London Necropolis

On New Year's Day, the Maufe connection continued with a visit to the Canadian section of the Brookwood Military Cemetery, adjacent to the large cemetery sometimes known as the London Necropolis. Maufe was responsible for the records centre.

The Necropolis being an interesting place with an interesting history, introduced at reference 2. Inter alia, the first substantial planting of Wellingtonia in this country, in the middle of the nineteenth century.

An eventful journey, turning up various other Wellingtonia, already noticed under the umbrella of group search key 'bc1'.

Our various road maps did not turn out to be very helpful, but we got there in the end and were able to park to the side of the Canadian Records Office. Which turned out to be, as advertised, a decent, sober building entirely suited to its purpose, although I think I would have omitted the beaver, above the entrance to the right of our car, left in the snap left. But shut. I suppose, if you were a relative, you would phone, perhaps the embassy, in advance.

To my eye also, the pediment above the beaver door left is a little too heavy, and should not touch the roof line. And the heraldic lion front is a little too big for the space given it. It would be interesting to know whether that remained my feeling on a second visit. It might well grow on me, as have, to some extent anyway, the sculptures from Eric Gill, of which Maufe used plenty - on other projects that is.

The US had the next section, with both a visitor centre and a rather grand chapel, open and staffed every day of the year apart from Christmas Day and New Year's Day. With the staff being attached to the embassy in London, most of them locally employed, some of them regular civil servants. And including, which was convenient, a small but well maintained toilet block. The US clearly likes to be seen to take care of its dead - in this case servicemen from both world wars who, for one reason or another, died in or near England. Including memorials to, for reasons I did not get to find out, what looked like most or all of the crew of a Coast Guard boat.

Subordinate to the much grander facility near Madingley, near Cambridge. A place we used to visit occasionally during our years there.

Something wrong with the surrounding grass. I voted for animal action, BH for gardener action. 

I found the interior of the chapel rather heavy. But suitably solemn and serious for such a place.

Just up from the US section, there was a fairly serious fence - with a gate which opened, leading to the civil section, Zoroastrian department. With most of the residents appearing to be of subcontinental origin. Also by the fence we came across a helpful young lady who worked in the US visitor centre who was able to tell us all about the place. Including the fact that the impressive sounding bells were faked, that is to say from discrete loudspeakers rather than from the chapel. Apparently the heritage people were not keen on the structural work which would have been needed to house real bells in the chapel.

Weather not great, so picnic lite in the car before setting of for home. I dare say we shall be back, if only to visit the civil section, classed as a Grade I listed building.

On the way home, in the Fairoak Lane with all its fancy houses, we passed one of those irritating security vehicles dressed up to look like police cars, quite possibly from the people at reference 4, the source of the snap above. A lack of courtesy which shouldn't be allowed to my mind.

References

Reference 1: Edward Maufe: Architect and Cathedral Builder - Juliet Dunmur - 2019.

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookwood_Cemetery.

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism.

Reference 4: https://srslondon.co.uk/portfolio/security-dogs-services/.

Group search key: bc1.