favourite number). Originally taken as digital colour photographs, I transformed them into duplex prints with two colours: black and a warm grey. What is typical about my angel portraits is the close up image. 2010 was the 200 year jubilee of "Melatenfriedhof" and I had three exhibitions with enlarged prints of my photographs. The latest and best attended was in a place right in front of the "Dom", the famous Cologne cathedral. Here's the link to view my 11 ANGELS: http://www.sebastianlinnerz.de/fotografie/postkarten/?img=13

Best regards from Cologne,
Sebastian

"A birdless cemetery" from The Bird Study Book (Project Gutenberg)

2011-01-19T15:18:00.001Z

_A Birdless Cemetery._--I visited, not long ago, one of the old-time
cemeteries, the pride of a neighbouring city.  It was indeed a place of
beauty to the eye; but to my mind there is always something flat and
insipid about a landscape lacking the music of singing birds.
Therefore I looked and listened for my feathered friends.  Some English
Sparrows flew up from the drive, and I heard the rusty hinge-like notes
of a small company of Purple Crackles that were nesting, I suspected,
in the pine trees down the slope, but of really cheerful bird life
there appeared to be none in this artificially beautified, forty-acre
enclosure.  There is no reason to suppose that, under normal
conditions, birds would shun a cemetery any more than does the
traditional graveyard rabbit.

It was not dread of the dead, such as some mortals {229} have, that
kept the song birds from this place; it was the work of the living that
had driven them away.  From one boundary to another there was scarcely
a yard of underbrush where a Thrasher or Chewink might lurk, or in
which a Redstart, or a dainty Chestnut-sided Warbler, might place its
nest.  Not a drop of water was discoverable, where a bird might slake
its thirst.  Neither in limb nor bole was there a single cavity where a
Titmouse, Wren, or Bluebird might construct a bed for its young.  No
fruit-bearing trees were there to invite the birds in summer; nor, so
far as I could see, any berry-bearing shrubs such as birds enjoy, nor
any weed patches to attract the flocks of Whitethroats and Juncos that
come drifting southward with the falling leaves of autumn.

Extract from 
The Bird Study Book, by Thomas Gilbert Pearson,

Illustrated by Will Simmons

available via Project Gutenberg 
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21007/21007.txt

World Architecture Festival

2011-01-16T17:07:00.000Z

In November last year the World Architecture Festival took place in Barcelona. In 2009, the winner in one of the categories (Future Projects) was a cemetery proposal by A4 Studio, Budapest, Hungar. The proposal was for a new cemetery, graveyard and mortuary and was entered for an international design competition announced by the town of Szentendre. More information about the project can be found here. Projects such as this (and their sucess at such a high-profile festival, provide much-needed inspiration and raise awareness about contemporary cemetery architecture and design.

ArchDaily on Monuments and Memorials

2011-01-03T10:53:00.000Z

We are always looking for contemporary approaches to and thinking about cemetery architecture, design and development. ArchDaily doesn't currently list a separate topic dedicated to cemeteries or burial, but under the heading 'Monuments and Memorials' many relevant entries can be found, including posts on the San Cataldo Cemetery by Aldo Rossi, entries for a competition to create a multicultural cemetery in Järva, Stockholm, Sweden and Four Freedoms Park by Louis Kahn.
Browse all entries under Monuments and Memorials.
More information about ArchDaily.

Marcon Cemetery, Italy

2010-12-31T10:17:00.000Z

Recently included in its listing of 'other' cemeteries by the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE), images and information about Marcon Cemetery are now available via the ASCE website. This cemetery which is contemporary in its design, stands in contrast to the 87 cemeteries which the association has designated 'Significant' as these are usually of a more historical nature. Of the 48 other cemeteries listed 40 are classed as contemporary, with sites from a number of countries such as Spain, Italy, UK, Slovenia and Denmark being included. To browse the contemporary cemeteries click here.

Marcon Cemetery on the ASCE website.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T10:28:00.000Z

Cemeteryscapes wishes all readers a very Merry Christmas!

Guest contribution: Botley Cemetery, December 2010

Guest contribution: cemeteries in winter

2010-12-18T16:25:00.001Z

Iced ivy and spiderweb

2010-12-15T08:16:00.000Z

Cuckoo Lane memorial in winter

2010-12-09T21:45:00.002Z

Cuckoo Lane memorial

Forthcoming exhibition: Der Tod der Karikatur

2010-12-05T16:29:00.000Z

From 28 January 2011 until 1 May 2011 the exhibition Der Tod der Karikatur (The death of caricature) will take place at the Museum fuer Sepulkralkultur in Kassel.

For more information about this forthcoming exhibition, visit the museum's website.

Call for "Cemeteries in Winter" images

2010-11-26T14:14:00.004Z

With winter approaching fast we are issuing a call to all our readers to send us any images of cemeteries in winter they would like to share. All images received will be published, so please make sure you have permission to to do so. Accompanying stories and descriptions are welcome, too!

Natural Burial Project and Conference Output

2010-11-17T10:50:00.000Z

Following the first National UK Natural Burial Conference in May this year, a range of output from the conference as well as the Natural Burial Research Project at the University of Sheffield is available.

To find more information about the research, visit the listings page on the project website. Earlier this year we also published a guest contribution from Hannah Rumble on natural burial grounds. Read the post.

Armistice Day

2010-11-11T09:05:00.000Z

Cemeteries in the media: How to visit a virtual grave

2010-11-11T08:58:00.000Z

How to visit a virtual grave
A digital photography project allows families to see the final resting place of relatives who died in battle for the first time
Alison Winward
The Guardian, 10 Nov 2010

Read the article.

Quote:

"TWGPP was launched by Steve Rogers, a former sailor who began photographing war graves after tracing the last resting place of a relative killed in the first world war. When he approached the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), "They told me, 'If you want to work with us, you have to photograph all our graves.' There are 1.75m of them: I thought it would take years." But less than three years later, more than 90% have been photographed by Steve and around 900 volunteers."

Guest contribution: The Bereavement Services Portal

2010-11-11T08:41:00.003Z

The Bereavement Services Portal was established in 2004 as an easily accessible online ‘yellow pages’ for professionals needing contact details of cemetery and crematorium managers round the country. Such an information system always requires updating so we provided each operator with a password for amending both contact details and useful information for families and funeral directors such as nearest main road, fees, office opening times, disabled choices etc at their individually managed sites. The database, searchable by county and specific text, comprises over 1000 operators representing 4000 individual burial grounds including 200 natural burial sites and 250 crematoria. It has proved very popular with members of the public too , often following up family history enquiries, and daily hits rose 2000 by the beginning of this year. We have another 10000 cemeteries and churchyards from the MOJ still to add.

More recently we have expanded the website to include a large range of related information with dedicated ‘buttons’ to memorial masons, suppliers, military graves, family history websites, and registrars. The re-launch took place in October and already visits have risen to 5000 per day. We are building this to be the most comprehensive data hub of its kind in the UK, continually adding more information, and welcome any suggestions for increased functionality and reciprocal links.

Stephen Laing ASSETtrac Ltd

Guest contribution: On cemeteries as investment opportunities

2010-11-06T12:43:00.000Z

At least in the UK, cemeteries have a history which is closely linked with making money. In many cases, the prospect of a good return on investments made cemetery companies in the 19th century sucessful in the short term, establishing a culture of opening cemeteries and selling grave plots for high prices. In the contemporary context and particularly in the current economic climate, cemeteries are again seen as an increasingly attractive opportunity for investment. A recent articule in The Guardian entitled Are cemeteries the new safe investment? discussed this issue and mentioned the launch of a privately operated scheme which proposed to finance the contruction of a new burial space by first leasing grave-plots to investors and then selling the plots to customers, thus providing the investors with a return. Like many other schemes, the basic premise is that burial space will continue to be in demand as existing cemeteries face space-shortages and that consumers will continue to have a demand for buying plots or leasing them for long periods of time thus generating income. The article closes with pointing to potential changes in UK legislation, which will allow existing cemeteries to create new burial space and thus provide local communities with the burial space they require without the help of new schemes.

This, it seems, makes potential investment in burial space an uncertain proposition, in addition to the difficulties of sustaining a cemetery as a viable business in the long-term. The main issues which are evident from the development of cemeteries over the past 180 years are a significant de-crease of income once the majority of plots are sold, the cost of maintenance and the fact that the rights of the dead in combination with the rights of the living customers make cemeteries set up in a traditional manner very difficult to manage. The change in legislation mentioned above would mean that graves older than 100 years could be extended, i.e. that the present burial would be re-buried at a greater depth to create additional spaces above. Despite the practical difficulties this may entail, from a personal perspective I think I would prefer for my body to be disposed of in an environment which reflects my time more than a second-hand Victorian grave could. Something which reflects my culture and beliefs just as Victorian Cemeteries in Britain reflect those of Victorian society. Any investment which can provide a sustainable, ethical and practical solution to this demand would get my custom.

Historical perspective
For a critical examination of the relationship between the development of cemeteries and cemetery companies in Britain and its consequences I would recommend referring to Dr Julie Rugg's doctorial thesis The Rise of Cemetery Companies in Britain, 1820-1853, which is available via the University of Sterling Online Repository http://hdl.handle.net/1893/2017 .

Cemetery images in lamp design

2010-10-27T10:48:00.001+01:00

I recently came across some cemetery-inspired artists' images for use with Copylight lamps. The idea is that you have a lamp which can illuminate images placed in front of it and that these images can be changed as desired. The images are by Sebastian Linnerz and mainly depict sepulchral sculptures. View them here.
Information about the lamps can be found here.

The Victorian Undertaker's Cabinet

2010-10-21T15:44:00.001+01:00

Illustration of a Victorian Undertaker's Cabinet which stores all the funerary paraphernalia needed.

Guest contribution: Night Thoughts by William Blake

2010-10-17T09:44:00.000+01:00

Continuing our series of posts on the development of cemeteries and in this case in paricular Victorian cemeteries in Europe, this guest contribution high-lights the influence of literature and poetry, particularly the work of the so-called Graveyard Poets upon the early origins of the cemetery movement. The work of Blake and others not only articulated contemporary attitudes towards death and dying, but also quite specifically described the horrors of burial in overly full graveyards and un-hygenic, seeping graves.

An illustration of Night Thoughts by William Blake

Origination: William Blake: inventor, delineator, etcher, engraver

Publisher: R. Edwards, London

Date: 1797 (Composition Date: 1795-97, Print Date: 1797)

Object Size: ranging between 33.9 x 28.4 cm. and 40.5 x 32.8 cm.

Source: Blake Archive http://www.blakearchive.org/exist/blake/archive/work.xq?workid=bb515&java=yes

Digital Death Day - 9th October 2010

2010-10-13T15:48:00.000+01:00

The 1st Digital Death Day took place on 9th October 2010 at the Centre for Creative Collaboration, University of London. One of the questions explored at the event was "Where does your data go when you die?". Inviting interested individuals from across commercial, professional and acaemidc sectors, the conference aim was described thus:
Death is a part of life and life has (to an extent) become digital.

This un-conference will be primarily concerned with provoking discourse around the social, cultural and practical implications of Death in the Digital World. Thus stimulating a reconsideration of how death, mourning, memories and history are currently being augmented in our technologically mediated society.
The archiving, networking and post mortem engagement of ‘digital remains’ leads us to consider what place digital information has in our lives legally, sentimentally and historically
For more information see the conference website, which includes a section on the media coverage of the first and second Digital Death day.
See also the BBC article Virtual Life after Death
and Digital Death Day! (Is Every Day) on the Death Reference Desk site.

In Memoriam - Flower tribute

2010-10-03T12:43:00.004+01:00

A flower tribute in preparation, in situ in the cemetery on the day of the funeral and a week later.

Contested Futures - The Development of West Norwood Cemetery into the 21st century

2010-09-23T09:03:00.006+01:00

As the editor of this blog, I am glad to say that the abstract of my thesis is now available. You can also download it directly here [469 kb PDF]. The title of my thesis is Contested Futures: The Development of West Norwood Cemetery into the 21st century.

New issues of the Journal of the British Institute of Funeral Directors (BIFD)

2010-09-17T16:20:00.001+01:00

The September issue of The Journal also features an article about the recent "Handle with Care" exhibition.To browse the current and recent issues, visit the journal's website. For more information about the journal, article submission and publication details. see here.

AAA Annual Meeting - November 2010

2010-09-10T21:38:00.000+01:00

The annual meeting of the Americal Anthropological Association is coming up in November. The event will take place in New Orleans this year from the 17th - 21st November.
Further information about the programme and bookings is available via the Association's website.

Cemetery Science on iTunes U

2010-08-30T13:03:00.000+01:00

Have a look at several Cemetery Science programmes available via iTunes U from Pennsylvania State University. Simply search for "cemetery science" in iTunes.

Cuckoo Lane - Oxfordshire

2010-08-29T10:24:00.000+01:00


Cuckoo Lane monument

This monument was erected in Cuckoo Lane to commemorate two local residents who walked through the lane every day. Created by a local mason and monumental artist from local stone, it acts as a way sign as well as a personal memorial throughout the year.

Cemeteries and the economic downturn

2010-08-22T11:23:00.002+01:00

One of the issues which influences the future development of existing and new cemeteries is funding, both for their maintenance and repair. The picture above shows just one of many types of decay which are threatening the survival of historical monuments and architecture. What is being championed as 'cemetery heritage' requires high levels of investment, with many of the UK's prestigious Victorian cemeteries being in need of large sums to stablise listed monuments and tombs. In the current economic climate the issue of cemetery funding becomes not one of practicalities, but one which poses the larger question of how important the maintenance and repair of historical cemeteries is in contrast to the needs of living people. With cuts in many areas of society impacting upon all aspects of life, the responsibility for managing the heritage of the dead is one which will demonstrate how contemporary society relates to the values of past generations and their material representations.
Alongside the concern over the funding of historical cemeteries, the need to provide burial space and facilities to suit the needs of local communities while operating within acute financial constraints, may provide an opportunity for innovation and development in cemetery architecture and funerary culture.

Resources for Anthropologists

2010-08-14T16:04:00.001+01:00

The Royal Anthropological Institute provides a number of invaluable resources for anthropological research, including collections of books, videos and images. It also houses some rare books on the study of death rituals and burial grounds. The RAI is now making an extensive and systematic catalogue of its collection available online. See http://www.therai.org.uk .

Natural burial ground

2010-08-13T14:25:00.000+01:00

From a recent visit to a nearby natural burial ground.

Crazy Coffin exhibition in France - 20 May - 4 September 2010

2010-08-04T15:48:00.002+01:00

"Crazy Coffins" from England and Ghana are featured in this exhibition.

Visit the website of the English coffin makers: http://www.crazycoffins.co.uk/News.html

Visit the Blog for the exhibition which features many pictures of how the exhibition was curated and organised.

Funeral home material culture

2010-07-30T13:34:00.000+01:00

This comes from the Hebenstreit Funeral Home in Gillespie, Illinois.

Moray Burial Ground Research Group

2010-07-25T11:06:00.002+01:00

Since 2003 research into the burial grounds in the Moray region of Scotland is being carried out by the Moray Burial Ground Research Group. The group's website includes many resources including an image gallery, updates on progress made, newsletters and minutes from meetings as well as a list of publications. The publications deal with topics such as buried tombstones (generally no longer visible) and monumental inscriptions and provide an invaluable resource for academic and private research.

Visit the MBGRG website.

Handled with Care 2010 - National Coffin Exhibtion

2010-07-14T09:35:00.006+01:00

Official exhibition website: http://www.nationalcoffinexhibition.co.uk/ .

A view of the exhibition area from a woodland path.
Colour Coffins exhibition.
The main exhibition area.

Over the weekend, 10 -11 July the British Institute for Funeral Directors (B.I.F.D.) held Handled with Care, the national coffin exhibition. Amongst those exhibition were: Sunset Coffins, Bellacouche, J.C. Atkinsons, Colour Coffins, Oasis Bamboo Coffins, Ecocoffins, Crazy Coffins, Greenfield Creations, Daisy Coffins, Rowland Borthers, Iaian Rennie Hospice at Home, the Natural Death Centre, the B.I.F.D. and the Institute of Civil Funerals. There was also an exhibition of funeral memorabilia.

Advertisements, July 22 1886.

2010-07-09T10:18:00.004+01:00

The British Embalmer and Funeral Trades Monthly

2010-07-09T10:10:00.004+01:00

This is the cover of The British Embalmer and Funeral Trades Monthly - Scientific. Interesting. Educational. Practical. No. 1. March 15, 1902.

Current exhibitions at the Sepulkral Museum, Kassel, Germany

2010-07-09T10:05:00.003+01:00

Current events and exhibitions at the Sepulkral Museum, Kassel, Germany include

Orte ohne Wiederkehr, photographs by Johannes Twielemeier
The sun ain't gonna shine anymore, death and dying in rock music
series of seminars for cemetery tour leaders and staff, doctors and carers, monumental masons and others

For full listings, including publications, visit the museum's website.

Handle with Care exhibition 2010 - 10-11 July 2010

2010-07-01T15:50:00.000+01:00

Following a very successful first "Handle with Care" exhibition a few years ago, a second event will take place 10-11 July 2010 in Chiltern Woodland Burial Park.

Colin Lidell, editor of the Journal of the British Institute of Funeral Directors, has contributed these pictures from the last exhibition to provide a sense of the event and what to expect this year.

For more information, see the exhibition website.

The Undertakers' and Funeral Directors' Journal and Monumental Masons Review - Vol.1, No.2 1886

2010-06-20T09:57:00.002+01:00

This is the cover of the second issue of this historic journal, which is still be being published in its contemporary form. Containing articles about cemetery and funeral culture, adverts for coffins, wreaths, funeral services and so forth as well as listings of professional services available it constitutes an unparalleled record of Victorian attitudes and approaches to death, dying and disposal.

World Cup and Football Greats

2010-06-12T08:44:00.005+01:00

To mark the beginning of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa yesterday, here are a few of the burial places of past Footballing 'Greats' (in no particular order), excluding that most notable of football heroes, Sir Bobby Moore, World Cup Champion 1966, who was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium.

C. W. Alcock, founder of Test cricket and the FA Cup, West Norwood Cemetery, London, UK;
Garrincha, World Cup Champion 1958, 1962, Pau Grande, Brazil;
Ferenc Puskas, World Cup Finalist 1954, St Stephen's Basilica, Budapest, Hungary;
Lev Yashin, European Champion 1960, European Footballer of the Year 1963, Moscow, Russia;
George Best, European Footballer of the Year 1968, Stormont, Northern Ireland.

Cemetery triptych

2010-05-31T14:49:00.001+01:00

Reading matter: The Secret Cemetery

2010-05-26T12:39:00.003+01:00

Although it's been published since 2005 The Secret Cemetery by Doris Francis, Leonie Kellaher and Georgina Neophyte is a book which continues to grow in relevance and interest.

About the book

Burial sites have long been recognized as a way to understand past civilizations. Yet, the meanings of our present day cemeteries have been virtually ignored, even though they reveal much about our cultures. Exploring an extraordinarily diverse range of memorial practice - Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish, Roman Catholic and Anglican, as well as the unchurched - The Secret Cemetery is an intriguing study of what these places of death mean to the living. Most of us experience cemeteries at a ritualized moment of loss. What we forget is that these are often places to which we return either as a general space in which to contemplate or as a specific site to be tended. These are also places where different communities can reinforce boundaries and even recreate a sense of homeland. Over time, ritual, artefact and place shape an intensely personal landscape of memory and mourning, a landscape more alive, more actively engaged with than many of the other places we inhabit.

About the authors

Doris Francis is Research Associate, Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Leonie Kellaher is Principal Research Officer and Director of the Centre for Environmental and Social Studies in Ageing, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of North London and Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of North London. Georgina Neophytou is Research Assistant, University of North London and Consultant, Open University.

Weekend post - Cemetery views in pencil

2010-05-21T16:33:00.002+01:00

Two pencil drawings of West Norwood Cemetery, London.

Guest contribution: Handle with Care 2010

2010-05-17T20:42:00.002+01:00

Here are some more photos from the first "Handle with care" exhibition which Colin Lidell has kindly contributed to this blog.

Guest contribution: Handle with Care 2010

2010-05-17T20:35:00.004+01:00

Following a very successful first "Handle with Care" exhibition a few years ago, a second event will take place 10-11 July 2010 in Chiltern Woodland Burial Park.

For more information, see the exhibition website.

Drawings

2010-05-13T15:37:00.000+01:00

Rennes Métropole Crematorium by PLAN01 Architects

2010-05-13T14:10:00.002+01:00

Another inspirational crematorium design, this time by PLAN01.

Rennes Metropole Crematorium is located in Vern-sur-Seiche, France and was completed in 2009. This space itself, which is designed to provide a secular facility, follows the theme of a simple shape, a circle, both within the indoor and outdoor spaces. Underlying the entire project lies an ecological approach that embraces the entire site.

Build Blog: The Architecture of Cremation

2010-05-09T12:10:00.000+01:00

I came across this fascinating blog post about the Architecture of Cremation in the Build Blog.
Go to the article or visit Build Blog.
The article also refers to an upcoming exhibition curated by Lundgren Monuments, a collaboration between two professional glass artists who make cast glass monuments.

General Election Day in the UK

2010-05-06T11:28:00.003+01:00

The future and fate of British cemetery provision and management will be impacted upon by the outcome of the General Election. Although under the current Government there has been a move towards addressing the issues which British cemeteries are facing, the next decade will see more urgency in the need to manage cemeteryscapes, both old and new. Issues which need to be addressed range from space shortages, providing burial and disposal facilities for an increasingly diverse society and dealing with the rapid decay of historical cemetery landscapes and material culture.

If you would like to have a closer look at current and past parliamentary papers related to cemeteries this is a good place to start: UK Parliament - Research Publications.

Cemetery Colloquium 2010 - bookings open

2010-05-03T09:49:00.001+01:00

This event takes place at the University of York, on Friday 22 May 2010.

See: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/chp/crg/crgcolloquium.htm .

On cemeteries and country houses

2010-05-01T11:32:00.004+01:00

When thinking about cemeteries and cemetery heritage, I think it is useful and interesting to consider the English comparative example of the English country house. This can be translated into different cultural context, but has particular significance in terms of class distinctions and the architectural and sculptural influences apparent in both.

Two initial references for this topic:

Patrick Wright's On Living in an Old Country (1985)
Laurajane Smith Uses of Heritage (2006), see chapter on the Manored Past

Palm tree in West Norwood Cemetery

2010-04-30T15:46:00.002+01:00

This palm tree used to stand near the entrance of West Norwood Cemetery. It was removed as it didn't fit into the general character of the cemetery.

ICCM Conference and exhibition 2010

2010-04-25T21:50:00.003+01:00

The annual conference of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management will take place 27 - 29 September 2010, Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth, Warwickshire. One of the themes of the conference is new disposal methods, with a paper with a focus on Cryomation being presented.

For more information visit the conference website.

Map Making resources - Edina Digimap Collections

2010-04-22T12:22:00.005+01:00

In addition to Google maps and cemeteries' own maps, Edina Digimaps provides an invaluable resource for researchers, as it brings together:

Ordnance Survey maps;
Historical Landmark maps;
Geological maps;
and marine maps, too, although for cemetery studies this isn't really applicable.

This resource also allows you to browse and compare historical maps with each other, download maps and save them for further reference. One interesting aspect of comparing maps of cemeteries from different periods is the way in which they are indicated, sometimes as park land, sometimes as blank spaces and sometimes as built up areas. Similarly, name change conventions on maps throughout different periods reflect the ways in which cemeteries change designations.

Map making - Topographical features in Victorian Cemeteries

2010-04-18T09:19:00.004+01:00

Victorian cemeteries and their topographic features are of primary importance to understanding their landscape and layout design. The map above shows that the highest part of the cemetery lies towards its centre and that the paths leading from the entrance of West Norwood Cemetery wind themselves into and upwards across the cemeteryscape, drawing the visitor in. In addition to the benefits of good drainage, which the elevation affords, the summit within the cemetery also afforded a view into what is now central London and St Paul's cathedral. Nowadays an approximation of this view can only be glimpsed in winter, when it is not obscured by the now mature trees.

Malcolm McLaren to be buried in Highgate Cemetery

2010-04-09T08:06:00.005+01:00

The sad news of Malcolm McLaren's death also brings with it an interesting new addition to what can easily be described as London's most famous cemetery. According to the Guardian, Malcolm McLaren will be buried in Highgate Cemetery, where Karl Marx is buried also.

Map making - visual representations of cemeteries

2010-04-05T15:15:00.000+01:00

Representing cemeteries using maps can be a difficult task. Most cemetery maps, or rather official cemetery maps, concentrate on representing cemeteryscapes in accordance with the priorities and values of their makers as well as allowing visitors to find main points of interest and to reach these easily.
Thus, most cemetery maps show paths and roads, offices and similar buildings, the crematorium if the site has one as well as particular areas such as a garden of remembrance or war memorial.
General maps often show cemeteries as a mixture between parkland and the surrounding environment or in the case of natural burial grounds, cemeteries may be virtually indistinguishable from the landscape.
This series of posts is going to be exploring different ways of making maps of cemeteries including maps focused on memorials, grave re-use, landscape, topology and phenomenological explorations of cemeteryscapes, starting with the currently ubiquitous Google map.
As an example, here's a link to West Norwood's location on Google Maps.

Inspiration: Requiem for Detroit

2010-03-28T15:06:00.004+01:00

The recent documentary Requiem for Detroit by Julien Temple provides much interesting and inspiring material about the future of urban, industrial environments. It was recently screened on the BBC and is currently still available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Although the film itself didn't deal with cemeteries, one of the most evocative parts of the film examined the architecture of inspiration and success (mainly motivated by the growth of the car industry) which dominated the expansion of the city and its suburbs. This, in my view, directly relates to the way in which Victorian funerary architecture can be understood and further reflects the issues which elaborate monuments and mausoleums face currently. Similar to the cemeteries which are no longer visited and esteemed in the same fashion as in Victorian times, the population of Detroit has dwindled and in the same way as plants are reclaiming parts of Victorian cemetery architecture and landscaping, prairie has started to reclaim parts of Detroit (even small urban farming co-operatives have started to appear). Although of course crumbling mausoleums don't represent the same scale of problems as disused factories and decaying infrastructure, the Victorian cemetery does face the same challanges in its own way.

Churchyards, cemeteries and natural burial grounds - a response

2010-03-28T15:01:00.002+01:00

A vision of the future?

West Norwood Cemetery in summer.

When considering the differences between churchyards, cemeteries and natural burial grounds it is prudent to look into the past, to consider how each type of burial space has come into being and why. Taking into account Hannah Rumble’s contribution and her reflections on natural burial grounds as well as my own research on Victorian cemeteries, it becomes evident that with regard to material culture and architecture, there are decided differences between these three types of burial space. Similarly, changes in the social and cultural attitudes towards death, dying and disposal are clearly reflected in the way in which each type of space and in its usage and there is much insight to be gained by focusing on these changes.

Yet social and cultural changes, urban development or increases in population, life expectancy and ethnic diversity are not the only factors which produce change in the construction of cemeteryscapes. Our considerations of how and where we want to be remembered, what we want to leave behind and how we present our lives to future generations, is also an important consideration. The future of burial space or cemeteryscapes depends on how we answer these questions.

In the case of cemeteries and churchyards, we have many examples of how each type of space can develop over time, how it undergoes change and how its usage may change. Yet only a small number of natural burial grounds have already reached capacity in the UK. The plans and provisions for their future development may vary widely. Thus we cannot yet analyse their longer term development.

An interesting question to consider is how the descendents of those who choose natural burial will feel if there is not only no grave-marker to find, but if the place of burial itself has become indistinguishable from the landscape over time. Is it a historic hangover that we are used to cemeteries and expect to be able to return or to visit? Cremation and the private disposal of ashes have already established the lack of a fixed location in our minds as an accepted alternative. Thus in many ways the radical departure, a love away from material culture and architecture, from perpetuity and material remembrance, which Ken Worpole for instance has argued natural burial grounds represent, may have already taken place. But the question about the future still remains – will a cemeteryscape even if it is a natural burial ground become simply a landscape or will it remain distinct?

Guest contribution: What makes a Natural Burial Ground distinctive?

2010-03-24T17:37:00.009Z

Are natural burial grounds distinctive from what has gone before (i.e. cemeteries, churchyards, gardens of remembrance etc.)? Indeed, should we make a distinction at all?

I ask these questions because over the last two and half years researching natural burial as a cultural practice in death for my PhD I have become unsure of how natural burial grounds (in their great variety of ownership, landscaping and management) are distinctive from and comparable with our more familiar places for the dead such as cemeteries and churchyards.

I turn to this blog in the hopes that my question will prompt some discussion and feedback.

Take a look at the photo below if you will. It is a woodland burial site near Cambridge that I am using as my case study on the practice of natural burial.

I took this photo in the summer of 2009. It emphasises what I understand to be the fundamental difference between a ‘cemetery’ and a ‘natural burial ground’: in a cemetery the dead are given sovereign status, in a natural burial ground the dead are not necessarily guaranteed sovereign status in the landscape.

Moreover, the diminished topographic reminder to the dead below ground – which after all, identifies a ‘cemetery’ – grants greater emphasis on life and the living in natural burial grounds as opposed to cemeteries etc. Natural burial grounds, in my opinion, therefore represent new therapeutic landscapes for the grieving. The aesthetic veneer of the ‘natural’ landscape, together with the absence or diminished visibility of grave markers, permits death to be sequestered by the continuity of life. One could argue that natural burial is therefore another cultural practice epitomising the denial of death. I on the other hand, believe these places for the dead represent a therapeutic means for the living to overcome death but not deny it.

Natural burial grounds are places that offer hope beyond the grave, for these places embody continuity and bring the distinction between life and death closer together. Natural burial grounds are perhaps offering a satisfying alternative to the hope and ontological meaning-making that churchyards and their headstones unquestionably embodied in the past. In this sense there is nothing radical in the practice and emergence of natural burial in the UK. What perhaps does strike as radical is that some of us now prefer to relinquish our identity to the natural world in these places for the dead. The opportunity to do so is what makes a natural burial ground distinctive from a cemetery, churchyard or garden of remembrance.

A grave in a woodland burial site planted with wildflowers and identified by a wooden plaque placed flush to the ground, as seen on the left-hand side.

I would be keen to read your response!

Hannah Rumble
h.j.rumble@durham.ac.uk

Final year doctoral research student at:
Centre for Death and Life Studies (http://www.dur.ac.uk/cdals/)
Dept. of Theology and Religion
University of Durham
UK.

The case study for my PhD is the Arbory Trust:
http://www.arborytrust.org/

West Norwood Cemetery catacombs and catafalque

2010-03-21T15:18:00.005Z

(Source: Nick Catford, Subterranea Britannica)

The catacombs at West Norwood Cemetery have been flooded again since these images were taken and are currently inaccessible.

Natural Death Centre

2010-03-17T07:54:00.002Z

Natural burial is becoming an increasingly influential and popular movement in the UK. In the context of announcing the first national Natural Burial Conference and also to provide a resource which contains a wealth of information which relates the cemeteries in general terms, we would like to draw your attention to the Natural Death Centre.

Particularly for material culture studies of death natural burial practices have a large impact, as they shape the development of funerary and burial material culture in a similar fashion as the introduction of cremation has done.

Death Day, University of Winchester

2010-03-14T18:44:00.001Z

From the calendar of events of the RAI (visit website):

15 May 2010 Death Day. University of Winchester, Winchester, UK. A conference bringing together people wanting to explore and discussapproaches to death, dying and bereavement from a wide range of perspectives. Contact: Christina.Welch@winchester.ac.uk . Facebook site: ‘Death at Winchester’.

Natural Burial Conference 2010

2010-03-10T13:31:00.002Z

First National UK Natural Burial Conference

25th March 2010
University of Sheffield
Department of Landscape, Crookesmoor Building, Conduit Road,
Sheffield, S10 1FL

This is a 1 day conference which also includes a tour and site visit to two natural burial grounds on the following day. Ken West is a speaker at the event which will also have interactive workshops which look at the following issues:

• the maturing natural burial site
• grave-marking and memorialisation
• the long-term future of natural burial
• the sustainable burial ground

For further information and to book your place visit the conference website.

Guest contribution: What is a cemetery? - Igualada Cemetery, Spain

2010-03-10T10:17:00.001Z

Igualada Cemetery, Spain, provides a distinct example of modern, minimalist architecture being used to create a unique cemeteryscape. Situated near Barcelona, Catalonia, the site which is also known as Cementiri Nou was designed by architects Enric Miralles and Carme Pinós after winning an architectural competition in 1984. Replacing the Old Cemetery or Cementiri Vell the cemetery is the resting place of its architect Enric Miralles, who died in 2000.
The design of the site takes the surrounding landscape into account and through the construction of a series of earthworks also changed it, making it an extensive cemeteryscape which makes a stark statement about linking past, present and future in the context of mortality.
As a cemetery is has some elements of more traditional designs like a planting scheme, distinct route and roads, an underlying order to the distribution of graves. But it also uses the surrounding landscape in a way that makes it more part of it, becoming part of a lasting, constructed landscape, rather than distinct from it. To the question "What is a cemetery?" Igualada presents a counter-question: "Is there anything beyond the realms of possibility for a cemetery to be?".

Images/Architecture

References

Pinos, C. (1993). Igualada Cemetery. Landscab (2), 40-44
Zabalbeascoa, A. (1996). Igualada Cemetery. London: Phaidon Press

Call for Papers: Eleventh Colloquium on Cemeteries

2010-02-25T12:22:00.002Z

ELEVENTH COLLOQUIUM ON CEMETERIES
University of York, United Kingdom, Friday 21st May, 2010

A call is now being given for papers for the Eleventh Colloquium on Cemeteries, 2010.
This event takes place in York every year and comprises a day meeting of scholars with an interest in cemeteries and burial. Disciplines that are routinely represented include historians, art historians, sociologists, anthropologists, historical archaeologists, landscape architects, conservators and policy analysts. The Colloquium often draws international speakers. A key aspect of the Colloquium is its informality, and the time that is given to question and debate, making it a highly valuable forum in which to present new and emerging research. More details.
The deadline for abstracts is 31st March 2010.

Cemetery Books: Recent and forthcoming

2010-02-25T11:14:00.001Z

It's always good to have a look what has been published on cemeteries recently and here are a few suggestions which should make interesting reading:

Forever L.A.: A Field Guide to Los Angeles Area Cemeteries and Their Residents by Douglas Keister. Published by Gibbs M Smith Inc. Due to come out in May 2010
Landscape Gardening: Notes and Suggestions On Lawns and Lawn Planting--Laying Out and Arrangement of Country Places, Large and Small Parks, Cemetery ... and Shrubs--The Hardy Border-Bedding Plant by Samuel Parsons. Now accessible via the Internet Archive of the American Libraries.
Decoration Day in the Mountains: Traditions of Cemetery Decoration in the Southern Appalachians by Alan Jabbour and Karen Singer Jabbour. Published by The University of North Carolina Press and due to come out in May 2010
Unearthly Landscapes: New Zealand's Old Cemeteries by Stepphen Deed. Published by Otago University Press in July 2008.

Cemetery film locations: Brompton Cemetery, London

2010-02-17T11:03:00.001Z

The 2009 film Sherlock Holmes used Brompton Cemetery in London as its film location. Many Victorian London cemeteries have been used as film locations, particularly Highgate Cemetery and West Norwood Cemetery. On the Brompton Cemetery website you can read about the different films which have used the cemetery as a location, such as Goldeneye and Johnny English.

Celebrating London's Architecture - London Festival of Architecture 2010

2010-02-14T16:26:00.000Z

The London Festival of Architecture will take place from 19 June - 4 July 2010. In preparation for us to celebrate not only architecture for the living, but also the architecture of death, cemeteryscapes invites you to vote for your favourite London cemetery. In February and March we will focus on London's Victorian cemeteries. Later in spring we will include your favourites in a short-list of London cemeteries from all eras.
If you would like to propose a cemetery or share a story or images of any London cemetery, please get in touch.

Baudelaire on cemeteries (from Das Passagenwerk)

2010-02-07T19:31:00.001Z

Baudelaire and the cemeteries: “Behind the high walls of the houses, toward Montmatre, toward Menilmontant, toward Montparnasse, he imagines at dusk the cemeteries of Paris, these three other cities within the larger one- cities smaller in appearance than the city of the living, which seems to contain them, but in reality how much more populous, with their closely packed little compartments arranged in tiers under the ground. And in the same places where the crowd circulates today- the Square des Innocents, for example- he evokes the ancient ossuaries, now levelled or entirely gone, swallowed up in the sea of time with all their dead, like ships that have sunk with all their crew aboard.”

Francois Porche, La Vie douloureuse de Charles Baudelaire, in a series entitled Le Roman Des Grandes Existences, No. 6 (Paris, 1926), pp. 186 – 187 IN: (Benjamin, 1999, p. 99)

Meet the editor

2010-02-07T19:29:00.004Z

For those of you who are curious to find out more about the editor of this blog, Maren Deepwell, you can now visit her blog.

Cemetery Postcards I

2010-02-04T16:00:00.001Z

Postcard of West Norwood Cemetery, London, UK.

Images of England

2010-01-27T15:01:00.003Z

For anybody who is interested in finding out in more detail about English monuments, tombs and architecture in the context of heritage, Images of England, a resource provided by National Monuments Record offers great access to images of listed monuments and (more importantly) details of their listed attributes. For cemetery monuments this generally includes dates, architecture style, description of any specific features, details of the architect, stone mason or client and often biographical details of the individual(s) buried. Searching for cemeteries does present problems if one doesn't know the exact official name of the site.

Only one image per record was taken when this project was commissioned, with volunteer and amateur photographers receiving rolls of film and information regards locally listed monuments, then setting out to document the nation's listed heritage in their local area. Despite its inherent limitations this resource provides not only information but also a rewarding case study in itself.

Call for Papers: A Good Send Off: Local, Regional & National Variations in how the British Dispose of their Dead

2010-01-17T16:32:00.006Z

Centre for Death & Society Annual Conference

A Good Send Off: Local, Regional & National Variations in how the British Dispose of their Dead

Saturday 19 June 2010, 9:30-17:00

at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institute, Bath, UK

CALL FOR PAPERS

There are major variations in funerals, burial and cremation within Britain. Ethnic and class variations have, to some extent, been explored, but regional variations – though common knowledge among funeral professionals and folklorists – are rarely analysed rigorously or comparatively. This conference will examine regional and local variations in how the dead are, and were, disposed of in the UK, including funeral rites, burial, cremation and commemoration. It will aim to untangle what is British, what is national (Scottish, English, Welsh, Irish), and what is regional or local about how the British dispose of and commemorate their dead, and why variations take the form they do.

Papers are invited from scholars in sociology, anthropology, archaeology, folklore, geography, history, theology, religious studies, cultural studies, literature, psychology, law and from practitioners in the funeral, cemetery and cremation industries. Please send a title and provisional abstract (under 200 words) to Tony Walter, jaw34@bath.ac.uk or tel: 0044 (0)1225 383595, by 20 January 2010 at the latest.

Please check the website for further information and conference updates.

Contribute to cemeteryscapes

2010-01-13T10:05:00.002Z

Contribute your own pictures, ideas, stories, references and resources to the cemeteryscapes blog. We are currently considering the question "What is a cemetery?" from a contemporary perspective, however contributions on all related topics are welcome. To contribute your content, please e-mail marendeepwell@googlemail.com . Please note that anything you wish to share must be attributed to the original source or author or your own.

Victorian Cemetery Design in England

2010-01-10T13:07:00.004Z

Cemetery layout designs taken from the work of John Claudius Loudon's "On Layout out Cemeteries" (p. 22 -23). In these two example illustrations, the shaded area through the centre represents the path, the blank spaces denote available grave space and the darkest patterns show the planting schemes for vegetation.

"What makes a cemetery a cemetery?" - Some food for thought

2010-01-06T13:03:00.003Z

As a first step and to provide some food for thought, here is a link to how the Cemetery Research Group at the University of York is constructing an approach to answer the question "What makes a cemetery a cemetery?".

Cemeteryscapes celebrates its 100th reader

2010-01-05T17:53:00.002Z

Thanks to everyone who has been following this blog for the first few months since its beginning. Although we passed the 100 mark a few days ago, it's time to celebrate! We look forward to more readers and contributions in 2010.

What is a cemetery?

2010-01-05T17:39:00.004Z

Happy new year to you all!

Inspired by several e-mails from our readers we've decided to consider what a cemetery is or at least to consider what the contemporary meaning of the word is over the next few weeks.

Our own experiences point into the direction that at least in the UK, contemporary usage of the term includes all types of burial grounds, be they enclosed cemeteries, natural burial grounds in open fields or new developments with a variety of disposal and burial facilities including crematoria.

Beginning by considering Julie Rugg's approach to defining what a cemetery is in the journal Mortality and drawing on historical sources and cemetery development, future posts will explore the notion of what a cemetery is and how the term can be applied.

If you would like to contribute to this discussion or have any references or quotes which may provide inspiration, please post a comment or e-mail us!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T23:06:00.000Z

Cemeteryscapes wishes everyone a very merry Christmas!

Winter in the cemetery

2009-12-13T10:31:00.002Z

Once the vegetation starts to draw back in the winter months, the damage sustained during summer can be assessed, while unwelcome house guests move into unprotected spaces to shelter from the cold.

Summer in the cemetery

2009-12-13T10:19:00.003Z

Taken during summer and showing the level to which monuments and tombs are covered by vegetation, these images demonstrate the silent conflict which rages in the cemetery between its natural and cultural elements.

English Heritage: Paradise Preserved

2009-12-05T12:19:00.006Z

An introduction to the assessment, evaluation, conservation and management of historic cemeteries. Published by English Heritage and Natural England. Download the PDF.

Crazy Coffins Exhibition at the Sepulkral Museum, Kassel, Germany

2009-11-26T12:30:00.003Z

For a few years the coffins made by Vic Fearn & Company Ltd have been exhibited throughout the UK and following an exhibition at the Sepulkral Museum in Kassel in 2005 the accompanying exhibition catalogue provides not only a history of this company of coffin makers and detailed colour illustrations of their creations, but also a discussion of coffin design and history. Particularly interesting is the section on designer coffins, which explores how notions of visual aesthetics and coffin propriety and functionality can be combined in the design, allowing for greater customisation and personalisation.

The illustration from the catalogue shows a coffin called The Sled, made in 2000 from wood, metal, leather and nylon. The dimensions of the objects are 200x56x40 cm (l x w x h). The inspiration for this design is the Laplander's sled and willow allow the client to wear his skies when embarking on his final journey.

You can also visit the Crazy Coffin exhibition online.

European Museums Part 4: Museu de Carrosses Funebres, Barcelona, Spain

2009-11-19T12:53:00.004Z

The Museu de Carrosses Funebres showcases funeral hearses and displays of mourning parades. It does not yet belong to the European Federation of Funeral Museums and is the only museum devoted to modes of transport for the dead, rather than the more popular elements of material culture and architecture such as monuments and coffins. In its collection are historical as well as more contemporary hearses. Although it doesn't have a website, one can visit the museum in person at Carrer Sancho de Avila 2, Barcelona.

European Museums Part 3: Uitvaartmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2009-11-13T16:44:00.003Z

Uitvaartmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Visit the museum website for updates on current exhibitions and online resources.

European Museums Part 2: Funeral Museum, Vienna, Austria

2009-11-13T16:38:00.002Z

The Funeral Museum in Vienna showcases around 100 exhibits on funeral rites and burial.