Hyde Park Is The Oldest Pet Cemetery In The United Kingdom, Housing The Remains Of Over 1,000 Dogs And Cats, And Was Started By A Former Servant To The Duke Of Cambridge
Pets hold a special place in our hearts. They are cherished members of our family and are fully involved in our everyday lives.
For many people, the bond with a pet is as strong as any human relationship. That’s why the loss of a pet is often so heartbreaking and extremely emotional.
This deep attachment to animals can be observed in places like Hyde Park Pet Cemetery. There, pets are laid to rest to honor their memory and how important they were in their owners’ lives.
Hyde Park is the oldest pet cemetery in the United Kingdom. The remains of more than 1,000 dogs and cats have been buried there. But how did a public pet cemetery come about in the first place?
In the late 18th century and early 19th century, the U.K. saw a shift in people’s relationships with animals.
They started developing emotional attachments to their pets. According to the Royal Parks, a man named Mr. Winbridge was responsible for establishing the pet cemetery.
Mr. Winbridge worked as a servant to the Duke of Cambridge. Eventually, he was rewarded for his years of service and loyalty with a gatekeeper position at Victoria Lodge on the edge of the park.
After Mr. Winbridge moved into the gatehouse, he made money by selling refreshments to adults and lollipops to children. He was described as kind and friendly.
He established the pet cemetery in his private garden behind Victoria Lodge. It all started when one man expressed his desire to bury his dog in the garden. Soon enough, word spread, and many people began to come to the garden to bury their beloved pets.
Nikolai Abalov – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
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Most of the pets belonged to women who were members of wealthy families living in stately houses at the edge of the park.
Hyde Park was also an address of status. Those who buried their pets in a royal park were highly regarded, especially since one of the first patrons of the cemetery was the Duke of Cambridge himself.
The Duke buried his dog, Prince, in the pet cemetery after he ran into the road and got hit by a carriage.
Mr. Winbridge tried to save Prince, but unfortunately, it was too late. Other dogs from families of nobility were later buried alongside Prince at Hyde Park.
In 1892, Lord Petrie’s dog, Tappy, died. The Lord was overcome with grief at the death of his companion and died shortly before Tappy’s burial was supposed to take place. He was only 46 years old when he passed away.
Additionally, the family of Mr. and Mrs. J. Barned had two dogs buried at Hyde Park. The first was a Maltese terrier named Cherry, who was the first dog to be laid to rest in the cemetery.
Cherry was well-loved by the family’s young children. They loved to dress him up in outfits. On one occasion, Cherry was dressed as a soldier, and in another, he was a baby.
When Cherry died, the family got a new dog named Zoe. When Zoe died, she was honored with an inscription about her life’s adventures on her headstone.
Another dog named Topper, a fox terrier is buried in the pet cemetery. He was a mischievous fellow who belonged to the Hyde Park Police Station.
He liked to run away from the station and join the aristocrats strolling along Rotten Row. Apparently, Topper died from overeating.
The burials slowly came to a stop by the early 1900s when the cemetery started to run out of space. Today, the pet cemetery is maintained by the Royal Parks charity and receives many visitors.
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