Sandymount Cemetery was opened in 1878, and contains approximately 5,950 monuments, 350 of which are Muslim and 1,250 Jewish. Some burials were also re-interred there from the Christ Church Episcopal Churchyard in Bridgeton.
The cemetery is divided into compartments. The earliest, the Victorian section, lies on a small rise of ground to the south west of the site. This contains the magnificent monuments of several local families and dignitaries including the Peat family (ship builders), the Kennedys (scientists), William Bow, founder of Bow’s Emporium and John Quinton Pringle, one of Glasgow’s greatest artists.
Jewish Graves
The Jewish section is largely self-contained (accessed from Hallhill Road) and was used for interments between 1905 and 1993. After many subsequent years of neglect and vandalism, this section has been completely restored and a permanent memorial erected to all the children buried there. Of particular note are the three branchless tree monuments, a design which usually commemorated someone who has died young but in this instance perhaps indicative of the end of a family line.
Muslim Graves
The Muslim graves at Sandymount dated back to the 1920s, many of the early burials being of sailors who had died aboard ship but required to be buried on-shore for religious reasons. Later migration from the Indian Sub-continent after WW2 introduced a permanent Muslim population into the city and Sandymount provides one of several sites available for Muslim burials.
War Memorials
As a major port and ship building centre, Glasgow became a target for enemy action during WW2, a fact reflected by many of the monuments. The Cross of Sacrifice is an imposing feature of Sandymount, and there are around 180 Commonwealth War Graves scattered throughout the cemetery. These include 67 burials from WW1, 110 from WW2, a French war grave and one from the Falklands War. An American Medal of Honour holder is also buried there.