Pinner Tomb: William Loudon and Agnes Loudon 

‘Their first stop was in Pinner to see the grave John had designed for his father. He explained that the pyramid referred to his father’s claim of noble ancestry.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024). 

Decoding the Symbolism of William Loudon’s Tomb Design

There are many theories, and no certainty, about John Claudius Loudon’s design for his tomb. The case for the explanation given in The Claudians is made in the above video. Here is a transcript from the above video (by Tom Turner) about the Loudons' tomb:

“Both professionally and academically, John Claudius Loudon is much a father of landscape architecture as Frederick Law Olmsted. At the age of 26, Loudon designed a remarkable tomb for his own father. Charles Harper published an improbable account of its design in a book on Cycle rides round London. It’s full of mistakes. Loudon’s name is spelt as London; no sources are given and he assumes, wrongly, that the bodies of William and Agnes are in the above-ground sarcophagus. My guess is that Harper met an old wag in a pub who, knowing the family was Scots, thought its design must be connected with meanness - and that it had been placed above ground because of a conditional legacy. Harper wrote that:

Legends, that may or may not be well founded, tell that the descendants of William London, a Scotch merchant, retain the property bequeathed by him so long as he remains "above ground." This tower is supported on arches filled in with ornamental ironwork, on which appear the mysterious words, " BYDE-MY-TYME." The inquisitive stranger naturally wants to know what he is waiting for, but the mystery is insoluble.

I disagree. The solution is ‘soluable’ and is explained by a heraldic device above the tomb. It represents the arms and motto of the Earls of Loudoun. Their motto (I) Byde my time is cast into the iron grille at the base of the tomb. The earls belonged to the Campbell family and their cautious motto meant (Friendly Scots accent) ‘I wait patiently - for a good opportunity’. 

The double-headed eagle on the crest is one of the oldest Indo-European symbols. It was used by the Assyrians, the Hittites, the Romans and their successors to represent power. In Scotland it was also a masonic symbol. For protection, the eagles look east and west over the land - and back and forward, in time.

William Loudon, and/or his son were, evidently, proud of their ancestry, and this may also explain the tomb’s design. I read the pyramid as representing Egypt and the coffin as representing Rome. Together they point to the family’s noble origins, much as the design of the Villa d’Este represents the Este family’s descent from Hercules.

One might have expected John Claudius to be buried in the family tomb. But he disapproved of the practice of adding bodies to burial places and wrote in his book, On the Laying Out, Planting, and Managing of Cemeteries: that ‘such is the smell when the grave-diggers arrive within 2 or 3 feet of the last deposited coffin, that they are obliged to be plied constantly with rum to induce them to proceed’. He also believed that cemeteries should have an amenity role, as greenspace, and he admired the gardening work done at Kensal Green Cemetery. His bereaved wife may have liked its proximity to the family home and had these words inscribed on the tomb: ‘his works are his best monument’.

I visited both tombs in 2019, to pay my respects to a central figure in the histories of landscape architecture, garden design and garden history. If more of his intellectual heirs visit the tombs of John, his wife and his daughter, they might be better maintained.”

Another mystery is the inscription on Mrs Agnes Loudon's Tomb. How did she know about Midcalder? How did they get the date wrong? Jane Loudon says that she died in 1831. The inscription on the grave says she died in 1841. They can't both be right.

The Significance of Heraldry in Loudon’s Tomb Design

The heraldic elements in William Loudon’s tomb are rich in symbolism, particularly the inclusion of the Earl of Loudoun’s motto "Byde my time" and the double-headed eagle crest. These symbols not only reference the family’s Scottish lineage but also tie the tomb’s design to broader historical and masonic traditions. The pyramid is a nod to Egypt, while the coffin design references Rome, reflecting the Loudon family’s pride in their noble origins. This careful combination of elements demonstrates John Claudius Loudon’s intention to create a lasting monument that speaks to both personal and ancestral heritage, marking it as a significant piece of funerary art.

See also: Gardenvisit.com appreciation of John Claudius Loudon.