Thursday, January 16, 2014

Woodlawn Cemetery

Woodlawn Cemetery dates back to the 19th century in Guelph, filled with history. I passed through over the holidays, where effects of the ice storm were evident.


The soldier and poet John McCrae, writer of In Flanders Fields, has a presence here, though his body lies in a grave in Europe. His family plot is in this cemetery, and his name is inscribed on one of the tombstones. It was covered in snow as I passed by... so the names will remain hidden until spring.


The ice storm had its effect throughout Woodlawn, bending and breaking branches and trees.


There'll have to be intensive work come spring. Some graves required more immediate attention- if a large branch has fallen against a gravestone, for instance, it would have to be removed, but many of the fallen branches can be left for the spring.


Cemeteries are peaceful places to walk through. It feels quiet, and this one in particular has a good deal of land for strolling.



22 comments:

  1. This is a favourite cemetery of mine to visit, though I don't get up that way very often.

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  2. I love to visit graveyards, you'll have to return and show us his stone in the spring!

    Here it would shut down after snow and especially with fallen branches, lest someone should break a leg...

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  3. from here it is hard to imagine what an ice storm is like

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  4. Beautiful scenes despite all the carnage (arbrage?!) .

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  5. Beautiful though melancholy photos. Right now it's quite mild in the UK and it seems unlikely that we'll get any snow just yet.

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  6. Your photos capture the soft silence of snow in the graveyard perfectly; I was almost there.

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  7. Normally I find cemeteries a peaceful environment, but doubt that I would make visits during the winter!

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  8. Cemeteries and snow...two of my least favorite things.

    But excellent photos!

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  9. I do love strolling through peaceful cemeteries too - this one looks very beautiful. I hope not too much damage from the ice storm here, what a doozy of a storm...

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  10. It looks like a pretty place with lots of trees.

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  11. this is a beautiful old cemetery...i also love walking through them. are you familiar with find a grave? i volunteer to hunt, gives me an excuse to go wandering through them!

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  12. @Hamilton: the old ones have a lot of character to them.

    @Ciel: I doubt many people visit graves there in the winter, but they do keep the paths plowed.

    @Gerald: it's a strange mix of beauty and destruction.

    @Stuart: that's a good term for it!

    @John: beautiful and melancholy... quite a contrast.

    @Mike: thank you!

    @Kate: I figured a contrast between winter and spring or summer would be a good idea.

    @Norma: thank you!

    @LondonLulu: it certainly was a doozy.

    @Sharon: I think the trees really do make the difference in making it a serene spot.

    @Tanya: I think I've heard of that before.

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  13. I always like looking at old tombstones in cemeteries. This looks like a pretty one.

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  14. Lovely collection of shots. The snow really adds something to that peaceful atmosphere.

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  15. Snow and Cemetery, enchanting and peaceful atmosphere. I hope we will have some snow this winter too.

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  16. There's something so beautiful and peaceful about old cemeteries. This one looks so pretty with all the snow.

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  17. Very quiet. When I attended a one room schoolhouse in Iowa, on nice days we would walk up the hill and eat lunch in the cemetery. It was always a quiet peaceful place there too.

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  18. Guelph! My father attended a veterinary college in Guelph in the 1930s.

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  19. I enjoy walking through cemeteries, but haven't had the chance in a while (except at a funeral). I've taken my share of photos too. Never thought of a walk through one in winter, however. These are fine shots, William.

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  20. A really peaceful atmosphere all around!
    Let's hope not too many trees will be lost.

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  21. @Cheryl: it certainly is.

    @Lauren: I'll photograph it again at a different time of year.

    @RedPat: when I was there, it was, despite two major streets being nearby.

    @Wilf: we'll send some over to you!

    @Krisztina: having had been there before, it's lovely at other times of the year.

    @Mari: I remember from my earliest years a cemetery down the road from where I lived.

    @Jack: the vet's college is still there, as part of the program at the University of Guelph. They've got a great reputation.

    @Lorelei: thank you!

    @Merisi: I hope not!

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