The Penny Memorial

The Pratt Monument can be found in Bristol's Arnos Vale Cemetery. It is Grade 2 listed and consists of a marble obelisk on a square pedestal. It's most striking feature is a relief of a seated man instructing a group of children; a celestial ray, to which the figure gestures, beams down divine inspiration. The Reverend John Adey Pratt was known as the 'Children's Preacher'. He was the pastor of the Kingsland Chapel and this monument was erected by Sunday Schools of the City. Following his death in 1867, a collection was made with the intention that every child in Bristol should contribute a penny. Sufficient funds were raised to pay for this wonderful memorial.

Norwegian Sailor's Headstone

Another headstone in Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol. Norwegian merchant seaman, Salve Lislevand who served on M/S Slemmestad. He became ill and died on November 22, 1943. The day he died, his ship was passing Gibraltar and was bound for Liverpool from Oran. Perhaps his body was taken ashore by a Pilot Boat and landed at Bristol?

Some very useful details can be found on a very informative website HERE.

Victim of Drowning

This spectacular memorial can be found in Bristol's Arnos Vale cemetery. It is topped with sculpted group of a funerary urn with a coat of arms, enwrapped in a Union Flag. At its base is an officer's shako [helmet] and sword belt. It is Grade II listed.

An inscription reads:
In memory of Lieutenant James Anthony Gardner, late of HM 7th Royal Fusiliers. The beloved and only child of James Anthony Gardner and Eliza, his wife, who was accidentally drowned whilst bathing at Alwaye, Cochin Malabar Coast, East Indies, October 26th 1861, aged 30 years. Interred in the Protestant burial ground at Cochin, October 27th, 1861, and removed to beneath this spot by his, bereaved parents, March 18th 1863.

Gardner, who father was Governor of Bristol Gaol, joined the Regiment in the Crimea before the Battle of Sebastopol. He was awarded the Crimea Medal with Sebastopol clasp and retired in 1860.

Angel with a Harp

How often do you see an Angel playing a celestial harp? Not often, I am guessing. This headstone is in the Arnos Vale cemetery in Bristol, England.

God Knows Best!

Thinking of some of the awful events taking place around the world in which we live, there might be those who do not agree with the motto on this headstone. That said, I thought this headstone for Noah Samuel Cox was very ornate for a 1920s grave. What do others think? The grave is in the impressive Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol.

Arnos Vale Cemetery - an Angel Heaven

If you are interested in Angels, then the magnificent Arnos Vale cemetery is the place to go. I have been to dozens of cemeteries and churchyards across the world, but this heavenly plot is one of the best. Forty-five acres of Angel Heaven is how I describe it to people since my visit two weeks ago. Every time I look at the images I took, it makes the hairs on my neck stand up - such is the beauty of the funerary architecture on public display. Here are just three of them: