Tuesday 19 July 2022

Skulferatu #76 - Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh

If you like old graveyards, then Edinburgh has old graveyards aplenty.  If you like old graveyards with lots of ostentatious and over the top tombstones, then Dean Cemetery is the place to go.  It is Edinburgh’s Père Lachaise where the crème de la crème of Victorian society had their mortal remains interred.  Walking down the rows and rows of graves is like walking through a who’s who of Nineteenth Century Edinburgh Society…and it’s even got a pyramid!

 

A photo of a Pink Pyramid in Dean Cemetery, this is the tomb of Andrew Rutherfurd, Lord Rutherfurd.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
The Pink Pyramid - Tomb of Andrew Rutherfurd, Lord Rutherfurd

 

Dean Cemetery sits in the grounds that were once part of Dean House.  The cemetery was laid out in 1845 to a design by David Cousin.  It opened in 1846 and soon established itself as the most fashionable cemetery in Edinburgh. 

 

A photo showing various gravestones in Dean Cemetery.  it is taken from a distance and  gives the impression of a group of gravestones all clustered close together with a carving of a woman on one of the graves looking towards the camera. Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
View over cemetery from the grounds of Dean Gallery

 

The cemetery was planted out like a garden with many different types of trees.  The idea being that the trees would provide an everchanging vista with light and dark foliage contrasting against each other.  There were also many weeping type trees planted that now in their maturity hang over and seem to mourn the tombstones beneath them.

 

If you fancy spending eternity here, the cemetery still has plots available that can be purchased from the Dean Cemetery Trust, the private company that owns the grounds.

 

A photo of a row of gravestones in Dean Cemetery with trees in the background, one being covered in pink blossom. Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Row of gravestones in the cemetery

 

A photo showing a large tomb that looks like a temple standing in the grounds of Dean Cemetery.  The tomb is that of James Buchanan, businessman & philanthropist.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
The tomb of James Buchanan, businessman & philanthropist

 

A photo showing two gravestones.  The one in front is a drab, grey pillar of a stone, while the one behind is white and very ornate with carvings of winged lions, rams heads and flamingos on it.   Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
The rather ornate gravestone of John Leishman

 

A photo of several gravestones in the cemetery with a very angular tree in the background.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Gravestones and trees

 

As I wandered around the cemetery today, and after I’d made my way past rows and rows of tombs for vicars, lawyers, and huge monuments to those who died in various conflicts while protecting the Empire, the sort of conflicts we now prefer to forget, I found quite a few interesting characters.  There were various academics, actors, artists, architects, designers, engineers, explorers, philosophers, physicians, and politicians.  There was the grave of Sir Thomas Bouch, the man who designed the Tay Bridge.  You know, the one that fell down.  The memorial to James Naysmith, the inventor of the steam hammer. Then there were the graves of the artists Samuel Bough, Francis Cadell and more recently that of John Bellany. There was the effigy, smiling wistfully from the gravestone of the theatre director and owner Frederick Wyndham, and there was the grave of Lieutenant John Irving, one of the few whose bodies was recovered and brought back from the ill-fated Franklin Expedition which set out to look for the fabled Northwest Passage in the Artic. Then of course there was the pink pyramid – the tomb of Andrew Rutherfurd, one time Lord Advocate and MP for Leith Burghs.  He was actually born Andrew Greenfield, but the family changed their name to his mother’s maiden name after his father, the Reverend William Greenfield, was disgraced in a sex scandal.  It was discovered that William had been having an affair with another man and this being seen as a heinous crime at that time led to the poor man being excommunicated from the church, forced to resign his posts, and expelled from polite society.  He fled from Edinburgh to a small village in the North of England and spent the rest of his days there.

 

A photo of a very green looking tree lined pathway through the cemetery. Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
A tree lined pathway through the cemetery

 

A photo of two gravestones with effigies on them of the faces of the occupants lying beneath in their graves.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Gravestones with effigies of the occupants beneath

 

A photo of an ornate gravestone in three parts with a sleeping lion at the base of it.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Gravestone for John Watherston and Elizabeth Millar

 

A photo of a couple of rather grand looking gravestones in the cemetery.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
A couple of rather grand looking gravestones

 

A photo of a carved stone lions head on one of the memorials in the cemetery.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Lions head on one of the memorials

 

A photo of a detail of one of the gravestones that shows a carved dove flying with lines behind which maybe represent the rays of the sun.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Flying dove detail from one of the gravestones

 

A photo of a junction of paths in the cemetery with a large gravestone in the middle and rows of gravestones going down beside the pathways.  The large gravestone is a memorial stone to John Wilson, the Scottish Vocalist.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Memorial stone to John Wilson, the Scottish Vocalist

 

A photo of a gravestone with two large angels on it who are standing in front of a cross.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Angels – the gravestone of Isabella Christie

 

A photo of the branches of a weeping tree reaching down over a row of gravestones in the cemetery.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Weeping tree over gravestones

 

A photo of a large Celtic type cross standing in the pathway, this being a memorial to James Naysmith – inventor of the steam hammer.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Memorial to James Naysmith – inventor of the steam hammer

 

A photo of a tall, thin and very ornate gravestone with an effigy near the top of a handsome, but sullen looking young man.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Gravestone of the artist David Scott

 

Another of those buried in the cemetery is the artist and photographic pioneer, David Octavius Hill.  Hill was born in Perth in 1802 and originally trained as a painter and lithographer.  In 1843 he decided to paint a picture of various clergymen who had been involved in in the disruption of the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland.  To secure portraits of all those who had been involved, all four hundred and seventy of them, he decided to use photography.  To this end he asked Robert Adamson to help him and the two set up a photographic studio.  Hill brought his artistic sensibilities to photography and produced prints that had the qualities of the great Eighteenth Century portrait painters.  Prints that soon had the Edinburgh elite flocking to his studios to have their photographs taken.  Hill and Adamson also photographed the surrounding landscape and working people, such as the fishwives of Newhaven.  Hill died in 1870 and the bust on his grave was sculpted by his wife, Amelia.  Today Hill is seen as one of the first people to transform photography into an art form. 

 

A photo of a red marble type gravestone with the bust on it of a distinguished and handsome looking man with a large flowing beard, this being David Octavius Hill the artist and photographic pioneer.   Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
The grave of David Octavius Hill – artist & photographic pioneer

 

A photo of the bust of a distinguished and handsome looking man with a large flowing beard, this being David Octavius Hill the artist and photographic pioneer.   Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Bust of David Octavius Hill

 

Within the cemetery there are many gravestones that carry the facial effigies of those long dead and lying in the ground below.  There is something almost surreal about coming face to face with a three dimensional image of the graves occupier, usually sculpted with a knowing smile or quizzical look on their face.  One of these effigies is of the artist George Paul Chalmers.  The way the sculpture of his face has weathered has given it an almost death mask look.  Rather than looking out at us in that knowing way, he just looks dead.  His hair flows back as if he’s lying on his death bed, his cheeks are sunken and his eyes, though open, have no life or joy in them.  He basically looks a bit miserable, which is maybe not surprising as it seems the poor chap was murdered during a violent robbery…maybe. 

 

A photo of a stone carved effigy of a man's head.  The carving is worn and has taken on the look of corpse face.  It is of George Paul Chalmers, the artist who died in suspicious circumstances.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Effigy of George Paul Chalmers

 

Chalmers was born in 1833 in Montrose and showed promise as an artist from a very young age.  When he was twenty, he went to study in Edinburgh and soon became renowned as a portrait artist.  Later he turned his hand to landscapes and in 1871 became a member of the Royal Scottish Academy.

 

On the evening of Friday 15th February 1878 Chalmers had attended a banquet at the Royal Scottish Academy.  On leaving he made his way to a nearby pub for a few more drinks.  Being a man with a fiery temper when he had a drink in him, Chalmers got into a silly and trivial argument with some fellow artists, took umbrage that they disagreed with him and stormed out in a drunken huff.

 

In the early hours of Saturday morning Chalmers was found lying seriously injured on a stair in South Charlotte Street. His wallet, watch and hat were all found to be missing leading the police to believe that he had been the victim of a violent mugging.  He died of his injuries in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary a few days later.  Despite various people coming forward and naming those they suspected of carrying out the assault and robbery no one was ever prosecuted or convicted of Chalmers’ murder.  Some suspected that being quite drunk he may have actually fallen down what was described as a dangerous stair to passers-by and that an opportunist thief on seeing him lying there had stolen his possessions.  Nothing was ever proved either way, so he may have been murdered or he may have fallen, unfortunately we will never know.

 

Out of all the memorials in the cemetery there is one to a man who just has to be mentioned.  A man still relevant to our times, especially to all biscuit lovers out there.  He is of course Robert McVitie, the man who transformed his family bakery into the biscuit kingdom that is McVitie’s.  Rich Tea anyone?

 

A photo of a rectangular memorial stone dedicated to Robert McVitie - it reads - In loving memory of Robert Mcvitie born in Edinburgh 29th March 1854 Died at Berkamsted 15th July 1910 A workman that needeth not to be ashamed.  Also of Louisa Elizabeth McVitie his wife died 30th October 1928.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Memorial to Robert McVitie

 

I left the Skulferatu that accompanied me on today’s jaunt, in the central hollow of a one of the many large trees in the graveyard.

 

A photo of some gravestones with a nice plump and green leaved tree standing behind them.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Gravestones and trees


A photo of a small ceramic skull (Skulferatu 76) being held up in front of a row of gravestones in Dean Cemetery.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Skulferatu #76

 

A photo of a small ceramic skull (Skulferatu 76) sitting in the hollow of a tree.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Skulferatu #76 in a tree hollow

 

A close up photo of a small ceramic skull (Skulferatu 76) sitting in the hollow of a tree.  Photograph by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Close up of Skulferatu #76 in a tree hollow

 

Google Map showing location of Skulferatu #76
Map showing location of Skulferatu #76

 

The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are –

 

Latitude 55.952310

Longitude -3.223194

 

I used the following sources for information on Dean Cemetery and those interred within –

 

Dean Cemetery Official Website

Welcome to Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh

 

Dean Cemetery - Wikipedia

 

National Galleries of Scotland

David Octavius Hill | National Galleries of Scotland

 

David Octavius Hill - Wikipedia

 

Edinburgh Evening News - Wednesday 30 April 1930

 

Dundee Courier – 21 February 1878

 

Oban Times, and Argyllshire Advertiser – 23 February 1878

 

Montrose, Arbroath and Brechin review; and Forfar and Kincardineshire advertiser – 14 October 1887

 

Article and photographs are copyright of © Kevin Nosferatu, unless otherwise specified.


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