In this second in the Gardens Trust series of talks by Sheldon K. Goodman of the Cemetery Club, we will learn about Brookwood and the Railway Cemeteries.
Brookwood Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the western hemisphere. From the walled-off mini-cemeteries of City Churches to leaf-littered prairies containing the anonymous dead: Brookwood is the closest thing we have today to a Victorian cemetery as it was meant to be.
Landscaped by pedigree men, including a gardener who would go on to implement designs in Sandringham and of whom Edward VII would describe as “a gentleman not to be described as inexpensive”, Brookwood’s beauty achieved what many of the suburban cemeteries could not – it could maintain its park like elegance against the threat of urban sprawl but still be close enough to London via its deathly railway service from London Waterloo.
In this talk Sheldon will explore the founding men and the garden designs that influenced the aesthetic of the cemetery and how these influence the ongoing restoration of the cemetery today, from the creation of a wetland area and returning long forgotten parts of the cemetery back into public use, as well as other cemeteries with railway links and their own landscaping
Sheldon K Goodman is a public historian, tour guide, heritage professional and founder of Cemetery Club, which seeks to show cemeteries as ‘Museums of People’ that are full of social history rather than as morbid, mournful spaces to be avoided. As a heritage communicator, he has worked with museums and other heritage spaces, including co-developing the first event to celebrate queer history in a historic cemetery (the first in the U.K) entitled ‘Queerly Departed’ for the Royal Parks, with successful sequels for Arnos Vale and Birmingham Jewellery Quarters Cemeteries Trust. He has also worked with the Brunel Museum, created visual content for Schools Out UK and has given talks at the National Archives and at the BBC. Sheldon is also a qualified City of Westminster guide and regularly leads walks around the British Museum and London’s pubs. £5, through Eventbrite. Register HERE. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and a link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards.
