When thy turuf is thy tour
and thy put is thy bour
Among the many luminaries buried at Kensal Green cemetery lies one less well known to the public but whose influence upon the cemetery design is unequivocal. John Claudius Loudon inspired by the economic model of Pere Lachaise in Paris developed an aesthetic that utilised space in a more efficient manner than cemeteries had thus far done. Loudon’s 1843 book On the Laying out, Planting and Managing of Cemeteries moved the cemetery aesthetic away from the garden paradigm that resembled a country park towards a more regimental layout of straight roads and paths with burial plots laid out on a rectangular grid pattern.
Loudon’s influence upon cemetery design makes his interment at Kensal Green all the more ironic, having died the year his book was published Loudon did not witness the golden age of cemetery building and the lasting impact his book made. Kensal Green cemetery owes more to the garden paradigm of cemetery design, there are large sweeping named avenues reminiscent of those at Pere Lachaise, clumps of deciduous and evergreen trees and many large monuments laid not on a grid pattern but placed where they will have the most visual impact – this is best evidenced on the main driveway leading to the vast Anglican chapel. There is a subtle message in the fact that the Anglican Chapel, Doric in design, lies at the end of the main drive, en route to which are some of the most ornate monuments in the cemetery. The Non Conformist chapel Ionic in design is smaller by comparison and has a smaller drive, the surrounding monuments are generally more modest in scale and design. Some architectural theorists consider Doric design due to it’s stout nature as being masculine whilst the slender Ionic as being feminine.
As with Highgate the monuments themselves at Kensal Green are rich with symbolism. One of the most interesting and slightly confused mausoleum is that of Andrew Ducrow who died in 1842, it seems every piece of available symbolism was used in it’s decoration, the large mausoleum sits within a good size plot bordered by a wrought iron fence bearing wreaths and inverted perpetua. At one end of the plot freestanding within the railings is a large garlanded broken column which at it’s base has smaller column laid horizontal upon which is a sculpted hat and gloves. The mausoleum itself is decorated with angels, sphinxes, a winged horse, seashells, egyptian columns, draped urns and theatrical references such as an inverted mask of tragedy which perhaps offers the most explicit depiction of Ducrow’s occupation as circus stunt rider.
