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Recently I paid a visit to the art nouveau area in Antwerpen - Belgium. This is in a neighbourhood called Zurenborg. The majestic Cogelsy Osylei is most probably the nicest belle epoque street in Europe, with a very rich variety of late 19th century architecture, including art nouveau, neo baroque, neo-renaissance, etc. While enjoying the area with its nice dwellings - most of which well taken care of by their owners - I was astonished by the lack of any involvement or attention from the side of the city.

The local public transport company De Lijn runs more than 1.000 buses a day !! through the historic cobblestone street. Disrespecting the maximum speed of 30 km in the area, the massive and fast bus traffic makes the houses shake. A resident was complaining about the fact that the facades are more and more damaged by the pollution caused by the extensive bus traffic, and some ornaments and ceilings have fallen down because of the vibration caused by the heavy bus traffic. Looking on the city map, the routes of these buses semm not efficient and could be easily led via other routes with better capacity.

The street - co-owned by the municpality and the public transport company (because of a tram track running through the street) is in bad shape, with an uneven cobblestone coverage, run down foot path, and a a dysfunctional sewerage system unable to handle the rain water. The street is often flooded after major showers as another resident told me. Street furniture already disappeared decades ago. While the street is a listed urban townscape, the De Lijn company is lobbying to replace the cobble stones out and have it replaced by asphalt (which is in full disrespect of the monumental townscape).

The city is not able or not willing to do anything and puts the blame on De Lijn. Antwerp has a long tradition of overlooking its art nouveau history, as this is of origin french style does not fit in the priority list of staunch nationalist flemish policy makers. As a result, the vibration and pollution will continue to impact the area and the quality of buildings will continue to go down.

Around Glasgow Cathedral, on the Necropolis and the Southern Necropolis Glasgow has its own special mixture of church and secular graveyards but the problems the Council faces in maintaining and enhancing them are broadly similar to Edinburgh’s.

While the grave monuments in the interior of Glasgow Cathedral are under the care of Historic Scotland, those in the New and Old cemeteries that flank the building to the north and the south are the responsibility of Glasgow City Council.

Restoration is ongoing. Recently the imposing tomb of Mrs Hamilton of Aitkenhead (d 1616) beside the path into the Cathedral has been comprehensively reconstituted, but one look at Victorian postcards of the south side of the Cathedral, shows the gradual sinking of carved slabs into the grass and the obliteration of many inscriptions.

The ground to the north beside the Royal Infirmary is in a particularly parlous state. Whole walls have collapsed, throwing what was once a red granite memorial stone to the Revd John Roxburgh DD (b 1806) to the bottom of a heap of rubble. The Revd Roxburgh’s descendant, Robert Roxburgh (d 1916 aged 19), a midshipman, died on board HMS Indefatigable, sunk on 31 May 1916 at the Battle of Jutland. In other parts of this section walls are only saved from collapse by massive wooden beams propping them up.

Glasgow’s Necropolis is a biographical Tower of Babel, an extraordinary forest of history but, in spite of a great deal of restorative hard work, it is a major monument of international status that urgently needs tender loving care before it succumbs to ivy, the weather or mindless vandalism.

The red rusted Gothic iron monument to Alexander Mackenzie (d 1875 aged 62), a Merchant of the City of Glasgow, has had one of its heavy pinnacles torn off. Not far away is a tall obelisk, today partly obscured by ivy, raised to the memory of François Foucart (1781-1850), an Officer of the Imperial Guard of France, Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur and Professor of Fencing at the Royal Academy in Paris. Foucart spent 40 years in Glasgow as a fencing teacher, and his grateful students raised the memorial to him in 1863 as a testament to his popularity. Below the tall John Knox pillar that looks out sternly over the city, is the upright uniformed figure of Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Hope Pattison (1787-1835), his right arm broken off. Not far behind is the huge pillared Aitken of Dalmoak mausoleum, designed by James Hamilton and built in 1875. It is the largest burial monument in the Necropolis. Today, still spreading its wings, its headless guardian angel faces westwards, framed on each side by mighty iron-grilled gates and massive Ionic pillars, seeming to cry out soundlessly for help.

I am absolutely delighted that 5 historic Edinburgh graveyards have been placed on the WMF Watch-List. It's the end of one long phase and the beginning of a new opportunity for the weathered, broken or vandalised monuments in Edinburgh! For a good introduction have a look at 'The Edinburgh Graveyard Guide.'