Wednesday 14 April 2010

Rookwood, fountain

I was quite surprised to see that they had built a large cafe at the entrance to Rookwood Cemetery on my recent visit. I've never seen anything like that in a cemetery before but I suppose it's a way to make these places more inviting and is also used for funeral functions and memorials. This combined florist and cafe also features a courtyard with an ornamental fountain.

28 comments:

  1. It sounds like a lovely idea! What a pretty place.

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  2. I am a big fan of your blog. Have lived in Sydney so very curiously wait for your daily dose. :)

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  3. So true, cemeteries always have that eerie and dragging feeling...with a bit of coffee that would perhaps change the mood!

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  4. What a lovely fountain you´ve got there. Happy WW.

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  5. In the old days here in America anyway, families used to take picnics and go to the cemetary to eat, thinking of the dead, and visiting with the living. It tied families together, I reckon, and dying was much more a part of life then than it is now. The reason that the cafe seems strange to us is that we don't understand life and death and how they fit together, at least not in the way that we did all those years ago when the death rate was so much higher, the life expectancy so much lower. Eating goes along with life, which seems out of place in a cemetary.

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  6. That's an interesting combination, cafe and cemetery. It makes good sense to me. The fountain is attractive.

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  7. halu there..how's everything! waht a beautiful place nice tips:)

    godbless!

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  8. It seems to be the latest trend, opening cafes combined with nurseries, we have them here.

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  9. I like this idea, humanises the concept somewhat. This particular example needs more bedding in yet, more tumbling growth and disarray. My visit is scheduled for Friday. Want to avoid the weekends and the sculpture ends on Sunday.

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  10. Debby, thanks for that insightful and well considered comment. That also happened in Australia in the past and I believe is what they are trying to bring back at Rookwood.

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  11. What a lovely fountain. This is a very good idea. I love Debby´s comment, but unfortunately I don´t think we have had that tradition here in Sweden.

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  12. Of course I have seen cemeteries with fountain at the entrance and they make the place more peaceful.

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  13. Thanks for showing us this. It does make sense these days when so many people don't have a church funeral.
    They were probably losing out to the crematoriums where everything is done at the one site, including the cup of tea afterwards.

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  14. lovely fountain :)

    leethroughthelens.blogspot.com

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  15. That's an interesting idea to have a cafe and cemetery together. Lovely shot of the fountain, Jim.

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  16. We've visited a lot of beautiful and/or interesting cemetaries -- that's one thing I've never seen in one. On reflection, it doesn't seem like a bad idea!

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  17. Hey I wouldn't except that to be in a cemetery. I like the concept and I agree with you on it makes these places more inviting. Thanks for sharing. :)

    Alexander
    Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

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  18. Beautiful fountain...
    There's a place like this in Jakarta...

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  19. Never heard of anything like that.. Love the Palm Tree

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  20. I think some people here in the US would have trouble with using a cemetery as a venue for art. But I love it! I visit cemeteries all the time and take all kinds of photos... :)

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  21. The cemetery's landscape is beautiful! Very thoughtful ideas have created an amazing place!

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  22. It looks great and I think it's a wonderful idea!

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