Seven Magnificent Walks: Overview

Introduction

Highgate West Cemetery

When I moved to London, I got charmed by the organic growth of Highgate Cemetery. I only know cemeteries organised in dam patterns where there is no room for old graves or natural development. Walking past the old graves, you wonder about the stories behind them and what London life in the 19th century must have been like. As walking is my passion, I got inspired to create a walk connecting the Magnificent Seven Cemeteries.

The Magnificent Seven are seven beautiful Victorian landscaped cemeteries built between 1832 and 1840 to respond to the overcrowding of local parish cemeteries. The cemeteries are not only burial grounds but also beautiful hidden gardens, some of them are classified nature reserves.

The seven walks span a total of 82 kilometres or 51 miles and partially follow other trails such as the Capital Ring Walk and the New River Path. The walks are available via the MapMyRun tool on my blog or you can download the PDF on your phone, so you can access the routes even when offline.

The Magnificent Seven Part III: Brompton to Kensal Green (11km or 7mi)

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Download Map and Directions of The Magnificent Seven (Part 3): Brompton to Kensal Green

Introduction

Frederick Leyland was one of the largest ship 

owners at the end of the 19th century, 

Brompton Cemetery

The Magnificent Seven are seven beautiful landscaped cemeteries built between 1832 and 1840 to respond to the overcrowded local parish cemeteries and to move the associated health hazards further away from the city centre. The cemeteries are not only burial grounds but also beautiful gardens, some of them are classified as nature reserves.

This walk is the third in a series of seven magnificent walks, connecting the magnificent seven cemeteries. For an overview of the seven walks, highlights an tips, please visit the overview page.

This walk is the third part in a series of seven, an ambitious plan to connect the Magnificent Seven. The walk starts at Brompton Cemetery and ends at Kensal Green Cemetery. Mainly following the roads, it leads you from West London to North West London and shows the transformation of West London from a very affluent area with parks only accessible to local residents into a rather industrial in which we will find the Paddington Branch.

The Magnificent Seven Part II: West Norwood to Brompton (16km or 10mi)

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Download Map and Directions of The Magnificent Seven (Part 2): West Norwood to Brompton

Introduction

Albert Bridge: I was lucky as the lights just turned on at 4pm

The Magnificent Seven are seven beautiful landscaped cemeteries built between 1832 and 1840 to respond to the overcrowded local parish cemeteries and to move the associated health hazards further away from the city centre. The cemeteries are not only burial grounds but also beautiful gardens, some of them are classified as nature reserves.

This walk is the second in a series of seven magnificent walks, connecting the magnificent seven cemeteries. For an overview of the seven walks, highlights an tips, please visit the overview page.



This walk starts at West Norwood Cemetery and ends at Brompton Cemetery. This is a rather lengthy walk and in autumn and winter times, it might be muddy, so appropriate shoes are required. For me, the best parts of this walk were West Norwood Cemetery, Battersea Park and Albert Bridge. A rather lengthy part of this walk is on the streets. If you want to avoid the road part of this route and shortcut the route to a 5km walk, I would recommend visiting the cemetery at West Norwood and taking the train from West Norwood to Battersea Park Rail Station.