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London�s Magnificent Seven Cemeteries

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Can you imagine such a rise in population growth that there was no place to bury the dead? Just think about what would happen? Think about what actually did happen. Back in the 1800s London�s population increased by over a million people in just fifty short years. There truly was a lack of burial space. As a result, there were instances of body snatching, bodies left out to rot or not buried deep enough and bodies cleared from graves too soon. As churchyard cemeteries became overcrowded massive sanitary problems ensued. Not a pretty sight, is it?

Because there was no room at the inns, churchyard cemeteries had to prohibit additional burials. There was simply no more space available to bury the deceased. The solution? Starting in the 1820s, the "garden cemetery" movement began. Forward thinking entrepreneurs solved the problem by creating suburban cemeteries, autonomous of the parish church. These new garden cemeteries were spacious with beautifully landscaped acreage.

When these large garden cemeteries were first established, there were no existing outstretched urban parks, therefore these new cemeteries became popular places for talking walks or carriage rides. Then in 1832 Parliament passed a bill encouraging the formation of seven private cemeteries in a ring around outer London. The seven cemeteries, now well known as the �Magnificent Seven�, were built to accommodate the growth of London and also to ease the indignity of overcrowded graveyards in the city.

At that time, a newly emerging middle class was coming into age. The Magnificent Seven appealed this group who were eager to distance themselves from the working class and to present to the public its social status.

You see, burial sites were seen as a public extension to the family's assets. Cemeteries provided a place for families to establish permanent monuments to themselves. However, many of the Magnificent Seven, previously considered elite, are now just overgrown stone junkyards. It�s no surprise that creating balance between conservation, preservation and restoration is an issue that taxes most of the nation's cemetery groups.

Nonetheless, there still exist some relatively undisturbed pockets of many cemeteries which have allowed the development of unique natural habitats. Cemeteries are now recognized as havens for gorgeous plants and flowers. Further many cemetery groups operate conservation schemes.

If you�d like to pay a visit to any of the Magnificent Seven, get out your tour guide and visit: Kensal Green, West Norwood, Highgate Cemetery, Nunhead, Brompton, Abney Park, and Tower Hamlets.

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