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From: www.victorianweb.org/photos/hardy/74.html
"The plaque accompanying the tree
explains that "before turning to writing
full time," Thomas Hardy "studied
architecture in London from 1862-67 under Mr.
Arthur Blomfield, an architect based in
Covent Garden. During the 1860s the Midland
Railway line was being built over part of the
original St. Pancras Churchyard. Blomfield
was commissioned by the Bishop of London to
supervise the proper exhumation of human
remains and dismantling of tombs. He passed
this unenviable task to his protegé Thomas
Hardy in. c.l865. Hardy would have spent many
hours in St. Pancras Churchyard . . .
overseeing the careful removal of bodies and
tombs from the land on which the railway was
being built."
Of course, the railway plans met with
considerable opposition then as they would
now. This plea for example:
webp1.mimas.ac.uk/~zzaascs/pan-pamph.html
Hardy's own history was no less macabre.
Visiting him EM Forster was taken aback by
the pet cemetery next to Hardy's house; all
had been killed by the nearby railway. After
Hardy's death, the authorities at Westminster
Abbey suggested he be buried in 'Poets'
Corner' contrary to his own wish to be buried
at Stinsford. Faced with this dilemma his
wife decided that his heart should be buried
at Stinsford and his ashes be interred in the
Abbey.
In Norse myth, an ash tree named Ygdrasil
had roots that went down to the underworld,
as Niflheim where the adder Nidhogge
(darkness) gnawed at its roots.
Posted 24 months ago.
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A great image- and as always fascinating
background information. The stones were
placed here- and the bones....?
Posted 24 months ago.
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Reburied, several deep. The brutal aspect of
progress.
Posted 24 months ago.
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Yes it certainly is a great picture and, as
usaul, the story behind it is much
appreciated. I ran out of time and battery
power upon my visit to do the graveyard
justice. I found it all very evocative as it
were.
Posted 24 months ago.
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Thanks. As Hardy is one of my favourite
novelists I was especially interested to see
this. The cemetery also provides a backdrop
to another of my favourite writers, as it was
here that Mary Wollstonecraft met Shelley
while she was grieving at her mother's grave;
one of the few left undisturbed by the
railway. Others would not have been
unfortunate; Johann Christian Bach's grave is
located in an unknown part of the cemetery,
for example.
Posted 24 months ago.
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Fascinating story.. and an interesting
composition..
Posted 24 months ago.
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Thanks.
Posted 24 months ago.
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Amazing place and capture
(1-2-3)
Posted 24 months ago.
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It's a really interesting corner of London,
isn't it, and a poignant piece of the record
of the history of development of Victorian
railways in London. The Soane mausoleum and
Burdett-Coutts memorial in the same cemetery
are also v much worth seeing.
Posted 24 months ago.
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More on those stories later ;)
Posted 24 months ago.
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Spooky that I shot and posted a snap of this to Guess Where London today.
Posted 24 months ago.
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It does seem to be a popular place for London
photographers.
Posted 24 months ago.
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A fantastic shot and a fascinating story.
Posted 24 months ago.
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Thanks.
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Once again ditto everything people have said,
thanks for the background on all this it
makes fscinating reading and looking Richard.
Posted 24 months ago.
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Thank you; I'm very glad.
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Interesting place! Thank you for the
wonderful explananation!
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You're welcome.
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Excellent!
(1-2-3 History)
Posted 19 months ago.
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Thanks.
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Awesome shot with an excellent history.
1-2-3 History
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Thank you.
Posted 18 months ago.
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fascinating ... I really must visit
--
Seen next to a fellow photo of Polstar*'s
contacts - ANY THEME!. (?)
Posted 18 months ago.
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wonderful pic and great history/
mythology.... what more could a girl ask for
....fascinating
Posted 15 months ago.
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Well yes, I was quite happy too. Thanks.
Posted 15 months ago.
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Where's all your background information from?
I still haven't visited Highgate and I feel
like I should grab the book or website you've
been reading to get all this before I go -
otherwise I won't be appreciating it
properly! :-)
Posted 15 months ago.
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This isn't Highgate, it's St Pancras Cemetery
- see links in the first post of the thread.
Highgate does have a website you can look at:highgate-cemetery.org/index.asp
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This is an outstanding photo, with great
background info provided, as usual, by
RichardR. To those who are interested in the
entire fascinating story of London
cemeteries, I heartily recommend a book
entitled "Necropolis : London and its
Dead" by Catherine Arnold. It covers the
history of London's great cemeteries - and
the appalling conditions that necessitated
their creation. Moreover, as an American who
recently made his first visit to England, I
can say it did a great job preparing me for
the differences in cemeteries and churchyards
there, and the reasons for them..
Posted 13 months ago.
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Yes, I can recommend Arnold too. You could
also try Underground London: Travels Beneath
the City Streets by Stephen Smith. It's a
broader survey but it does cover cemeteries
along with the underground, crypts, the sewer
system and so on.
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this is one of the most fascinating pictures
i have ever seen
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Many thanks. It is indeed a fascinating
place.
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Very interesting story indeed.
Posted 6 months ago.
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Thanks.
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Whoa.
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Glad you like it.
Posted 5 months ago.
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