2013

NS4663 : Woodside Cemetery: the Broadwalk

taken 11 years ago, near to Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland

Woodside Cemetery: the Broadwalk
Woodside Cemetery: the Broadwalk
The Broadwalk runs ENE-WSW on the summit of the hill on which the cemetery is laid out. Alongside it are some of the most imposing monuments in the cemetery; it used to be referred to as "Millionaires' Row" (see below). The grounds of the cemetery were laid out under the direction of Stewart Murray (NS4663 : Stewart Murray Curator of Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens), who was also responsible for the layout of Greenock Cemetery Link , Sighthill Cemetery Link , Dumbarton Cemetery Link , and the Glasgow Necropolis Link , amongst others.

The photograph was taken at about the centre of the Broadwalk. NS4764 : Woodside Crematorium is located at its eastern end. The structure visible at the far end (the western end) is NS4663 : The Donald Family Memorial.

The nearest memorial, in the right foreground, is that of Campbell Snodgrass of Thornhill. Thornhill House is now long gone, but it was at about NS43696306, and it had grounds of over 4 acres associated with it. See also the painting "Campbell Snodgrass with a Horse": LinkExternal link (at ArtUK). Beside this memorial, but out of shot to the right in the present picture, is one for John Snodgrass, who was a house painter.

In his "Rambles Round Glasgow" (2nd edition, 1856), Hugh Macdonald (see NS4560 : The Bonnie Wee Well) mentions the Broadwalk and some of those buried there. After describing the Martyrs' Monument (NS4763 : Martyrs' Monument, Woodside Cemetery) at the foot of the hill, he mentions some fellow writers who were buried near here, but whose graves were not then marked; the "avenue" in the following extract is the Broadwalk shown in my photograph:

"We now proceed to the summit of the eminence, along which there is a splendid avenue, fringed with shrubbery and handsome rows of trees. Near this we are shown the grave of William Finlay, a poet of considerable merit and no limited local fame; but whose 'last low bed of earth' is unmarked by even the simplest headstone. Here also lies our old friend James King, a poet of no mean power, and who was for many years the esteemed companion, and afterwards the correspondent of Tannahill. His narrow bed, however, we fail to discover, although we assisted at his obsequies, probably from the same lack of a funereal index."

Passing on to another two writers, Macdonald continues:

"We understand that sites have been selected at the east and west extremities of the avenue we have alluded to, and that money has even been collected for the purpose of erecting monuments respectively to the memory of the authors of 'Watty and Meg' and of 'Jessie the Flower of Dunblane'. There is no immediate indication, however, we regret to say, of these laudable schemes being carried into effect."

[The author of 'Watty and Meg' was Alexander Wilson, and Robert Tannahill (also mentioned in the first extract) was the author of 'Jessie the Flower of Dunblane'. Macdonald, in the book just quoted, had already lamented the fact that the poet Robert Tannahill had, at the time of writing (1856), no marker over his grave in the West Relief Churchyard; however, that would be rectified about a decade later: see Link for the memorial. As for Alexander Wilson, who was an ornithologist as well as a poet, a memorial to him was erected in Seedhill riverside garden as recently as 1995: NS4863 : The Alexander Wilson Memorial. Both men are also commemorated by statues in Paisley: NS4864 : Alexander Wilson and NS4864 : Tannahill.]

[The name Broadwalk might be taken as a typo for the more familiar term Boardwalk, but it is not. For example, the name Broadwalk is used twice in the leaflet "Paisley Woodside Cemetery: A Visitor's Guide"; note also the particularly wide space between the rows on either side of it, as shown in the present picture. The same term (though often written "Broad Walk") is elsewhere found employed in connection with other cemeteries. The same leaflet notes that the Broadwalk was once called "Millionaires' Row".]
Woodside Cemetery :: NS4763

Paisley's Woodside Cemetery was formed in 1845 by the Paisley Cemetery Company Limited, who still own and operate it. The grounds were laid out under the direction of Mr Stewart Murray. The first burial took place on the 29th of August 1845. Woodside Crematorium (officially opened on 28 October 1938 by Lord Salveson) is located within the grounds, as are two distinct martyrs' monuments – Link and Link – and Martyrs' Parish Church: Link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Lairich Rig and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Burial ground, Crematorium other tags: Woodside Cemetery Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
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NS4663, 93 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Lairich Rig   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 20 May, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 1 June, 2013
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 4688 6393 [10m precision]
WGS84: 55:50.6523N 4:26.8235W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 4693 6396
View Direction
West-southwest (about 247 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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