Situated right opposite Assembly of God Church, the South Park Street Cemetery is a peaceful and green space away from the hustle and bustle of the city despite being located bang in the middle of it. Built in 1767, the cemetery is believed to be one of the earliest non-church burial grounds in the world and largest outside of Europe and the US.
Spread over eight acres, the cemetery is surrounded by high brick walls with the enclosure boasting of tall, shady trees and lots of beautiful flowers and bushes around the tombs and cenotaphs. It is home to the remains of over 1,600 Britishers and notable European personalities who lived in Calcutta during the colonial period. The tombs (made of sandstone in classic European style), mausoleums and epitaphs reflect the architectural brilliance (a mix of Gothic and Indo-Saracenic style) and grandeur of the British era. You'll find tombs with an anchor and chain indicating that the deceased served in the military or the navy.
The most notable ones are those of Sir William Jones (founder of the Asiatic Society in Calcutta), Walter Landor Dickens (son of Charles Dickens), Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (leader of the Youth Movement in Bengal), The Lady Anne Monson (great grand daughter of King Charles II), Colonel Robert Kyd (founder of the Botanical Garden Of Calcutta), Rose Aylmer (niece of Sir Henry Russel, after whom Russel Street is named) and Charles Short (a trader after whom the present Short Street is named), among others.
Did you know burials at the cemetery took place only after dark? Yep. There's also an anonymous tomb that reads 'A virtuous mother'. You'll find some interesting professions mentioned as well - think translator, jail keeper, cattle breeder, architect, school teacher, postmaster, surgeon, park superintendent and silversmith, to name a few.
Spread over eight acres, the cemetery is surrounded by high brick walls with the enclosure boasting of tall, shady trees and lots of beautiful flowers and bushes around the tombs and cenotaphs. It is home to the remains of over 1,600 Britishers and notable European personalities who lived in Calcutta during the colonial period. The tombs (made of sandstone in classic European style), mausoleums and epitaphs reflect the architectural brilliance (a mix of Gothic and Indo-Saracenic style) and grandeur of the British era. You'll find tombs with an anchor and chain indicating that the deceased served in the military or the navy.
The most notable ones are those of Sir William Jones (founder of the Asiatic Society in Calcutta), Walter Landor Dickens (son of Charles Dickens), Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (leader of the Youth Movement in Bengal), The Lady Anne Monson (great grand daughter of King Charles II), Colonel Robert Kyd (founder of the Botanical Garden Of Calcutta), Rose Aylmer (niece of Sir Henry Russel, after whom Russel Street is named) and Charles Short (a trader after whom the present Short Street is named), among others.
Did you know burials at the cemetery took place only after dark? Yep. There's also an anonymous tomb that reads 'A virtuous mother'. You'll find some interesting professions mentioned as well - think translator, jail keeper, cattle breeder, architect, school teacher, postmaster, surgeon, park superintendent and silversmith, to name a few.