The Home of The Dead

Full of life and interest

Many people find cemeteries interesting places to visit, and I am one of them. There are a number of reasons why I find a walk around a cemetery interesting. Let me explain.

Cemeteries are by nature quiet places. They have plants, bushes and trees, which in turn attract wildlife. The insects attract small mammals such as mice, voles and moles. Birds of prey soon learn there is a food larder and kestrels, sparrowhawk and owls here in the UK are often regular visitors or residents in and around cemeteries. There are also larger mammals like the badger and fox who too are well catered for in the food chain.

With few people most of the time, these animals can thrive undisturbed. Even in a busy town, a cemetery can be a wildlife oasis. With parts of many cemeteries often left for nature to rule, there is a variety of long grasses and undisturbed areas for animals to live in. Just walking through such an area gives me a feeling of being closer to nature and enjoying the sights and sounds of it is relaxing.

Cemeteries in the UK can either have been created as a cemetery only, while others are church graveyards set around the perimeter of the church. The Victorians rather liked to establish cemeteries and many of them contain grand structures to remember the dead. You will see some examples in the video of The Down Cemetary in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

The headstones also tell a story and there will be family names that appear down through the ages. The age of death, particularly of children in the 19th century is striking to see in comparison to our times. So many failed to reach their teens. There are those too whose lives were cut short by war.

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Do you like to visit cemeteries? Please let me know by leaving a comment.