I hope you are all well and enjoy the autumn if you are based in the Northern hemisphere.
A few weeks ago I went to visit West Highgate Cemetery in North London to roam the leafy, ancient avenues of this Victorian cemetery. The cemetery opened in 1839 and there are many well-preserved graves dated back to the mid 19th century.
As I wandered down these old leafy paths, I stopped at random tombstones and read the names of the souls whose remains were buried there. I paid particular attention to the dates when they were born and died, as well as to any additional words that were engraved in their tombstone. The grave with the sculpture of a faithful doggy drew my attention [you can see it on the picture below]…. I found it profoundly moving.
West Highgate Cemetery is a beautiful, inexplicably calming and nostalgic place to visit and to reminisce about the past and those who walked these grounds before us. If you ever in London, I would highly recommend you to visit it.
Two quotes from Steve Goodier and Carlos Ruiz Zafon came to my mind when reflecting on my experience wandering around West Highgate Cemetery:
“The only people I am aware of who don’t have troubles are gathered in peaceful, little neighbourhoods. There is never a care, never a moment of stress and never an obstacle to ruin a day. All is calm. All is serene. Most towns have at least one such worry-free zone. We call them cemeteries. “
– Steve Goodier
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[when speaking about the cemetery]
“Memories of hundreds of people lie here. Their lives, their feelings, their expectations, their absence, their dreams that never came true for them, the disappointments, the deceptions and the unrequited loves that poisoned their existence… All that is here, trapped for ever. “
– Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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