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Friends of Warriston Cemetery

Friends of Warriston Cemetery

Category Archives: Information

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Service of Remembrance.

02 Saturday Nov 2019

FoWC Remembrance poster 2019

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Posted by Graham Jones | Filed under Calendar, Information, Remembrance

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Filling in the ‘loch’.

14 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by Graham Jones in Information, Views, Work In Progress

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The ‘loch’ in question was the nickname for a shallow basin in the carriageway that regularly filled up with water due to rain. The water was always murky as it mixed with soil and had a very muddy bottom. Some of the visiting dogs liked it but the owners weren’t so keen when they saw their pets emerge covered in muddy water! One dog in particular springs to mind – a young golden retriever that had a pristine coat just before it had a brief mud bath in this pond. Afterwards, only the top of its head and top of its back were still blonde but the rest was a dark shade of brown! The dog’s owner was not available for comment.

The pool had been slowly growing in width over the years to the point where people were only just able to pass on one side. We thought it was time to re-establish the carriageway so that visitors could once again use it. A narrow trench was dug to provide a channel along which the water could drain away down the slope. Once almost completely drained, much mud was shovelled out. We had obtained a couple of tons of roof slate which was placed into the basin barrowload by barrowload from its location at the main gate. That task was almost complete when a 3-man crew from The City of Edinburgh Council stepped in to help us finish the job. They carried down the remaining slate on the front shovel of their digger machine then put some recycled road planings, which they had brought in on a truck for this purpose, on top then levelled it off with the mechanical shovel. You can see the results as well as ‘before’ and work in progress shots below. Click on an image to view a larger version. This will open in a new browser tab or window.

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Restoring a ‘lost’ stone to its rightful position.

17 Wednesday Jul 2019

Posted by Graham Jones in Headstones and monuments, Information, Revelations

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June 29th to July 2nd, 2019. Recovering a memorial stone that hadn’t seen the light of day in decades.

It was covered in a mass of roots and earth, built up over the years. It’s the base of a cross, dedicated to Elizabeth Grace, the infant daughter of Lieutenant F.A. Stewart of the West India Regiment.

It’s the base for a cross, but we haven’t yet located that piece. The base was buried beneath soil and roots that had built up over the intervening years. It was excavated very carefully and given a brief wash using plain water and a gentle brush.

It was discovered on the Saturday. On the Monday, thanks to Mortonhall, we found out where it SHOULD be. It was back in its rightful position the very next day.

Here are some photos of the discovery, excavation and replacement…
(Click on an image to get a larger view. Opens in a new tab/window.)

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Little Elizabeth Grace had been born at 14 Hope Street at 7.20am on 4 November 1872, the second child of Lieutenant Francis Archibald Stewart of the 1st West India Regiment and his wife Grace Jane Malloch, who’d married on 10 November 1870 in Canada. The family wasn’t long in Edinburgh, being unrecorded here in 1871 and 1875. Towards the end of the century, they were in Jersey. Hence this infant is the sole occupant of the grave. Elizabeth Grace died at 7am on 3 February 1873 at the same address of 14 Hope Street, aged 5 months. She’d suffered from Tubercular Meningitis for 5 days and Convulsions for 3 days.

She was attended by a nearby physician, Dr Angus Macdonald, across the street at no. 29 Charlotte Square. When he died in 1886 after being unwell for a few years (then buried in Grange), his death was certified by his neighbour, Dr Claud Muirhead of 30 Charlotte Square. One of Dr Macdonald’s positions was Lecturer in Midwifery and Diseases of Women, so may well have known (or at least known the teachings of) our most famous resident, Sir James Young Simpson. Dr Muirhead died in 1910 and is interred in Warriston’s Section K, quite close to Sir James Young Simpson.

Elizabeth Grace’s older brother, Archibald Francis Stewart, born 12 September 1871 in Jamaica, followed his father into the Army, firstly with the Durham Light Infantry. He spent most of his career in India, finally becoming Lieutenant-Colonel. He retired in September 1922.

N.B. Please note that we lack the equipment and training to re-site larger stones.

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Guided Tour of Warriston Cemetery. May 2019.

16 Tuesday Apr 2019

Posted by Graham Jones in Information, Tour

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Guided Tour

Warriston Cemetery

Thursday 16th May 2019 at 2pm

£5 per person.

Meet by the notice-board at the main gate.

Please book through friendsofwarristoncemetery@gmail.com

For other participating cemeteries, eg Dean, Morningside, Necropolis and Southern Necropolis (Glasgow), see www.cemeteryfriends.com

National Cemeteries Week, 11 – 19 May 2019

and Dying Matters Awareness Week 2019

This week you will see how Cemetery Friends throughout the UK are involved in keeping cemeteries tidy and safe whilst conserving and managing the natural features, restoring significant buildings and monuments and encouraging the appreciation of cemeteries.

http://www.cemeteryfriends.com

www.dyingmatters.org

#cemeteriesweek

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January 2019 Round-up.

07 Thursday Feb 2019

Posted by Graham Jones in Humour, Information, Views

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Various days in January 2019.

Clicking on most images will reveal a larger version. Opens in a new tab/window.

January 12th…

Section F, now looking more as it ought to. In the older part of the cemetery, this is one of the very few open spaces where birds have room to swoop about to catch insects. We plan to leave the bramble “plantation” in the background and to remove some of the ground ivy in the foreground, then replace that with long grass and wildflowers. We’ve planted shrubs behind that large monument. This will vary the biodiversity, and look more attractive to those coming in by the unofficial entrance at the East Gate. And sooner or later the Council will dispose of our piles of debris!

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January 19th…

Section F is looking better and better. A few more brambles cut (aside from those we’re leaving in place), a lot of raking out, and we’re getting there. Behind that large monument to David Ramsay Hay there were so many brambles that we couldn’t get at the Himalayan Balsam! Now we see bulb shoots we’d never been able to see before and we’ve planted some shrubs. But it seems that we missed a stick.

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We knew that during the week the Council crew had been in to shift some of our piles of debris and to burn others. It’s a very labour-intensive task, takes ages, and the Council is chronically understaffed. So we were VERY happy to see the difference today!

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January 31st…

A new notice has appeared. Excellent H&S advice!

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Service of Remembrance.

29 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by Graham Jones in Calendar, Information

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PosterWarriston2018

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“In Loving Memory Of”; an update.

07 Monday May 2018

Posted by Graham Jones in Information

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The campaign has entered its last week. With only a few days left, and still a lot to go, please pledge and spread the word! (If you have any problems with payment, please contact Natalia or The friends of Warriston Cemetery through this page or via FaceBook.)

“In Loving Memory Of” is a short creative documentary about Warriston Cemetery, a hidden gem in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. It is a magical, secret garden, walled, overgrown with ivy and full of life. The film features the Friends of Warriston Cemetery whose mission is to uncover some of the forgotten Victorian treasures. The story was developed through the Scottish Documentary Institute’s Bridging the Gap programme. Now in filming stage, but we need your help with post-production costs!

Natalia is an independent filmmaker who is raising funds in order for her film to be completed to a high standard. A project such as this requires a professional post-production team including editor, colourist, sound designer and composer. There is also rental of sound recording equipment and facilities to pay for as well as the likes of promotional material and festival entry fees etc.

You can view Natalia’s campaign and pledge here…

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/in-loving-memory-of#/

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“In return for your pledge you get perks like a personal tour of the cemetery (plenty of secrets to tell) or an original photo print of the place in its full beauty.”

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National Cemeteries Week: 12th to 20th May 2018

03 Thursday May 2018

Posted by Graham Jones in Information, Tour

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Guided tour.

As part of National Cemeteries Week, the Friends of Warriston Cemetery will be offering a guided tour on Thursday 17th May 2018.

Meet at the Main Gate at 2.30pm.

Cost: £5 (but free to paid-up members).

Please wear appropriate footwear!

To book a place, contact friendsofwarristoncemetery@gmail.com

Other local cemeteries, eg Dean and  Morningside with more to follow, will be taking part also.

Click this link to see more… www.cemeteryfriends.com

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March 2018 Round-up.

28 Saturday Apr 2018

Posted by Graham Jones in Information, Nature, Video, Views

≈ 2 Comments

Various days in March 2018.

Most images will show a larger version when clicked. This action will open a new tab/page.

March 1st…

Snow and more snow.

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The same stone photographed over three days; February 26th, February 28th and March 1st….

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March 3rd. Brief video of snow/hail in the Secret garden…

 

March 7th…

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March 8th…

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March 9th…

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March 12th…

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March 21st…

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Video featuring some of the Warriston cemetery bird life. Segments; a) great spotted woodpecker, b) blue tit, c) robin, d) two blue tits, e) robin.

 

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March 27th…

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Found in the cemetery.

17 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by Graham Jones in Humour, Information

≈ 1 Comment

Has someone lost these sunglasses? They’re not quite in pristine condition but if you want them back and can prove they belong to you, please let us know.

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