Cathcart Cemetery is located on the southern outskirts of Glasgow and falls just outside the city boundaries. This rich site of heritage is bound to the east of Linn Park and is just a stone’s throw from Holmhead house; a mansion designed by renowned architect Alexander ‘The Greek’ Thomson.

The cemetery opened in 1878 with the movement of Victorian Garden Cemeteries. It was designed by leading cemetery architect: William Ross McKelvie (1826 – 1893). Here, death is not hidden away. The people buried here have been celebrated through finely carved headstones and swathes of greenery. It was and remains today a place of peace, described in a brochure from 1888 to be “surrounded by woods and echoing to the sound of murmuring streams, laid out and embellished with artistic taste, and yielding flowers and blossoms for nine months of the year.”

(Notes on Cathcart Cemetery and Surrounding Districts 1888)

​With nearly 15,000 graves, the cemetery is a deep library of local social history – every stone tells its own story. Buried here are veterans of the world war, footballers, suffragettes, artists and songwriters. You can find out more about people of significance here. The 43 acre site is divided in two; the older section and the newer Linn extension which houses the Hebrew and Muslim sections. It is one of the few multi-faith burial grounds to exist in Glasgow.

Over the years nature has taken it’s course, the cemetery now serves as green haven in the city which provides much needed habitat for wildlife. We encourage visitors to show respect by leaving no trace. Keep your eyes peeled for snow-drops, goldcrests and deer. You can find out more about what kind of flora and fauna can be found by visiting our page on nature conservation

Cathcart Cemetery is a place of memorial and reflection. Please be respectful of this ground and the people around you when visiting, and ensure you use the existing pathways while on site.

​