The Glasgow Necropolis is a grand Victorian garden cemetery on a hill just east of Glasgow Cathedral. Opened in 1833, it holds around fifty thousand burials beneath some three and a half thousand monuments, and is often called the ‘city of the dead’. Modelled on the famous Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, it was built to reflect the wealth and confidence of Victorian Glasgow.

A cemetery on a hill

The site, once known as Fir Park, belonged to the Merchants’ House of Glasgow, which began laying out the cemetery in 1831; it opened in April 1833. As the city’s population exploded, its old churchyards were overwhelmed, and the Necropolis offered a dignified, sanitary and beautiful alternative. It was also one of the first cemeteries anywhere to keep full written records of the dead, noting each person’s name, age, trade and cause of death. There is much more on our Necropolis page.

The John Knox monument

At the summit stands a towering column crowned by a statue of John Knox, the leader of the Scottish Reformation. It was raised in 1825, eight years before the cemetery itself, and the burial ground grew up around it. To this day the monument dominates the skyline above the Cathedral.

The Bridge of Sighs

You reach the Necropolis across an ornate stone bridge over the now-hidden Molendinar Burn, completed in 1836. It was nicknamed the ‘Bridge of Sighs’, after the famous bridge in Venice, because funeral processions crossed it on their way to the graves.

A sculpture park of the great and good

The Necropolis was conceived as an open-air gallery of monuments, and wealthy merchants, industrialists and civic leaders competed to commission the finest tombs, in Gothic, Classical, Egyptian and Celtic styles. It was among the first burial grounds open to all faiths, with Jewish, Catholic and Quaker graves. Among the many notable Glaswegians who lie here are the publisher William Collins and the philanthropist Isabella Elder. Today it is a much-loved and freely open place to wander, with sweeping views across the city.

When did the Glasgow Necropolis open?

It was laid out by the Merchants’ House of Glasgow from 1831 and officially opened in April 1833.

Who is buried in the Glasgow Necropolis?

Around fifty thousand people, from merchants, industrialists and civic leaders to ordinary Glaswegians. Notable names include the publisher William Collins and the philanthropist Isabella Elder.

Why is there a statue of John Knox at the Necropolis?

The monument to the Reformation leader John Knox was built in 1825, eight years before the cemetery. The Necropolis was later laid out around the existing column.