The Necropolis

Glasgow’s city of the dead commemorates the lives of it’s citizens, from the grand mausoleums of tobacco merchants to more modest memorials. A pair of comfortable shoes is recommended as you will wish to spend plenty of time reading the stories of the inhabitants and admiring the work of some of the city’s most famous architects. As guided tours are currently suspended, we would recommend obtaining a copy of the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis guide book as this gives details of some of the more notable burials and two routes to follow.

The Necropolis, which is modeled on the famous Pere-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, opened in 1833. Over the span of its relatively brief 187-year history, it’s become home to 50,000 “residents,” of whom only 3,500 have dedicated monuments. Let that sink in for a moment. As you walk throughout this city of the dead, some 46,500 graves are unmarked. That’s actually kind of spooky yet also adds to the macabre charm of this place and space. In essence, the combination of Victorian-era monuments + the surrounding landscape results in an uncommon beauty.

Perhaps that is why Lonely Planet describes the Necropolis as stretching “picturesquely up and over a green hill” offering a “vague Gothic thrill.” After all, that is exactly what it does. As you approach the Necropolis from Glasgow Cathedral, and come upon the aptly named Bridge of Sighs, the visual of the sprawling hill lined with tombstones is somewhat enchanting. In fact, I couldn’t help but stop and stare at the awesome sight that lay before me. From that distance and vantage point, the Necropolis truly did look like a city . . . of the dead.

Yet, despite its imposing size, the Necropolis is actually a very peaceful and serene place to walk about. It provides the perfect setting to reflect on the frailty of life and all that it encompasses. In this respect, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, which is a little closer to home. Both are of the Victorian era and both are gardens of peace and calm.

In any event, once you reach the zenith of the Necropolis, you are provided with outstanding views of the city of the living. It’s quite the unique contrast.

One final note: I’d be remiss if I failed to mention that THE BATMAN had just finished filming here a mere week prior to my arrival. How cool is that? The “dark knight” traversing the city of the dead. I cannot help but think the Necropolis and Glasgow served as a double for Gotham City.

despite living most of my life in glasgow i'd never made up this hill of history until last month. easily passed an hour there and wished i'd done it earlier. the graveyard rises from the end of the cathedral viaduct, with meandering paths taking you past gravestones that reach back into glasgow's victorian past. you can spend ages making your way to the top, stopping every few steps to read the stones and imagine the life and times of the people interred there.

from the top, there are great views of glasgow architecture to the west and low hills and valleys to the east and south.

approach from george and high streets and you pass mungo man and a couple of the other murals on tenement gable ends.

The story behind it and its giant stones makes this graveyard a fascinating place and gives charm to the city of Glasgow. The skyline that u can see from the top of the hill is remarkable. That said, you won't feel like staying for too long around, just the time of reading some incision in the bigger graves and take some pictures.

Good for a walk at any time of the day. Sunsets across the city is spectacular at clear weather days. If you are looking for a location to watch the city and the mountains at the distance from high above this is one of the best locations in Glasgow.

I never thought in a million years that I’d enjoy a visit to a necropolis, let alone enough to leave a public review about it but this was one of the highlights of our Glasgow visit.

The necropolis sits on a low hill behind the Glasgow Cathedral (which unfortunately was still closed) giving it a slightly eerie but somehow beautiful backdrop. Entrance is free and you can spend as much or as little time as you like within the grounds - you’ll probably end up spending longer than you think inside once you see how impressive some of the monuments are.

We visited on a rainy day which actually made the experience even better, slightly poetic even. But if you’re expecting rain made sure to wear appropriate footwear as it does get muddy and there are no proper paths to walk on just grass and gravel.

I’ve wanted to visit the Necropolis for many years and, having finally done so, I can say that it didn’t disappoint. On a lovely sunny day, the splendid monuments looked at their best and as far as overall descriptions are concerned, the short note on my Google map summed it up perfectly – “Cemetery for the Victorian elite”.

With beautiful views of the adjacent Glasgow Cathedral, the Necropolis was modelled on the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris and contains a plethora of wonderful architecture, impressive sculpture and fascinating stories. It is estimated that something in the order of 50,000 burials have taken place here, with around 3,500 tombs and although there are splendid monuments to many of Scotland’s finest, my favourite find was the grave of William Miller, “the Laureate of the nursery” who was the author of Wee Willie Winkie.

This is a fabulous place to visit and, in my opinion, a “must see” for visitors to Glasgow.

Over the last five plus years, a lot of volunteers have turned this round from a virtual wreck to something close to what the city fathers envisaged. Designed on Pere lachaise it is both a fascinating and sad place to wander. The history of Glasgow all in one place. Wee Willie Winkie, Pinkertons Detective Agency, Rennie Macintosh, Ship Building and Glasgow Printers are all here along with tragic fire disaster. All that plus the view from the top. Cannae whack it.

We booked on to a guided tour of the necropolis with The Friends of Glasgow Necropolis.

We met Colin our tour guide at the entrance to the Necropolis, he was really chatty and kept us well informed about the facilities and the itinerary of the tour.

The necropolis itself is a sight to behold however I would definitely recommend booking onto a tour, Colin was so knowledgeable and told us many stories of some of Glasgows rich and powerful people of the past that have been laid to rest here. I could of listened to him all day and I would definitely do the tour again.

Visited with two 16 year olds who actually found it interesting! The cemetery is vast and has some beautiful views across the city. Walking round, seeing how old some of the graves are, you get a real sense of history. The workmanship put into some of the monuments and headstones is stunning, despite some decline from age. Some famous names seen.

Peaceful, awash with history and beautiful. Recommend a visit.