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June 04, 2010
On its birth certificate: Field
Re-employed as a waterer of parks now the rain has stopped, I was yesterday hosing just south of Kings Cross station.
In 1710, it was a field some distance from London, bought by two churches to be a graveyard. It was a novel idea to have a grave yard away from the church and burials initally were minimal. People wanted to be buried next to the church, like folk always had been.
Fortunately, in 1725, a rich type died and was buried there, and after his lead, others followed suit. 'If its good enough for him...' etc etc. Indeed they followed suit with such gusto that by the mid 1800's, the grave yard was full, and the burials had to stop.
By now, of course, it wasn't a field outside London at all, but a graveyard surrounded by buildings, and one wise soul thought that it would make a nice little park for the locals. This idea was popular, not least because the graveyard had fallen into serious disrepair, as graveyards often do. The dead struggle to be heard on the matter of upkeep.
And here it is today, still a park, looked after by Camden Council, and changed very little from the initial design of 1860.
Still a field, still a graveyard, still a park, still a glory - ahh! We are so many things in our unfolding lives.
Posted by Mr Bojangles at June 4, 2010 08:20 AM