Wander in Kensal Green Cemetery

Though the opening hours are fairly liberal, it took your author a good few times turning up to locked gates at Kensal Green Cemetery before he eventually got inside, and when access was finally achieved, it certainly wasn't a disappointment. The larger, older cousin of Kensington & Chelsea's other famous Brompton Cemetery, Kensal Green is an atmospheric place, and home to more than than 35,000 memorials to the dead.


Whilst some find wandering around in graveyards morbid, your author always enjoys it. It is a thought-provoking exercise to walk amongst the dead, and reflect upon the lives of those who have gone before us, and can help to get some perspective on our mortality. As with most of London's cemeteries, Kensal Green reflects various aspects of society, from politicians, imperialists and nobility, to actors, servants, butchers, artists and stars of the circus, and the sheer diversity of professions is a lesson in itself in what a person can do with their life.

For more on Kensal Green Cemetery, see http://www.kensalgreencemetery.com/