Open House (Brompton Cemetery)

Yes, I did get to Open House London yesterday! Oh, I was so diligent. I spent so long researching the hundreds of properties available to view. I narrowed it down by area, figuring I'd start with those in walking distance and move into town. It took ages.

:-)

How many did I get to see? One. Brompton Cemetery, five minutes walk from home.

Well, y'see, there was a guided tour at 2 - which I was keen to go on. I knew there were stories associated with this graveyard, and really needed a guide to tell me them. The tour started outside the chapel - which was interesting in itself, I've never been in there before. As I waited in the chapel, and checked my emails, they were handing out questionnaires about a new development they're planning in the cemetery. A cafe, children's play area and the like.

A Royal Parks representative actually accompanied us on the walk, arms full of questionnaires and information leaflets. The tour guide, however - an official London guide - was a little late. He announced himself, then took off at a gallop down a side path.

When we caught up with him, he explained that, if we were to cover everything, we'd need to move fast - there are 40 acres. What followed was the most fascinating and engaging tour I've ever been on, led by the most enthusiastic guide. With an obvious love, and encyclopaedic knowledge, of his subject, he regaled us with facts, figures, and anecdotes. We learned how the cemetery contains 35,000 monuments, how 215,000 people are buried there, how it's still a working cemetery, wih an average of one burial per week. This compares with the average in Victorian times of 17 per day - on one fateful day, there were 32! We also learned how the number of listed monuments in the cemetery has recently increased from 1 to 28. They keep pushing for more to be included.. (Listing means that English Heritage has to cover the cost of repairs to damage incurred after the listing. Not that they're quick to get around to it..)

We duly tore around to various parts of the cemetery, stopping at various monuments that the guide had stories about. Not only was he a treasure trove of information, but he was egged on by enthusiastic tour participants, who kept asking interesting questions and probing into areas that, as he said, he could go into, but we'd be there all night.. We stopped at the graves of people with interesting stories, we stopped at graves that were architecturally interesting. We went down overgrown side paths, and down the main avenue. Interesting sights there included the family walking their cocker spaniel. We had to make room for them to pass on the main avenue. Next time we saaw them, we were on a side path - and the little girl had climbed onto her skateboard, and was being towed by the cocker spaniel. At speed. Five minutes later, they passed in the other direction, the dog still towing. At speed. A 1-dog-power skateboard..

We climbed onto the terrace - specifically for dog walkers, it offers an elevated view of the cemetery. There, the guide kicked at some undergrowth to show us the edge of a grave that belonged to the founder of the Victoria and Albert museum - the most unassuming grave in the whole place - completely overgrown and invisible! Some more tales attached to photos, posted here.

At 10 past 4, he asked us how we were doing. Some people dropped away, but most were still going strong, so he said he's keep going for another hour (the Open House ended at the cemetery at 5). When he asked for the time again (he doesn't wear a watch), it was 5.15! He peered up the avenue towards the chapel - the doors were locked. Oh dear, he'd left his coat in there. He checked his pocket - no, he had his keys, that was all right then. He could keep going. And so he did!

Most people had fallen away at this point - including the Royal Parks representative. He didn't mind, he was having a ball! So were we, although it was exhausting. When he finally finished, at 6.30, we'd been going for 4.5 hours. And were shattered. I checked my list - yep, everything else was closed by then that I might have gone to. Hey-ho.. that's the second year in a row I haven't got to St. Cuthbert's! And it within walking distance, tsk. Well, one of these years..!

Tonight, I might have gone to a play called My Night with Reg, but it was completely sold out. So a film it is - after eliminating a football documentary, I'm left with Dark Will Fall - a film of documentary footage, shot by war correspondants, of concentration camps liberated at the end of the Second World War. Among those who worked on it was Alfred Hitchcock. Thought too controversial for release at the time, it was shelved and rediscovered in the 90s. Restored by the BFI, the closest to me (and earliest) showing is at the Vue Piccadilly.

Tomorrow, I am off to a play - a different one though, called Chicken Shop. Showing at the Park Theatre (oh Lord, up there again!), best price is available on the venue website - code CHICKEN gets you a discount on full price tickets (found this code on a website I haven't heard of before - A Younger Theatre).