Glasglow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland and is also know as ‘The City of the Dead’. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo’s Cathedral).
Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only a small percentage are named on monuments and not every grave has a stone. Approximately 3500 monuments exist here.
The main entrance is approached by a bridge over what was then the Molendinar Burn. The bridge, which was designed by David Hamilton was completed in 1836. It became known as the “Bridge of Sighs” because it was part of the route of funeral processions (the name is an allusion to the Bridge of Sighs in Venice).
Many of the hauntings of Glasglows Necropolis are unknown. One of the most reported apparitions to roam the cemetery is that of a woman in white. She is often seen gliding through the tombstones in the early hours of the morning. In addition, many have claimed to witness statues adorning the tops of graves move their facial features as though they were living beings. Many more have heard the distinct sounds of whispering when no one is around and picked up on disembodied voices all throughout the graveyard.
Not to far away is The Southern Necropolis….
SOUTHERN NECROPOLIS
However, the Southern Necropolis looks less impressive than the East End Necropolis, but has more haunting tales. Some websites list some of the hauntings from the southern Necropolis at the Grand East End Necropolis so if you go out investigating at either, make sure to not mix up the two.
Southern Necropolis was opened in 1840 to provide a burial place for the Southside of Glasgow as the available cemeteries were stuffed to the gills and it buried those mainly from the working class.
In 1954 the graveyard gained fame when primary school children from Glasgow swamped the city’s Southern Necropolis cemetery, searching out a ‘Vampire with iron teeth’ which they blamed for killing and eating two young boys.
Armed with stakes, knives – and even dogs – gangs of hysterical youngsters were lured to the Victorian graveyard after local school rumours circulated of the seven-foot tall ‘Gorbals Vampire’.
Funnily enough, the steelworks at the back of the cemetery was flaring up with red flames and smoke which only added to the hystia.
Gangs of children continued to turn up to the graveyard for the next two nights.
When the story appeared in a local newspaper the story began to recieve worldwide coverage and before long the whole country was in the grip of a full blown panic.
There is many theories to how people believe the hystia began but one strong belief amongst people were that a American comic book, which was popular at the time named ‘The Vampire with the Iron Teeth’ was to blame.
The campaign against such publications eventuality reached Parliament, which resulted in the 1955 children and young people (harmful publications) being passed, which still stands today.
THE HAUNTED GRAVE
Many believe that the statue, known in Glasgow lore as The White Lady, is haunted.
The tale goes that the spirit of one of the ladies haunts the statue. People walking around the cemetery claim that the head of the statue follows them. The stare of the statue is also supposed to turn unwitting victims to stone; to prevent this from happening, it is advised to run around the statue three times chanting, “White Lady, White Lady, White Lady”.
Admittly walking around it does seem to draw you in and you can help but keep looking at it as you scroll through the grounds.