Death, Disaster, and Disgrace in Victorian London: Conclusion



Sketch of St. Paul's Cathedral, which served as London Ontario's first Anglican Church, as well as the village cemetery. Source: http://www.stpaulscathedral.on.ca/about#a-tour-of-the-cathedral
 


 


 


 

St. Paul's Cathedral Cemetery

St. Paul's Cathedral is the last destination of the Death, Disaster, and Disgrace in Victorian London Walking Tour. The grounds of St. Paul's Cathedral are significant to London's history, as it once served as the village cemetery, and was the final resting place for many of the individuals discussed throughout this walking tour. The gravestones remaining on the North-West corner of the grounds are a reminder of the human element of dark history. Those living in London during the Victorian era faced real dangers and disasters, despite the romanticized notions we have of Victorian society today.


For additional information on St. Paul's Cathedral and the cemetery, read below.

St. Paul's Cathedral Photo Gallery


Additional Information on St. Paul's Cathedral

The construction of St. Paul's Cathedral was completed in 1834, and included space for the village graveyard. Ten years later, the Church caught fire, burning to the ground. The construction of St. Paul's Cathedral, as you see it today, was completed in 1846. The architecture of St. Paul's Cathedral, like the Middlesex County Court House, combines Gothic detail with Classical form.

St. Paul's Cathedral cemetery is no longer actively used, and only a fraction of the graves remain in situ. In 1879, The city of London passed a by-law prohibiting the internment of bodies within the municipality. Many of the graves were relocated by wagon to the new burial site named Woodland Cemetery. The 12-14 gravestones that remain on the grounds of the original cemetery can be found in the North-West corner of the site, along Richmond Street and the North boundary of park area belonging to St. Paul's Cathedral.


Sources:

Downtown London: Layers of Time, ed. Michael Baker

Gargoyles and Gentlemen: A History of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, Ontario 1834 - 1964, by Orlo Miller (1966)

St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral, City of London, OGS Cemetery Transcripts (1984)

St. Paul's Cathedral Cemetery Map


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