Dean Cemetery became Edinburgh’s most fashionable garden cemetery in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Beneath its carefully-tended lawns lie many of the city’s finest of their day, and their stories encapsulate much of Edinburgh’s history — not just lawyers, doctors, merchants, politicians and university professors, but also engineers, scientists, explorers, artists, sculptors, writers and army officers and men. Volunteer guides from the Dean Village Association will recount some of these tales within the beautiful setting of a former mansion-house, surrounded by interesting plants and trees and some outstanding gravestones.

While tours are organised by the Dean Village Association, £1 from every ticket goes to the Dean Cemetery Trust, for ongoing upkeep and maintenance of the cemetery.

Tour lasts 1.5 to 2 hours.

The 10th May tour is part of National Cemeteries Week, which runs from 9th to 19th May 2020; please see the National Federation of Cemetery Friends’ web site for related events.