Cemeteries, churchyards and burial...

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Briefing Cemeteries, churchyards and burial grounds Urban burial grounds in the 19th century were originally envisaged as public open spaces, and were professionally designed to be attractive places to visit in their own right. Today, many cemeteries are neglected, with little to attract anyone apart from those visiting specific burial plots. This lack of design, planning and ambition means that the potential health and environmental benefits of cemeteries are not being realised.

Transcript of Cemeteries, churchyards and burial...

Briefing

Cemeteries, churchyards and burial grounds

Urban burial grounds in the 19th centurywere originally envisaged as public openspaces, and were professionally designedto be attractive places to visit in their own right. Today, many cemeteries areneglected, with little to attract anyoneapart from those visiting specific burialplots. This lack of design, planning andambition means that the potential healthand environmental benefits of cemeteriesare not being realised.

Introduction

There is a lack of information aboutthe number of operational or closedcemeteries, churchyards and burialgrounds in England. There is alsoan absence of over-archingregulation of burial and cremationpractices.

Different religions and cultures have developed different rites andpractices for the disposal of thedead, and these have to beconsidered and respected. Thereare a number of separate Jewishand Muslim cemeteries, forexample, but there are also manycemeteries where different religionsare given separate areas within thepublic cemetery. The dominant formof funerary rite in the UK iscremation, accounting for 72 percent of all disposals. It has beenargued that the high rate ofcremation may not be whollyexplained by choice, but may bepartly explained by the absence oflocally accessible, well-managedcemeteries with available burialspace. Natural burial is growing in popularity for environmentalreasons, though most natural burial sites are still provided within existing public cemeteries.

Many historic cemeteries, now full,have become neglected, thoughthey may well contain buildings,artefacts and landscapes of greatheritage value and interest. Many of the great 19th century urbancemeteries were designed and laid out by the same people whocreated public parks, and wereconsidered to belong to the ‘parkfamily’. They were regarded as muchas public landscapes as they werefunctional burial places. This closerelationship between the cemeteryand the park has disappeared frommany local authority perceptionsand strategies. Yet cemeteries maystill deliver as many amenity andecological benefits as parks, and

should be brought back into themainstream of parks and greenspace provision.

Thus there is a need for localcemetery strategies that should also be integrated into wider localauthority green space strategies.The Green Flag Award scheme isincreasingly being used to monitorand reward good cemeterymanagement and provision.

Cemeteries, churchyards and burialspaces are often highly valued bycommunities for their ‘spiritual’ aswell as place-making and place-marking qualities. The growth ofcemetery friends’ groups is a signthat the public wish to engageagain with conservation andenvironmental projects based on cemeteries and churchyards.

Types of burial site

In England and Wales, burial tookplace principally in churchyards untilthe 19th century. Concerns abouthygiene in the mid-19th centuryresulted in many town and citychurchyards being closed. This was followed by the development of larger joint-stock cemeteries and municipal cemeteries, often on urban fringes. These took on the larger proportion of burials. Theterm ‘burial grounds’ is often usedto denote either, though it is alsoused to denote the burial place of a distinctive group, either byreligion or national identity.

Most cemeteries contain bothconsecrated and unconsecratedsections, sometimes with areasgiven over to the burial of membersof other religions. There are anumber of dedicated Jewishcemeteries, and several Muslimcemeteries in the UK. There arealso private burial grounds andmemorial gardens. In recent yearsthere has been a growth in thenumber of natural burial sites

(sometimes called woodland burial, though this term is not usedby practitioners), a number of whichare privately owned and managed,reflecting an interest in moreenvironmentally friendly forms of body disposal.

Dr Julie Rugg of the CemeteryResearch Group at York Universityhas provided some interestingtypological and anthropologicaldistinctions between, cemeteries,churchyards, burial grounds, massburial sites, war cemeteries andpantheons, which may be followedup by reference to ‘Relevant reportsand documents’, page 8.

There are also a growing number ofpet cemeteries, privately run, wherethe actual or cremated remains ofpets are interred, reflecting theprivileged attachment that manypeople in modern societies feel foranimals. This trend is growing, andlocal authorities are sometimesunder pressure to provide suchfacilities.

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The legal status of burial grounds

Three extracts relating to the legal status of cemeteries andchurchyards, taken from thedocument Burial Law and Policy in the 21st Century:

‘Although it is the public law dutyof the Church of England and, toa certain extent, of the Church inWales, to provide for burials inopen churchyards, there is atpresent no statutory requirementon any public authority or privateundertaking to make available a place for burial’

‘The law relating to burial(including exhumation and thedisturbance of human remains) is not to be found within a singlestatute or coherent body oflegislation.’

‘The distinction betweenconsecrated and unconsecratedburial land remains fundamentalto English and Welsh burial law’

There is no obligation to notify anylocal or national government bodythat a cemetery has either beenopened or closed, and thedevelopment of new burial groundsis largely unregulated.

Burial in ‘private’ or ‘family’ graveswas assumed to be ‘in perpetuity’until the Local Authorities’Cemeteries Order 1977. Thisstipulated rights of burial for amaximum period of 100 years,except in the case of theCommonwealth War GravesCommission, which can still grantburial rights without limit.

Church of England churchyards may be closed for further burials byOrder in Council, a process whichcannot be reversed. Under Englishlaw the Church of England isallowed to pass to local authorities

churchyards closed for burialsresponsibility for care andmaintenance.

Although monuments are privateproperty, the power to remove themor make them safe now resides inthe hands of local authorities underthe Local Authorities CemeteriesOrder 1977.

The particular role played bycemeteries and crematoria ispolitically and culturally sensitiveenough that the activities whichtake place within them are coveredby: Anatomy Act 1871,1984; Birthsand Deaths Registration Act 1874,1926, 1953; Burial Acts 1852,1906; Burial Law Amendment Act1880; Cemeteries clauses Act1847; Coroners Act 1988;Environmental Protection Act 1990;Health and Safety at Work Act;Human Tissue Act 1961; HumanTissue Bill 2004; Interments Act1881; Local Government Act 1972;Medical Act 1956,1969, 1978;Open Spaces Act 1906; PlanningAct 1964; Public Health Act 1848,1875, 1936, 1984; Registration ofBurial Act 1864; Still BirthDefinition Act 1992; Town andCountry Planning Act 1990

The most active form of regulationof cemeteries and new cemeterydevelopments is now exercised byThe Environment Agency, largelydue to a concern with the pollutionof water sources. However there isalso concern at emissions fromcrematoria, and new standardsmight bring about the upgrading or re-siting of some existingcrematoria.

Summary of statisticsregarding cemeteries

The current consensus is that thereare about 3,500 historic (pre-1914)cemeteries in the UK, according tothe Confederation of BurialAuthorities. Many more have beenestablished since then, though thestatistics remain uncollected. The Cemetery Research Groupestimates that in England andWales, some 350 district levelauthorities maintain about 1,800cemeteries. This does not includethe number of cemeteries ownedand maintained by parish councils,the figures of which remainuncollected. There is alsoinsufficient record of how manyCatholic or nonconformist (egQuaker) burial grounds there are.

In addition there are thousands ofchurchyards in England and Wales,many closed to further burials (atleast 6,000 of which are nowmaintained as distinct eco-systems), but with many others stillbeing used for human interments.

These figures can be related to theevidence given to the SelectCommittee by the CommonwealthWar Graves Commission (CEM 23)when they stated that: ‘In theUnited Kingdom the Commission isresponsible for more than 170,000graves in over 12,000 burialgrounds.’ In brief, the number ofexisting and identifiable cemeteries,churchyards and burial grounds inEngland and Wales, closed oroperational, is more than 12,000but likely to be less than 20,000.

The Survey of the Jewish BuiltHeritage has documented a total of 131 Jewish burial grounds inEngland and Wales dating from1656 to 1939. However there are a large number of dedicated Jewishplots in municipal cemeteries.

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A study by Andy Clayden atSheffield University found that by2004 there were nearly 190 naturalburial sites in the UK, of whichabout 50 were privately owned,130 owned by local authorities(often within existing cemeteries),and ten owned by charitable trusts.The number of such burial groundsis increasing.

In brief the number of churchyards,cemeteries and burial grounds inthe UK can be counted inthousands, with little co-ordinationbetween owners, or managers, inthe sector as a whole.

Many have considerable historicheritage interest. As EnglishHeritage admit: ‘As the generalappreciation of cemeteries asdesigned landscapes increasedduring the 1980s and 1990s, itbecame clear that many moredeserved a place on the ‘Registerof Parks and Gardens’, In the1980s only 14 cemeteries werethus registered, but by 2004 thishad jumped to 110. Of registeredcemeteries, about 60 per cent areGrade II, 30 per cent Grade II*, andten per cent classified as Grade I.

The amount of green open spacetaken up by cemetery land variesfrom Authority to Authority. In partsof London, for historical reasons,the legacy of past burial practicesis enormous. If you consider that in a borough like Newham inLondon over 60 per cent of publicopen space is made up of cemeteryland (the figure for Kensington &Chelsea is 49 per cent), the lack of care and maintenance can have a particularly depressing ordebilitating effect on surroundingcommunities.

Yet today the very same innerLondon boroughs are running out ofburial space and in some cases –Hackney and Islington, for example– have none left at all. This meansthat burials happen in cemeteries

at some distance from thecommunity in which the deceasedonce lived, breaking the connectionbetween the living and the dead.

Burial, cremation, andthe burial of crematedremains

The UK has one of the highestcremation rates in the world. Peoplechoose cremation for a variety ofreasons including efficiency,hygiene, cost, and not wanting toleave behind the ‘burden’ of a graveto maintain. Where people diewithout making their preference forburial or cremation clear, survivingfamily members generally choosecremation. In the case of the deathsof young children, burial is generallychosen, and the creation ofseparate baby and children’s areasin cemeteries is one innovation ofthe past 50 years.

Some religions disapprove ofcremation, including the Jewish,Muslim, and, until recently, Catholicfaiths. Modern day environ-mentalists may now prefer ‘naturalburial’ in woodland settings tocremation, which is now comingunder increasing scrutiny onenvironmental grounds.

Burial rituals and practices varyamongst religions, and can be a cause of conflict. For example,some bereaved groups may wish to hold very long graveside ritualsand ceremonies, which may causeconcern to other visitors or funeralparties; some groups insist on fillingin the grave themselves; others maywish to erect headstones ormonuments entirely out of scale or keeping with the surroundinglandscape. All these culturaldifferences have to be negotiated.For this reason the management ofcemeteries is a particularly sensitiveissue in a multi-cultural society. Insome cemeteries different religionsor ethnic groups may be given

separate sections of a cemetery,while other cemetery authoritiesmay not have the space to do this,or may choose not to do so.

At present there are no consistentregulations concerning practicesand accepted forms of behaviour in churchyards and cemeteriesacross the UK – nor as muchattention paid to enacting by-lawsas so often happens with parks.While the ‘Charter for theBereaved’ is an excellent templatefor local authority bereavementpractices, local authorities wouldwelcome some kind of generalisedgood practice guide to the day today codes and rules governingcemeteries across the UK.

In traditional burial terms, Jewishlaw allows only one body to beburied in any grave, and inperpetuity. There is an absoluteproscription against the disturbanceof remains for any reason, thoughhistorically this has happened.Nevertheless the presumption isthat Jewish cemeteries will remaincemeteries in perpetuity, even afterclosure. Muslims allow the re-use ofgrave space in many countries, andare considered likely to adapt towhatever is the prevailing practicein the UK.

It is becoming more difficult to acquire a burial plot locally,especially in the largerconurbations, and it is alsoexpensive. Indeed it is nowacknowledged that many localauthorities use pricing as amechanism to manage demand.

One counter-trend to the rigiddistinction between burial andcremation in recent years has beenthe growing trend in the burial ofcremated remains in ceremonialcontainers. This means thatcrematorium gardens are becomingonce again like burial grounds, withall the land-requirements andlandscaping issues that implies.

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Is there a crisis forBritish cemeteries?

The lack of attention to the numberand quality of cemeteries in the UKin the 20th century can be partlyattributed to the growing popularityof cremation, which now accountsfor 72 per cent of all ‘disposals’.Some cremated remains are buriedin churchyards and cemeteries,some are scattered in memorialgardens, but many people takecremated remains away for privatedisposal (a practice that is frownedupon and in many cases forbiddenelsewhere in Europe).

It could be argued that there nowexists another example of‘English/British exceptionalism’ withregard to burial and funerary culturecompared with elsewhere in theworld. The high proportion ofcremations, the legal proscriptionagainst the re-use of graves untilthe present time, together with thelarge number of people who makeprivate arrangements for thedisposal of cremated remains,leaves the traditional churchyard,cemetery or burial ground in aseriously weakened position,especially in its role as a publicgreen space or landscape of localidentity and belonging.

So while there is a very limitednumber of burial ground types,there is an enormous range ofdifferences in design aesthetics and culture across the UK. Forexample, the English Heritage studyof a select number of registeredcemeteries in Yorkshire discovereddistinct regional features to theirdesign and the materials used,representing: ‘The genius of local designers and Yorkshire’snonconformist heritage, rather than grand names’. It is also notsurprising that cemetery landscapesreflect the wider landscape andtopographical characteristics oftheir region and setting, and for thisreason are particularly interesting.

Equally worrying was the fact thatthe Yorkshire study discovered thatalthough 35 per cent of Yorkshirecemeteries are in conservationareas: ‘None of the Local Plans for the region highlight theconservation of cemeteries asvalued historic environments’.

Despite the perception that there is a national crisis to do with theconservation of historic cemeteries,and maintenance of operationalones, there is also a view that thisis very much a London perspective,and that outside London there aremany good examples of churchyardand cemetery management andmaintenance.

Nevertheless it is clear that in manyplaces there is a shortage of localburial space, and pricing policiesare being used to manage demand.Some would argue that if localburial is to be a genuine choice,then some form of subsidy mayneed to happen – but from where?Also, local authority cemeterymanagers are talking about aforthcoming upsurge in burialdemand, as the present oldergeneration finally succumbs to the demands of longevity.

One way in which some public andprivate cemeteries are dealing withthe lack of burial space is through‘cramming’ new graves into historiccemeteries, often in inappropriateplaces such as footpaths, andplanting areas. This then destroysthe original design and aestheticharmony of the cemetery.

The heritage value anduse of burial grounds

There is a strong case to be madethat cemeteries have especialarchitectural and landscape interestbecause they have often beentrapped in a time-warp, and havenot been modified, adapted,overlaid, or even destroyed, as has so much else in the historicenvironment. This is an argumentthat is becoming increasingly heard elsewhere in Europe.

There are a very large number of listed buildings in cemeteries,according to the NationalMonuments Record Centre,including lodges and houses,boundary walls, gates, mortuarychapels, cemetery chapels, tombs,and mausoleums.

In Europe cemetery commissionshave been sought and undertakenby many great architects – Asplund,Lewerentz, Rossi, Scarpa, Miralles,David Chipperfield (in Venice).However, in the UK there has beenno real equivalent interest amongbig name architects since Lutyens.One or two crematorium buildingshave some architectural interest,and Geoffrey Jellicoe’s MemorialGardens in Walsall (1949-54) isnow listed.

Contemporary benefitsof burial grounds

The 1994 report on themanagement of old cemeteries(Dunk & Rugg, 1994) enumeratedfour different kinds of value whichcemeteries represent to today’ssociety: historical, ecological,education and leisure (or amenity)benefits. This four-fold scheme isechoed in ‘Paradise Preserved’which lists the most importantbenefits as being architecture,landscaping, wildlife and localamenity.

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A well-maintained cemetery is still the site of a number ofcontemporary rituals. A study ofusers found that different religionsand cultures visit cemeteries atdifferent times: Orthodox Jews'during the month of Elul, the timeof the Jewish New Year, and also onthe Hebrew anniversary of death’.Greek Orthodox on anniversary ofdeath, All Souls' Day and at Easter.

On the other hand, research ofcemetery users suggests that thebereaved often pay little attention to the wider landscape of thecemetery – as long as it generallyfeels safe and well managed – andmany are very focused on the oneburial plot in their visit, often neverwalking or even looking at any otherpart of the cemetery when visiting.While cemetery managers areprincipally concerned with servingthe bereaved directly, other localand national organisations mayneed to argue more cogently for the wider historical and heritageaspects.

Some of the increasing publicinterest in cemetery conservationcan be attributed to the growingpopularity of family history, and theuse of burial records and cemeteryregisters to identify family burialplaces, gravestones andmonuments. Local Friends’ Groupshave also played an important rolein campaigning to improve theconservation of cemeteries. Evenso, there is no national collection or library of local cemetery guides.

There are a number of closedchurchyards which have becomepublic amenity land, especially inLondon, where park facilities andeven children’s play equipment can now be found.

The heritage conservationmovement has also identifiedhistoric cemeteries as places ofspecific local heritage interest, aswell as being very much a part of

the historic townscape. The place-making or local identity propertiesof churchyards and cemeteries areespecially valued.

The ‘Living Churchyards’ project,already mentioned, is anotherexample of how churchyards andcemeteries are increasingly valuedfor their bio-diversity value.According to ARC (Alliance ofReligions and Conservation) ‘morethan 6,000 British churchyards runtheir small plots of land as sacredeco-systems – without pesticidesand mowing the grass only once ayear – ensuring that birds, reptiles,insects and bats can thrive’.

Current concerns –health and safety

In many historic churchyards andcemeteries, there is increasingconcern about Health and Safetyissues, notably to do with thedangers to children of fallingmasonry. This is currentlypresenting local authorities with a major headache, as they have to balance safety, cost and heritagefactors when considering what todo to ensure the public use andappreciation of historic cemeteriesand churchyards.

Between 1995 and 2004there were four deaths caused byfalling memorials in burial grounds,and today many thousands ofheadstones and memorials are nowbeing force-tested for safety. Wherefound unstable, they are removed or laid flat, causing public concernthat cemeteries are once againbeing ‘vandalised’. Many of the leaststable headstones date from recenttimes and are the result of poordesign, or faulty workmanship.

This concern with safety is nowinfluencing the design, robustnessand positioning of new memorialsand gravestones. In Jewishcemeteries it is becoming the

practice to lay new stones flat onthe ground, as well as old stonesthought to be in danger of toppling.Some argue that traditionalmonolithic headstones, in whichone-third of the stone was sunk into the ground, did not causethese problems.

Burial grounds within the wider green spacetypology

It is often argued that the Victorian cemetery was part of thewider public park family, with manybeing designed and laid out byestablished park designers. As wellas functioning as burial sites, theywere also regarded as places forvisiting and promenading of a moredignified and morally uplifting kind.The nineteenth-century legislationthat provided for new burialgrounds seemed to have envisagedthat they would in due coursebecome public open spaces (for which provision was made in the Open Spaces Acts 1887 and 1906).

Yet there is also a counter-tradition,which suggests that cemeteriesshould be regarded as distinct from parks. For example, Jewishcemeteries largely operate asclosed spaces, literally andsymbolically. Many are locked, and only opened for intermentceremonies, or by priorarrangement.

The Muslim Gardens of Peace atHainault in Essex, welcomes visitorsbut within clear guidelines, andcodes of dress and behaviour.While some people find turningclosed cemeteries and churchyardsinto public amenity land acceptable,others do not. They continue to feelthat a cemetery will always be a‘sacred’ place of some kind, even ifthey are agnostic or without anyreligious belief at all.

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Similarly there are differences in time frame. Researcherscommissioned by the City ofLondon Cemetery and Crematoriumto interview cemetery users, choseto frame their discussions within thetime-scale of ‘the next 100 years’,somewhat longer than might bethought appropriate in wider public space policy.

In public funding terms, the burialground presents typologicalproblems of another kind. While the cemetery itself may be publiclyowned and accessible, theindividual plots and monumentsremain in private hands, and sogrants for improvement could becontested from the point of viewthat public money is being spent on private benefit. This delicateprivate/public ecology hasimplications for both architecturaland landscape integrity. Kitschmonumental tombs may destroy theoverall architectural effect, as mayinappropriate planting. There ismuch more regulation of memorialsize and characteristics in Sweden,for example, where the notion of a‘good grave culture’ is widespread,and the collective aesthetic is givenprecedence over individual taste.

Some closed churchyards andcemeteries are acquiring a new role in the green space typology as wildlife havens, but even this isrole is disputed by some who fearheritage value will be displaced or even destroyed by an over-emphasis on natural habitatpriorities. Some would argue thatthis has been the case at NunheadCemetery, an early recipient ofHeritage Lottery Fund (HLF)funding, but a place where alandscape programme of what hasbeen termed ‘managed withdrawal’has left the architectural heritagecompromised.

The need for separatenational cemeterystrategies

In 2002, HLF director Anthea Case, giving evidence to the selectcommittee argued againstestablishing a dedicated cemeteriesstrategy or funding programme.However, the select committee waskeen to stress that it did not regardcemeteries as being covered by theHLF urban parks programme.

The national planning policyguidance note 17 (PPG17) on open space, sport and recreationincludes cemeteries within itsrecommended open space typology,indicating that they should beincluded within local open spacestandards. However, public concernconcerning the re-use of gravesmay require public agencies to re-think the priority they give tocemetery issues.

The establishment of theAssociation for SignificantCemeteries in Europe (ASCE)indicates a revival of academic and architectural and landscapehistory interest in cemeteries across Europe. They are seen to embody period and regionalcultural traditions which are fastdisappearing elsewhere in the builtenvironment and designedlandscape.

The need for localauthority cemeterystrategies

While many local authorities have,or are currently developing greenspace strategies, few have separatecemetery strategies, though theyare likely to have service plans orbusiness plans for the bereavementservices.

A number of reports have identifiedparticular problems with the way in

which cemeteries and formerchurchyards are maintained by localauthorities, including:

– A lack of specific policies forcemeteries (Dunk & Rugg, 1994)

– The low status of the service andits personnel within localauthorities (Dunk & Rugg, 1994)

– The very low level of appropriatetraining among cemeterymanagers (Dunk & Rugg, 1994)

– The failure of higher levels ofmanagement within parks orleisure departments to appreciatethat ‘cemeteries are specialenvironments’, requiring muchmore sensitive and site-specificmanagement and maintenanceregimes (Dunk & Rugg, 1994)

– Whether cemeteries flourishbetter within ‘BereavementServices’ departments rather than parks or leisure services(Select Committee, 2001)

– No Best Value PerformanceIndicators for cemeteries atpresent (Select Committee,2001)

– Absence of proper managementinformation and appreciation ofcultural value, which results in low levels of funding (SelectCommittee, 2001).

A good example of a specificcemetery management plan andenvironmental strategy is thatproduced by Trafford MetropolitanBorough Council for Green Flag-winning Altrincham Crematoriumand Dunham Lawn Cemetery 2004-2009.

Another difference betweencemeteries and parks is that localauthorities are slightly more willingto consider handing over closedchurchyards, cemeteries and burialgrounds to local trusts on long

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leases. The number of cemeteriesnow managed by trusts alreadyexceeds the number of parks somanaged – though the figures arestill relatively insignificant. Examplesinclude Abney Park Cemetery Trust,Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust inBristol, Sheffield General CemeteryTrust, and York Cemetery.

Green Flag cemeteriesand other incentives toimprovement

An increasing number of cemeteriesand churchyards are being enteredfor the Green Flag, and winning.Between 2003 and 2007, thenumber of Green Flag winningcemeteries and crematoriummemorial gardens has increasedfrom three to 14.

Over the past decade there havealso been several other industryinitiatives to encourage bestpractice in cemetery maintenanceand management. The ‘Charter forthe Bereaved’ was established in1996 by the then Institute of Burialand Cremation Administration (nowthe ICCM), and is awarded tocemeteries that can demonstrate aproper respect for the rights of thebereaved with regard to gravechoice, cremation procedures,monuments, ceremonies,maintenance of graves, and otherservices. There are also the‘Phoenix Awards’ organisedannually by the Association of BurialAuthorities to encourage creativityin cemetery and memorial design,and the ‘Cemetery of the YearAwards’ sponsored by theConfederation of Burial Authorities.

Funding forimprovements

The HLF has funded a range of cemetery and churchyardimprovement projects to dateincluding some large grants includeover £3 million to Arnos Vale inBristol, and over £1 million each to Nunhead and Hampstead. It has also helped fund churchyardrestoration projects under its Local Heritage Initiative.

Relevant reports and documents

Clayden, Andy (2004), NaturalBurial, British Style, LandscapeArchitecture, May, USA

Davies, Douglas & Shaw, Alastair(1995), Re-using Old Graves: AReport on Popular British Attitudes,Crayford

Dunk, J. and Rugg, J. (1994), The Management of Old CemeteryLand, Crayford

English Heritage & English Nature(2002), Paradise Preserved: anintroduction to the assessment,evaluation, conservation andmanagement of historic cemeteries,London

English Heritage & Heritage LotteryFund (2004), Heritage Counts2004: The State of England’sHistoric Environment, London

Environment, Transport andRegional Affairs Committee (2001),House of Commons, Cemeteries:Volumes I & II, London

Felicori, Mauro, and Zanotti,Annalisa (2004), Cemeteries ofEurope: A Historical Heritage toAppreciate and Restore, Bologna

D. Francis, L. Kellaher & G.Neorphytou (2005), The SecretCemetery, London

Grainger, Dr Hilary (2005), DeathRedesigned: The Architecture ofBritish Crematoria, Spire Books

Institute of Burial and CremationAdministration (1996), Charter forthe Bereaved, London

Kadish, Dr Sharman. (2003) Jewish Burial Grounds andFunerary Architecture, EnglishHeritage, London

Lambert, David, (2004) HeritageLottery Fund Cemeteries NeedsAssessment

National Federation of CemeteryFriends (1997), Notes on SavingCemeteries, Croydon

Rugg, J. (2000) Defining the placeof burial: what makes a cemetery acemetery? Mortality, 5,3.

Worpole, Ken (2003), LastLandscapes: the architecture of the cemetery in the West, London

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Contacts

Association of Burial AuthoritiesPrincipally concerned with burial,rather than cremation. TheAssociation also organises thePhoenix Awards.Waterloo House, 155 Upper Street, London N1 1RATel: 020 7288 2522 [email protected]

Association of SignificantCemeteries in Europewww.significantcemeteries.net

The Cemetery Research GroupUndertakes research into cemeteryhistory and management issues.Dr Julie Rugg, Centre for HousingPolicy, University of York,Heslington, York YO10 5DDwww.york.ac.uk/inst/chp/crg

The Civic TrustOrganises the Green Flag Awardfor well-managed parks and greenspaces, including cemeteries.www.greenflagaward.org.uk

Commonwealth War GravesCommissionLooks after 170,000 graves in 12,000 burial grounds across the UK.2 Marlow Road, Maidenhead,BerkshireTel: 01628 634221

English Heritage‘Landscapes at risk’ researchand cemetery listings.23 Savile Row, London W1S 2ETTel: 020 7973 3000 www.english-heritage.org.uk

Heritage Lottery FundCan provide grants to cemeteryconservation projects of heritagevalue.7 Holbein Place, London SW1W8NRwww.hlf.org.uk

Ministry of JusticeDecides applications for exhumationlicences, regulate the removal ofhuman remains from disused burialgrounds and consider applicationsfor the closure of churchyards. Alsoprovides advice on burial law andpractice for the public and for burialprofessionals.

Selborne House, 54 Victoria Street,London, SW1E 6QWwww.justice.gov.uk/whatwedo/burials.htm

Institute of Cemetery andCremation ManagementProfessional body handlingeducation, training, and standards,and publishers of the important‘Charter for the Bereaved’.City of London Cemetery,Aldersbrook Road, Manor Park,London E12 5DQwww.iccm-uk.com

Jewish Heritage UKwww.jewish-heritage-uk.org

Living ChurchyardsEncourages good practice in theconservation of historic churchyardsas wildlife reserves.Alliance of Religions andConservation (ARC), 3 WynnstayGrove, Manchester M14 6XGTel: 0161 248 5731

Memorial Awareness BoardOrganisers of the ‘Cemetery of the Years Awards’[email protected]

National Association ofCemetery FriendsLinks voluntary groups in the UKwho wish to conserve and preservelocal cemeteries and churchyardsGwyneth Stokes, 42 ChestnutGrove, South Croydon CR2 7LHwww.cemeteryfriends.fsnet.co.uk

The Natural Death CentreAdvises on natural burial and co-ordinates the Association of NaturalBurial Grounds6 Blackstock Mews, BlackstockRoad, London N4 2BT

Local cemetery contacts

Arnos Vale Cemetery Trustwww.arnosvale.org.uk

Abney Park Cemetery Trustwww.abney-park.org.uk

Sheffield General CemeteryTrustwww.gencem.org

York Cemeterywww.yorkcemetery.org.uk

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This briefing is based on a 2005 reportby writer, environmentalist and CABESpace enabler Ken Worpole. It looks atcurrent concerns about cemeteries andwhether they are facing a crisis. Itconsiders their legal status, heritagevalue and their contemporary benefits.It addresses the problems arising fromthe way that cemeteries are currentlymaintained by local authorities. Itincludes a useful bibliography andcontact list.

Published in 2007 by theCommission for Architecture and the Built Environment.

Graphic design: Duffy

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, copied or transmittedwithout the prior written consentof the publisher except that thematerial may be photocopied for non-commercial purposeswithout permission from thepublisher. This document isavailable in alternative formats on request from the publisher.

CABE is the government’sadvisor on architecture, urbandesign and public space. As apublic body, we encouragepolicymakers to create placesthat work for people. We helplocal planners apply nationaldesign policy and advisedevelopers and architects,persuading them to put people’sneeds first. We show publicsector clients how to commissionbuildings that meet the needs of their users. And we seek toinspire the public to demandmore from their buildings andspaces. Advising, influencing andinspiring, we work to create well-designed, welcoming places.CABE Space is a specialist unitwithin CABE that aims to bringexcellence to the design,management and maintenance of parks and public space in our towns and cities.

Cover image St John the Baptist,Aldbury, Herts © EnglishHeritage/National MonumentsRecord/James O. Davies