New Calton Burial Ground is a burial ground in Edinburgh. It was built as an overspill and functional replacement to Old Calton Burial Ground and lies half a mile to its east on Regent Road in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the south-east slopes of Calton Hill. On its southern edge it attaches to the north-east edge of the Canongate in the Old Town. It lies on a fairly steep south-facing slope with views to Holyrood Palace, the Scottish Parliament Building and Arthur’s Seat.
Of particular note is the Stevenson family plot, the resting place of several notable members of the family of Robert Louis Stevenson.
It was initially necessitated by the construction of Waterloo Place, which had cut through the Old Calton Burial Ground, requiring an immediate re-interment of the bodies affected. This major engineering exercise took from 1817 to 1820 to complete. Bodies were carefully identified and moved, with their corresponding gravestone, if existing, to the new cemetery. Due to this fairly unusual circumstance a number of stones predate the cemetery but are indeed true markers of those interred. The new cemetery was made far larger than needed simply for the required reburials, and indeed exceeds the area of the entire space occupied by Old Calton Burial Ground as it was seen as a convenient and more open way of accommodating the growing number of dead caused by Edinburgh’s major expansion of the early 19th century.
Both the Old and New Calton burial grounds are not private cemeteries rather they were the parish burial grounds for the Carltonians who worshiped in Leith, being on the outer most edge of the parish it was considered too far to take their deceased for burial in Leith. [1]
The design task of driving the cut through Old Calton Burial Ground to create Regent Bridge and Waterloo Place was undertaken by Archibald Elliot who died shortly thereafter and is buried in New Calton Burial Ground. The New Calton Burial Ground was laid out by Thomas Bonnar and the design was refined and completed by Thomas Brown. [2]
The first recorded interment (as opposed to re-interment) is noted on a vault on the north wall, and relates to John Fyfe who died on 27 February 1817 and was buried in the newly constructed vault of his father, Andrew Fyfe, approximately midway along the north wall.
It was "opened to the public" in 1820. [2] The period prior to this would have included the long process of carefully reburying up to 300 persons. It would not be appropriate to have visited during this period.
The task of laying out the new burial ground is believed to have been undertaken by Thomas Brown, Superintendent of Works for the city at that time. [2]
The older stones all lie on the north-most edge of the cemetery. In some cases entire vaults are rebuilt.
The layout is generally rectilinear, and is laid out in a series of east–west terraces stepping down the hill.
A watch-tower was built at its upper corner, near the entrance, to protect against graverobbing. [2]
The tower was occupied as a house from the mid 19th century until around 1955. Despite being tiny (around 5m diameter internally) it is said to have accommodated a family of ten at one time: parents sleeping on the central floor (the livingroom), daughters on the top floor, sons on the lower floor. Adjacent empty plots were utilised as garden ground to grow vegetables. The remnant rhubarb patch was still extant until the mid1980s. [3]
The story that David Bryce lived here is highly unlikely to be true given his status and is more likely a confusion to his being buried here (see below).
While the ground is well maintained in terms of grass-cutting, many stones are broken or vandalised plus many have been laid flat "for safety reasons" by the local authority.
In June 2019, tombs and monuments in the ground were defaced in Swastikas and offensive terms. [4]
Other graves of note include:
The Commonwealth War Grave to five merchant navy seamen "known unto God" whose bodies were recovered from the sea following an attack on the MV Atheltemplar on 1 March 1941 during World War II. In addition, the cemetery also contains four war graves from World War I, of a British Army soldier and officer and a Royal Air Force officer and aircraftsman. [6]
The well-built Georgian style vault in the centre to David Gall, of Gall & Thomson (coachbuilders at 17 Greenside Place) [7] is of note.
The carvings in the vault of Andrew Grierson (d. 1847) near the north-east corner.
Although there is some reference to the burial ground being called "The Cemetery of the Admirals", [8] this appears both rare and misplaced as the burial ground has fewer admirals than most Edinburgh cemeteries, with only three named on monuments and an alleged further three unmarked. A high number of the gravestones moved from Old Calton Cemetery are noted as "tanners" and "leather workers" connecting to that area’s association with shoemaking.
The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on its west by the Dean Gallery. A 20th-century extension lies detached from the main cemetery to the north of Ravelston Terrace. The main cemetery is accessible through the main gate on its east side, through a "grace and favour" access door from the grounds of Dean Gallery and from Ravelston Terrace. The modern extension is only accessible at the junction of Dean Path and Queensferry Road.
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick Carden. The cemetery opened in 1833 and comprises 72 acres (29 ha) of grounds, including two conservation areas, adjoining a canal. The cemetery is home to at least 33 species of bird and other wildlife. This distinctive cemetery has memorials ranging from large mausoleums housing the rich and famous to many distinctive smaller graves and includes special areas dedicated to the very young. It has three chapels and serves all faiths. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in London.
William Blackwood was a Scottish publisher who founded the firm of William Blackwood and Sons.
David Laing LLD was a Scottish antiquary.
Thomas Hamilton was a Scottish architect, based in Edinburgh where he designed many of that city's prominent buildings. Born in Glasgow, his works include: the Burns Monument in Alloway; the Royal High School on the south side of Calton Hill ; the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh; the George IV Bridge, which spans the Cowgate; the Dean Orphan Hospital, now the Dean Gallery; the New North Road Free Church, now the Bedlam Theatre; Cumstoun, a private house in Dumfries and Galloway; and the Scottish Political Martyrs' Monument in Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh.
The Grange is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hill to the south. It is a conservation area characterised by large early Victorian stone-built villas and mansions, often with very large gardens. The Grange was built mainly between 1830 and 1890, and the area represented the idealisation of country living within an urban setting.
Comely Bank is an area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It lies southwest of Royal Botanic Garden and is situated between Stockbridge and Craigleith. It is bound on its northernmost point by Carrington Road and on its southernmost point by Learmonth Terrace. The area is covered by Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council.
George Wilson PRSSA FRSE was a 19th-century Scottish chemist and author. He was Regius Professor of Technology at the University of Edinburgh, and the first Director of the Industrial Museum of Scotland.
The Old Calton Burial Ground is a cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland. It located at Calton Hill to the north-east of the city centre. The burial ground was opened in 1718, and is the resting place of several notable Scots, including philosopher David Hume, scientist John Playfair, rival publishers William Blackwood and Archibald Constable, and clergyman Dr Robert Candlish. It is also the site of the Political Martyrs' Monument, an obelisk erected to the memory of a number of political reformers, and Scotland's American Civil War Memorial.
The Canongate Kirkyard stands around Canongate Kirk on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. The churchyard was used for burials from the late 1680s until the mid-20th century.
Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a number of notable Edinburgh residents are interred at Greyfriars. The Kirkyard is operated by City of Edinburgh Council in liaison with a charitable trust, which is linked to but separate from the church. The Kirkyard and its monuments are protected as a category A listed building.
Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around 14 acres (5.7 ha) of land on a slightly sloping site. It contains many tens of thousands of graves, including notable Victorian and Edwardian figures, the most eminent being the physician Sir James Young Simpson.
Rosebank Cemetery is a 19th-century cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the junction of Pilrig Street and Broughton Road in the Pilrig area, close to the historical boundary of Leith. The cemetery is protected as a category C listed building.
Professor Andrew Fyfe FRSE FRCSE PRSSA PRMS was a Scottish surgeon and chemist. Following early studies on Fox Talbot's newly created photographic techniques he was one of the first (1839) to work out the theory behind positive rather than negative prints. He had an amateur interest in photography but appears not to have pursued his own theories and limited his experiments to ferns lying on chemical papers.
William Tait (1793–1864) was a 19th century Scottish publisher, based in Edinburgh. He was best known for Tait's Magazine.
Newington Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland. Technically it lies beyond Newington itself, standing on an awkward elongated kite-shaped site between a railway line and Dalkeith Road, between Prestonfield and Peffermill.
Morningside Cemetery is a cemetery in south Edinburgh. It was established in 1878 by the Metropolitan Cemetery Company, originally just outwith the then city boundary, the nearest suburb then being Morningside. It extends to just over 13 acres in area. The cemetery contains 81 war graves. Although arguably visually uninspiring the cemetery contains the graves of several important female figures; including a female air commandant, Scotland's first female surgeon, the first female Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, a Nobel Prize winner and many church missionaries.
William Allan of Glen JP (1788–1868) was a 19th-century Scottish merchant who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1829 to 1831.
Robert Burn (1752–1815) was a Scottish architect. He was father to the architect William Burn.
Lady Glenorchy's Church or Chapel in Edinburgh was a church founded in the 18th century by Willielma Campbell, Viscountess Glenorchy. It was made a quoad sacra parish in 1837.