No R.I.P. for these folks

Just along Fulham Road, in the middle of a busy thoroughfare, is a quiet place.  The Brompton Cemetery is a historical garden cemetery. This is where Mummy likes to go sometimes when she’s in a reflective mood.Dogs are welcomed to take walks in there but unlike the regular parks that we frequent, dogs must be on leads – out of respect, as this is a burial ground.

But once upon a time when I was a pup, we didn’t know that and I ran through the tombstones chasing squirrels. But I know better now and Mummy trusts me not to run like a lunatic in here.We take the designated path for dog walking to the right as we enter from Fulham Road And the main path that runs from Fulham Road to Old Brompton RoadThese are the only two paths that we can take.The tombstones are a bit higgledy – piggledySome are so old that they are toppling over
They come in different forms Some are very tallOthers take up a lot of spaceIt would take a very long while to look at all of them So we mostly walk past quietly, admiring how old some of them are, and to see the expressions of loss by the ones left behind. We’re just grateful that we are allowed into such a beautiful place.

Actually most of the other dogs that walk through here are off leads too.  But not George! Can you imagine trying to look for George in here?It really is a serene place. You wouldn’t believe that just outside of the gates is a bustling city.

However, we hadn’t realised when we were walking to the Brompton Cemetery this past Sunday, that Chelsea FC was playing a home game –That parts of Fulham Road leading to Stamford Bridge was closed and we felt defiant walking in the middle of the road!

But as we were walking through the cemetery garden, we could hear the stadium of football fans cheering and singing …You can actually see the top of the Chelsea Football Stadium from parts of the cemetery. These poor folks. I am not sure many of them buried here ever liked football, and if they did maybe by now they would be Chelsea fans or they would be turning in their graves.

And it doesn’t help for dogs to be dashing around their resting place either. So I have learnt to walk quietly and respectfully whenever we go through the Brompton Cemetery, pausing to listen to the wind in the trees and the grass – you know we have such heightened hearing – we can hear the slightest of whispers.Oh yeah, we met a cavapoo there and invited him and his many other doodle friends to our Hyde Park meets (next one is on the 29th January).

May’s comment: Along Fulham road, on the way to the Chelsea FC, there’s a quiet place – Brompton Cemetery. It is one of the oldest designed Grade I garden cemeteries in the UK, the only one owned by the Crown and managed by The Royal Parks.  It is home to unique and historic monuments including its picturesque chapel, which was designed in a similar style to the setting around St Peter’s in Rome.

Truly one of the secret finds of London