On Saturday the 14th of September after viewing the inside of Glasgow Cathedral we walked outside to improving weather and decided we shouldn’t miss the hike up to the Necropolis to view the John Knox Memorial.
The Necropolis is a Victorian garden cemetery full of wonderful architecture, sculpture and fascinating stories.
Adjacent to Glasgow Cathedral, the Necropolis was modeled on Père-Lachaise in Paris. It is estimated that something in the order of 50,000 burials have taken place here, with around 3,500 tombs.
Built in the Classical Revival architectural fashion, the Necropolis was established by the Merchants’ House of Glasgow in 1831. A monument to John Knox, which was erected in 1825, dominates the hill.
Our walk to the top of the 2nd highest hill in Glasgow where the monument to John Knox was placed was our good introduction to the climbs ahead of us on this trip.
The history of William McGavin can be found here.
The story about how this monument to John Knox came about can be read here.
The inscription which has worn away can also be read in full at the linked site.
The Reformation produced a revolution in the sentiment of mankind the greatest as well as the most beneficial that has happened since the publication of Christianity.
In 1547 and in the city where his Friend George Wishart had suffered, John Knox, surrounded with dangers, first preached the doctrines of the Reformation. In 1557 on the 24th of August, the Parliament of Scotland adopted the Confession of Faith presented by the Reformed Ministers, and declared popery to be no longer the religion of this kingdom.
John Knox became then a Minister of Edinburgh, where he continued to his death, the incorruptible guardian of our best interests.
The weather was moody and cool which made the hike to the monument pleasant and atmosphere appropriate.
On our way down we walked another path to see a smaller memorial to Wallace.
We walked to the hop on hop off pick up spot and waited for the bus for our overview of Glasgow. Here are some random things that caught my eye.
Across from the bus stop while we were waiting.
The Doulton fountain is the largest fountain ever constructed in terracotta. Queen Victoria forms the apex of the elaborate three-tiered structure. Below, four groups of figures represent the peoples of Britain’s colonies in Canada, South Africa, Australia and India. Built to commemorate the 1887 Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria by the Royal Doulton Company.
Our next event on this day will wait for another post.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Beautiful collection of photos. The memorials and monuments and the fountain are lovely.
Take care, enjoy your day and have a great week ahead.
Thank you, Eileen.
Once again, I enjoyed your travel details! The moody weather looks like the perfect backdrop!!
Lisa, our trip was bookmarked with moody and in the middle sunshine galore! Thanks for coming by.
…Ellen, if I were on this trip I’d be on sensory overload!
Tom, it was loaded for sure!
Loved all your photos of a remarkable place. We visited a few years ago on a very rainy day which made the visit even more atmospheric. I’m sure the views were stunning but sadly the rain obliterated all the views lol! B x
Barbara, we had glorious sunshine for the majority of our trip for which we were so thankful. Glasgow and Edinburgh both carry the atmospheric vibe very well. 🙂
It was raining pretty good this morning but we decided to brave it and head out for the day. So glad we did because the rain quit and we had a lovely day. As my daughter told my grandson, ‘if we stay in when it rains here we’ll never go anywhere’. Kind of true! Your pictures are lovely. No shortage of steps in Great Britain!
Joyce, when we moved to the Seattle area from sunny southern California we adopted that mindset, too. We did not cancel because of rain! Thanks for stopping by!
What an interesting cemetery! The hills must have been a challenge to navigate but the sights were so worth it. Can you believe that September is over tomorrow? Have a Happy October!
Pat, thank you for stopping by on the last day of September!!
That was a very interesting walk. You were blessed to have family members with you on this special trip.
Linda, yes…we are so thankful to be able to travel with our kids!
What a blessing to be able to view the monument to John Knox in person. And the Necropolis is beautiful.
Dianna, we found John Knox in most of the places we visited and it was such a good connecting piece in our trip. Thank you for stopping by.
Such a nice collection of photos!!
Thank you, Karen!
Your photos captured this area beautifully. Seeing your smiling faces makes me smile.
Martha Ellen, thank you and I’m always a fan of smiles!!
Beautiful photos! What a remarkable cemetery. Thankfully the weather was cool for that walk up the hill. I didn’t notice your kids on the bridge in the first picture. I scrolled back up to see if they were there!
Cindy, there are so many details and ancient things to see. Thank you for stopping and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.
I loved seeing all of your photos. My Feedly, which is where I read blog posts isn’t working properly right now. There is something about old cemetery’s that I love.
Beautiful photos of a fascinating place. The Old Calton cemetery in Edinburgh looks similar to this necropolis. Such interesting features.