Dean Cemetery

Dean Cemetery is one of Edinburgh's most important Victorian burial grounds, set on a quiet slope just north of Dean Village, west of the city centre. Laid out by architect David Cousin in the mid-1840s on the grounds of the former Dean estate, it became the fashionable resting place of the city's professional and artistic elite.

Where is Dean Cemetery and how do you get in?

The cemetery lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith. Its eastern edge runs along Dean Path, where the main gate stands, and to the west it adjoins the grounds of the Dean Gallery. There is also an access route from Ravelston Terrace. A 20th-century extension sits apart from the main site, north of Ravelston Terrace, and is reached from the junction of Dean Path and Queensferry Road.

Why is Dean Cemetery worth visiting?

It is a place of calm, mature trees, carved monuments and layered Edinburgh history. Heritage listings rank it, together with Warriston, among the city's most significant Victorian cemeteries. Many visitors combine it with a walk through nearby Dean Village and along the Water of Leith.

Who is buried at Dean Cemetery?

The list reads like a summary of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Scottish life:

• Architecture and engineering: William Henry Playfair, designer of many of Edinburgh's neoclassical landmarks, and Sir Thomas Bouch, the engineer behind the original Tay Bridge, which collapsed in 1879.
• Law and publishing: the judge Henry Cockburn and the publisher Robert Chambers.
• Art and photography: David Octavius Hill, a pioneer of early photography, and the Scottish Colourists Samuel Peploe, Francis Cadell and J. D. Ferguson.
• Exploration: Arctic explorer Robert Anstruther Goodsir, and Lieutenant John Irving of the lost Franklin expedition, whose remains were brought home for burial decades after the expedition vanished in 1845-1849.
• Medicine: the surgeon and lecturer Joseph Bell and the pioneering doctor Elsie Inglis.

A section known as Lords' Row is especially associated with eminent judges and public figures.

Is it still in use?

Yes. Burials continue at a modest pace, and the site is looked after by a charitable trust that also supports its heritage and upkeep. Guided tours are sometimes organised, which is a good way to learn the stories behind individual graves.

Practical tips

• Treat the site with respect: it is a working cemetery as well as a heritage landmark.
• Wear sturdy shoes, as paths can be uneven and damp.
• Allow about an hour for a relaxed walk, longer if you want to look for particular monuments.
• Combine the visit with Dean Village, the Water of Leith Walkway and the nearby galleries.

Frequently asked questions

Who designed Dean Cemetery? David Cousin laid it out in the mid-1840s.

Is Dean Cemetery the same as Dean Village? No. The village is a nearby historic former milling community; the cemetery lies just to its north.

Are there famous graves? Yes, including Playfair, Bouch, Cockburn, Chambers, Hill, Peploe, Cadell, Ferguson, Bell and Inglis.

Can I enter from the Dean Gallery? There is a special access door from the gallery grounds, but the main gate on Dean Path is the usual entrance.

Is it still active? Yes, burials still take place there.