Blog Post 2

Josh Klein                                                                                                                Blog Post 2

One trip that I found to be particularly memorable was the trip that we took to Brompton Road Cemetery. Typically a cemetery does not come to mind when I think of a place to go visit unless I am visiting someone who I have lost; this is what made it particularly memorable. The part that made this trip so unique was how I felt while I was there and how a place that is filled with death could be inviting the way that it was. In class, we learned that the lifespan of people during the Victorian era was very short. It was 44 years for males in the middle and upper class and it was in the early 20’s for tradesman and laborers. It was interesting to learn that Brompton Road Cemetery was one of seven that had been created to help bury people who had died from disease. It was also interesting to see how the different gravestones are representative of different things. In class, we learned that a gravestone that was a broken column is representative of a life cut short, and that an anchor indicated hope for families. It was very interesting to see a number of each of these in the cemetery.

        One part of the song by Christina Rossetti that I found to be particularly interesting was “Be the green grass above me, With showers and dewdrops wet; And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget.”. This series of lines stood out to me while I was walking through the vast cemetery due to the fact that when standing at one end of the cemetery, you can not help but to notice the green grass that covers the ground. It is when you begin to walk down the paths and through the cemetery that you notice just how many bodies that are buried there. While the bodies lie peacefully and the grass makes the grounds seem pleasant, it was tough for me to overlook the fact that the space was filled with death. Additionally, it was interesting to me how I could learn about the individuals buried from their gravestones. For example, the man who had founded Chelsea Football Club had the team’s logo on his gravestone, and another man who was a pilot in the army had an image of him blowing up a blimp engraved on his. This stood out to me because the legends of those men will live on with their stories being told and retold to help remember them, but as time goes on, the memory of what those individuals were actually like gets forgotten. That reality is what made those lines from Rossetti’s song stick out to me while reflecting on my trip to the cemetery.

        The last thing that stood out to me on this trip was how there was a café at the entrance to

the cemetery. The café was inviting and seemed cheery and happy yet it was on the border of a

place that was filled with the aura of death. Additionally, while the cemetery itself was very quiet and

peaceful, Stamford Bridge stadium, where Chelsea Football Club plays its home matches is just

behind the far right end of the grounds. The stadium is clearly visible from the cemetery once you

reach the far end as it towers over everything. The stadium is known to get very rowdy during games

and that contrast between the rowdiness of the crowd in the stadium, and the stillness of those who

were laid to rest in Brompton Road Cemetery was interesting to me. Overall, this trip was not the

most fun, but it was one where I felt that I learned a lot, and was able to gain insight into death

culture during the Victorian era.