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| Kensal Green Cemetery by Thomas Allom - late 19th Century. Museum of London |
Hemmed in by a vast Sainsbury, a Victorian gasworks and a ribbon of tired-looking roadside convenience stores, it is difficult to think of the area as the semi-rural oasis that it was when the cemetery was established here in 1833. Nevertheless, even with the threat of rain under a typically cold and grey London sky, Kensal Green Cemetery in April 2013 was far from gloomy. With dwarf daffodils, pink primulas, pale yellow primroses and early tulips spreading widely across the neatly mowed grass, and the requisite presence of deep, glossy ivy trailing across some of the more ruinous tombstones, it was attractive and full of character.
Between
the Industrial Revolution, which concentrated large parts of the population in
London and other urban centres, and Asiatic cholera, which killed off vast
numbers of that population in the early Nineteenth Century, cemetery
overcrowding became a serious problem.
In Britain a plethora of new cemeteries grew up during the Victorian
period in response to population explosion in rapidly expanding cities
following the runaway success of the Industrial Revolution. Cathie Bryan,
who led the excellent tour, described one of the breaking points: the collapse of one churchyard crypt wall
caused human remains to cascade into the cellar of someone’s home. The lack of
burial facilities was becoming a serious health risk. Something clearly had to be done.
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| Map of the cemetery From the Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery |
In 1832 an Act of Parliament was passed and
in 1833 Kensal Green Cemetery was established over an area of 72 acres beyond
the residetioal areas of the city, following the model of the Parisian garden
cemetery Père Lachaise. Kensal Green was
the site of the first of a group of cemeteries now known as “The Magnificent
Seven.” Opened in 1833 by the General Cemetery Company, the
Cemetery of All Souls at Kensal Green (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea)
was planned not merely as a repository for the deceased but as a vast
landscaped garden, through which visitors could promenade and enjoy the
park-like atmosphere. A 1833 water-colour shows sweeping green acres of grass
and trees, interrupted only by curving avenues and neo-classical buildings, all
very much inspired by Georgian ideals of landscape and architecture. The
cemetery was divided into a consecrated Anglican section and an unconsecrated
zone for Dissenters. By 1842 there were nearly 6000 interments.
Today there are 130 listed tombs, memorials and mausoleums, many of them designed
by distinguished architects. The cemetery became a designated Conservation Area
in October 1984, supporting a diverse variety of wildlife and the Friend of
Kensal Green was established in 1990.
Visitors
to the cemetery today, looking at the unambiguously Classical Revival
structures making up the Anglican Chapel, the Dissenters' Chapel and Main Gate
might be somewhat surprised to learn that the winning designs were Gothic in
style but, as Cathie said, it was decided that the more elegant Classical
tradition proposed by John Griffith would actually be implemented. The presence of His Royal Highness the Duke
of Sussex, buried next to the vast Neoclassical Anglican Chapel, was a powerful
attraction to those who wished to mark their own graves in suitable ostentation,
particularly when his sister Princess Sophia reinforced the regal links when
she too was buried there. The Centre
Avenue, the main axis leading from the Anglican Chapel through the Christian
section of the cemetery, attracted the most grandiose of the monuments. The rest of the cemetery is a mixture of much
smaller tombstones and monuments, most of them knee- to waist-high, with the
occasional much larger and more elaborate example dotted between them. Kudos, then as now, was all about securing
the best location, and the area between the Anglican Chapel and the end of
Centre Avenue was the focus of monumental tomb building.
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| Vivant Denon's engraving of the temple of Dendera |
During
the early years of the cemetery all iconography associated with Catholicism,
including angels and crosses, were eschewed. Instead, many tombs were inspired
by ancient history, particularly Greece and Rome. Following Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of
Egypt in 1798 and the subsequent publication of Dominique Vivant Denon’s 1803
two-volume “Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt during the campaigns of General
Bonaparte in that country” and Napoleon’s official “Description de l’Egypte,”
appearing in several volumes between 1809 and 1829, most British Victorian
cemeteries have a generous smattering of Egyptian themes. Obelisks are ubiquitous, a virtually endemic
phenomenon in cemeteries of the period, but others type of monument that have
more elaborate architectural affinities with ancient Egypt are also present,
many of them examples of the so-called Egyptian Revival style. Although there is nothing as elaborate as
Highgate Cemetery’s Egyptian Avenue, Kensal Green has some good examples of
Egypt-influenced architecture, most of which were built for people who had no
obvious connections with Egypt.
Although
Egyptian religious beliefs were apparently at odds with Christianity, many of
the themes were common to both, including belief in an afterlife and judgement
day and the importance of monuments for eternity. Both the connection to the east and the
beauty of Egypt’s architecture were also influential. Freemasonry also found Egypt attractive,
basing many of its ideas about Egypt on the purely fictional ideas expressed in
Abbe Jean Terrasson’s 1731 novel “Séthos,” and a fascination with secret
societies. Egypt was by no means disconsonant
with the Freemasons’ interest in King Solomon’s Temple, the Ark of the
Covenant, the Tower of Babel and the importance of architecture and stone
masonry.
Obelisks
are pervasive at most 19th Century cemeteries. At Kensal Green Cemetery
it was impossible to round a corner without seeing at least one obelisk, fat,
thin, tall, short, pink, grey or black. The most impressive of the
obelisks is a 20ft piece in pink granite, erected in 1855, inscribed for Joseph
Richardson. Richardson was a stonemason and the inventor of the 14ft long Rock
Harmonicon, a novel form of xylophone with 16 idiophones (musical bars)
made of spotted schist stone from the Lake District, with which Richardson
toured the country, playing at the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly in 1846.
Of the other Egyptian monuments, the most notable are the mausoleums.
Usually square or rectangular in plan, they share battered (sloped) pylon-style
facades with distinctive cavetto cornices. Some were plain but most were
supplied with a range of motifs. The tomb of Lieutenant Colonel Charles
Seton Guthrie, was provided with an elegant sufficiency of Egyptian motifs:
lotus-bud pillars and the winged solar disk flanked with uraei. Others
incorporated a range of motifs, drawn cheerfully from both Classical and
ancient Egyptian sources. Of these, the mad, bad Grade II-listed marble
and brick mausoleum of equestrian circus entertainer Andrew Ducrow (1793–1842)
is the most elaborate and startling, combining a bewildering number of motifs
drawn from different cultures. Amongst them are palm leaf columns; a
winged solar disk and uraeus; two rather baleful sphinxes on pedestals; torus
mouldings; a Greek pediment; beehive carvings (a Masonic symbol of
industriousness); a phoenix; a mock-fallen column decorated with a Charles II
style wide-brimmed hat with gauntlets; Pegasus carvings; masks of Comedy and
Tragedy; Christian angels and wreaths; inverted torches and much
more. It is a remarkable example of self-indulgence run riot, and
if you enjoy truly over-the-top architectural excess, it is a lot of fun.
Cathie says that like many ancient Egyptian temples, it was originally painted
in several different colours (a staggering thought).
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| Andrew Ducrow |
Other
monuments are less obviously derivative of Egyptian styles but still
incorporate Egyptian elements. For example, the relatively plain and
uncompromisingly stern pedestal monument to one John Gordon is based on
Classical architectural elements, but features four Egyptian-style heads
equipped with nemes-headdresses at each corner of the roof.
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| Wyndham Lewis |
A
particular landmark was the tomb of politician (not the well-known modern
artist) Wyndham Lewis, whose tall pyramid-shaped monument was easily visible
from the walkway. Motifs decorating the
pyramid, one on each face, were lotus flowers and armorial shields. As we all looked at the steep sides and the
narrow pinnacle, Cathie explained that this slender design had been copied not
from chunkier ancient Egyptian prototypes, but from a Roman tradition that
included examples like the pyramid of Caius Cestius in Rome. Pyramids appear in many Victorian cemeteries,
perhaps due to their association with the Granaries of Joseph, Biblical
references to the Israelites labouring over their construction, or simply as a
durable icon of eternity.
The
start of the Centre Avenue is marked by the imposing monument of Henry Kendall,
erected by his father Henry Edward Kendall, whose winning designs for the
cemetery had not actually been used.
With its six-lobed headstone, decorated cross, a lovely kneeling winged
angel, gothic script and Masonic imagery (small compass and protractor set in a
circle at the front; large compass and square on the rear face), and
fortuitously surrounded by dwarf daffodils, it is imaginative, attractive and
rather touching. Continuing down the Avenue we stopped at a number of
tombs including the tall machine-polished pink-granite obelisk of Joseph
Richardson, which I talked about in my previous post. As Cathie explained,
obelisks were considered to be acceptable partly because the red granite
obelisk installed in the Circus Maximus overlooked the crucifixion of St Peter
of Perillos and was not associated with any profane symbols or hieroglyphs.
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| Sir George Farrant |
Immediately
opposite is a far more understated but rather more mystifying Egyptianized
monument belonging to Sir George Farrant, and nearby is the Harris
Mausoleum. Many of the Egyptianized
mausoleums, including Ducrow’s, Harris’s and Farrant’s are pylon-style
monuments. Instantly recognizable from
the published illustrations of Vivant-Denon and Napoleon’s “Description de
l’Egypte” the pylon style monuments cherry pick the most characteristic
components: the cavetto cornice, the battered (sloped) walls, the torus
mouldings and the double-winged emblem above the doorway and in the cornice,
usually flanking a solar disk. Sir
George Farrant’s Portland stone pylon-style mausoleum has all these features,
but added an almost Art Deco component to it, stylizing the Egyptian features
and in particular the winged motif.
Although a winged solar disk with twin cobra heads sits over the door,
the winged solar disk in the cavetto cornice is replaced by highly stylized and
downturned wings flanking a human face.
Cathie had done some research into the design and suggested that it was
probably based on Vivant-Denon’s illustration of the Temple of Hathor at
Denderah, with the face representing a Victorian interpretation of the goddess
Hathor herself. Flanking the wings are
two symbols that appear to be abstract at first glance, but which Cathie
deciphered on behalf of the group: an
Art Deco take on faux cartouches sitting over stylized nub hieroglyphs. The
mausoleum also features the inverted torches that indicate both death (the
inversion) and eternal life (the still burning flame).
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| Sir George Farrant |
Although
many of the Egyptianized monuments are obelisks or pylon-forms, one was clearly
based on a pharaonic gateway. Sir Ernest
Cassel, the owner of the tomb, had strong ties with Egypt. Having financed railways, the early Aswan Dam
and the Asyut Barrage he went on to establish two Egyptian banks and donated
over £300,000, a staggering sum in 1903, to establish travelling eye hospitals
in Egypt. In the form of a framed
portal with battered sides and a cornice with a winged sun disk, the memorial
text is framed within the supporting gateway frames beneath the cornice.
The tombs
of the Freemasons offer a different type of approach to burials, employing a
variety of symbols of which Egyptian motifs formed only a small part. A
non-dogmatic but deist and highly idealistic and political organization,
Freemasonry incorporated many motifs, symbols, emblems and ciphers derived from
multiple sources. Hieroglyphs were only deciphered in 1822, and the
incorporation of Egyptian themes in the arsenal of Freemasonry motifs nearly a
century before reflected a belief that Egypt’s scenes represented components of
initiation rites and arcane knowledge. Some of these ideas were influenced by
the 1731 novel “Séthos” by the Abée Jean Terrasson, a translator of Diodorus,
which describes how the protagonist was initiated into the cult of Isis inside
the Great Pyramid. Others were influenced by Count Cagliostro who
introduced an Egyptianized form of the Masonic tradition into Paris in 1785,
and by the above-mentioned publications from Napoleon’s Egyptian foray. From
various sources, Egyptian symbolism became increasingly dominant during the
Victorian period, reflecting the Victorian love of secrecy, rituals, codes and
presumed ancient knowledge. Dominant motifs are the sphinx, the obelisk,
the Great Pyramid and the all-seeing eye (or Eye of Horus), that latter usually
set within the pyramid, beams of the sun, or both. All Egyptian
motifs were interpreted within the partisan framework of Freemason thinking, a
somewhat arbitrary addition to their graphical iconography that helped to
illustrate and reinforce the organization’s political and ethical
beliefs. There are also a number of Freemason tombs, with and without
Egyptian motifs. Most famous is probably that of H.R.H. Prince Augustus
Frederick, Duke of Sussex (1773-1848), sixth son of George III, President of
the Royal Society, Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England and the
first member of the Royal family to choose to be buried in a public
cemetery. Made of dour Aberdeen granite, it is a surprisingly
understated and bleak tomb for such a colourful individual. Another is
the 1851 headstone of Peter Thomson, a senior Freemason who was instrumental in
the union of England’s two rival Grand Lodges. The stepped headstone, set
on a plinth, is liberally decorated with a plethora of Masonic motifs and
symbols.
The
Masonic tombs were surprisingly low-key by comparison with their Egyptian style
counterparts, which surprised me. The
Gideon Monument, built by local stone mason Edward M. Lander, and designed for
four year old Augusta Gideon, was one of the most expressive, a blend of themes
and styles. Consisting of a mini obelisk
decorated with downturned torches, it included a classic Masonic image framed
within a pediment, showing a pyramid with sun radiating out of it, thought to
equate to the all-seeing eye of God the Great Architect. The most elaborate of the Freemason tombs was also
one of the most poignant. Created by one
of the earliest celebrity chefs, Alexis Soyer, it was distinctly Baroque in
inspiration and is inscribed “FOR HER.” Soyer commissioned the monument for his wife,
who died suddenly during pregnancy, and her portrait is central to the
design. It is topped with a female
statue, the symbol of hope, which once held a flambeau. By contrast, novelist and Freemason Anthony Trollope’s
tomb was a simple Christian statement consisting of a horizontal
cross carved from the lid of the polished pink granite tombstone. Even more minimalist in terms of expression
was the tomb of one of the most important Freemasons of the period – that of
H.R.H Prince Augustus Frederick, the Duke of Sussex. A horizontal carved slab of dark Aberdeen
granite on a long plinth of the same material, it is surrounded by a set of
bollards once connected to each other with chains. The only elaboration is the large inscription
that adorns the sloped side of the monument.
The
Harris Mausoleum, built for Freemason Sir George David Harris, is another built
in the pylon style. Sir George Harris was a Commissioner of the 1862 Great
Exhibition, one of the original members of London County Council and an
important Freemason, with an extensive Masonic career and the member of a
number of lodges at very senior levels.
As with the other pylon mausoleums, it features battered sides, a
cavetto cornice and torus mouldings, Egyptian-style columns and a winged
sun-disk with rearing cobras.
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| John Gordon |
The last
stop on our visit was the tomb of John Gordon. Managing to be both imposing and
simple at the same time, four squared tapering columns extend from a simple
base to a Classical-inspired canopy. The
only hint of Egypt still makes a strong impression: on each corner of the canopy acroteria in the
form of Graeco-Roman inspired pharaonic heads, each with a Nemes headdress, look out.
These are accompanied by the emblems of a butterfly and a snake eating
its own tail (the ouroborus),
respectively the symbols of resurrection and eternity.
I came
away wondering about who had commissioned the monuments – the deceased or their
kin? Alexis Soyer erected the
above-mentioned tomb for his wife, and Freemason Imré Kiralfy commissioned a
Classical style mausoleum for his children and grandchildren in much the same way that Ramesses II had KV5
built for his progeny, but I wondered who had decided that Wyndham Lewis would
be best laid to rest beneath a pyramid – himself or someone responsible for his
burial? And was the austere tombstone of the Duke of Sussex a comment on him by
his family, or a reflection of his own wishes?
The most
ambitious of the nineteenth century cemeteries in both Europe and the United
States are microcosms of the fashions and trends in the art and architecture of
the period. Famous examples, homes to some magnificent monuments, are the
Cimitero Monumentale di Milano (Italy), the Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón,
Havana (Cuba), Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston (U.S.), Père Lachaise Cemetery,
Paris (France), Glasgow Necropolis (Scotland) and Highgate Cemetery in
London.
Having
read this, and assuming that you found it of interest, would you want to go the
Kensal Green Cemetery for the first time without a guide? I would say no, or at least not unless you
have Cathie Bryan’s book, which as well as being a guide tour of the Egyptian
style tombs, has a number of chapters of background information about both the
Kensal Green Cemetery and the origins of Egyptian themes in Victorian
cemeteries in general. The success of
the visit rested in Cathie’s extensive knowledge and her skill at imparting
information to a large mobile audience.
Many
thanks to Cathie Bryan for a most entertaining and informative day. I am very much looking forward to discovering
Egyptian style tombs in London’s other Victorian cemeteries.
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| Andrew Drucow |
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