Smallcombe Cemetery

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Part of the cemetery grounds Smallcombe Cemetery - general view.jpg
Part of the cemetery grounds

Smallcombe Cemetery is on the edge of Bath, Somerset, England, in a valley between Widcombe Hill and Bathwick Hill. It has two distinct parts, the Anglican section known as St Mary's Churchyard and the nonconformist section known as Smallcombe Vale cemetery; they are sometimes known together as Smallcombe Garden cemetery. The two cemeteries have been closed to new burials since 1988 and are maintained by Bath and North East Somerset Council. [1] The Bath Corporation had assumed responsibility for both cemeteries in 1947.

Contents

St Mary the Virgin churchyard

Smallcombe Anglican Mortuary Chapel Smallcombe Cemetery - Mortuary Chapel.jpg
Smallcombe Anglican Mortuary Chapel

This churchyard is at the end of a private road leading from Horseshoe Lane, Bathwick. The Duke of Cleveland released the land at the southern end of Sydney Buildings for the St Mary the Virgin Churchyard which replaced the previous churchyard situated on the corner of Bathwick Street and Henrietta Road which had been closed in 1825. [2]

Thomas Fuller (1823–1898) was employed as the architect with George Mann as the builder of the Anglican Mortuary Chapel. It was Grade II listed 2008. [3] [4] The corner stone of the Chapel was laid on 9 May 1855 and the consecrated ground opened for burials in 1856. The consecration of the land by the Bishop of Bath and Wells took place on 15 Feb 1856 and this was reported in the Bath & Cheltenham Gazette of 20 February 1856. [5] In 1907 the original St Mary the Virgin Churchyard was extended by a further six sections.

The Mortuary Chapel was made redundant in 1992 and was sold by the Church authorities at auction in 2007 for £70,000. [6] [7] It has lain derelict since that time.

The churchyard contains four Commonwealth war graves of the First World War: [8]

Smallcombe Vale Cemetery

The nonconformist Smallcombe Vale Chapel, designed by Alfred S Goodridge Smallcombe Vale Chapel.jpg
The nonconformist Smallcombe Vale Chapel, designed by Alfred S Goodridge

The Smallcombe Vale cemetery opened in 1861 or 1862 and was administered by the Bathwick Burial Board. The nonconformist Smallcombe Vale Chapel was designed by Alfred S Goodridge, and was Grade II listed in 2011. [9] [10]

Notable burials and monuments

George Fosbery's grave Fosbery grave 2.jpg
George Fosbery's grave
Frederic Weatherly's grave Weatherly's grave, Smallcombe Cemetery, Bath.jpg
Frederic Weatherly's grave

Smallcombe Cemetery contains the graves of a number of notable people, including:

Other servicemen include Malby Edward Crofton, Captain and Adjutant, 2/4th Regiment who fought in the Zulu Wars.

The Hancock memorial which was erected around 1863, Rockshute Tomb of 1873, Pocock headstone from 1924 and an unknown memorial from around 1880 have been designated as listed buildings. [12] [13] [14] [15]

A full list of burials was prepared by Philip Bendall and is housed in the Bath Record Office. [16] The Sydney Buildings History Group with the Bathwick History Society have extracted names of residents of Sydney Buildings. [2] It has identified approximately 3,000 plots spread over 16 sections: A to K, with I not being allocated, in the St Mary the Virgin cemetery and 5 sections, V to Z, in Smallcombe Vale. Sections V, W and Z being the nonconformist plots in Smallcombe Vale, divided from the adjacent sections by a line of stones.

Maintenance and restoration

Bath and North East Somerset Council maintains the grounds. The maintenance regime is to cut the churchyard fortnightly (weather permitting). All pruning, hedge cutting, etc., is carried out as winter works after the grass cutting season has ended. The council's arboricultural office keeps the trees under a three-yearly review and all major tree works are carried out by the council's tree specialists. The Bereavement Services department carries out a five-year rolling programme of memorial testing to ensure that memorials are preserved as well as possible and are safe. Memorials in danger of collapse are laid down. [1]

The Friends of St Mary's Churchyards have been working with the city council to support efforts to maintain the grounds to maintain biodiversity and to improve the general environment. The Smallcombe Garden Cemetery Project was launched by the Friends to prepare a bid for Heritage Lottery Funds to assist with the cost of preservation of Smallcombe Cemetery and to establish a longer term public amenity role for the 'closed' cemetery, which is compatible with, and respects, its primary function of being a peaceful sanctuary for the deceased. The £75,000 project was completed in 2017 and included a new footpath which provides a link to National Trust land and the popular Bath Skyline trail. [17]

Flora and fauna

In common with many old cemeteries and graveyards, Smallcombe has a large community of flora and fauna within its environs. [18] The Bath Natural History Society conducted a survey in 2013 and identified a significant number of species. [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Fuller (architect)</span> Canadian architect (1823–1898)

Thomas Fuller was an English-born Canadian architect. From 1881 to 1896, he was Chief Dominion Architect for the Government of Canada, during which time he played a role in the design and construction of every major federal building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield General Cemetery</span> Cemetery in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

The General Cemetery in the City of Sheffield, England opened in 1836 and closed for burial in 1978. It was the principal cemetery in Victorian Sheffield with over 87,000 burials. Today it is a listed Landscape on the English Heritage National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. It is also a Local Nature Reserve. It is owned by the City of Sheffield and managed on behalf of the city by a local community group, the Sheffield General Cemetery Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bathwick</span> Electoral ward in Bath, England

Bathwick is an area and electoral ward in the city of Bath, in the Bath and North East Somerset district, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, on the opposite bank of the River Avon to the historic city centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashwick</span> Human settlement in England

Ashwick is a village in Somerset, England, about three miles north of Shepton Mallet and seven miles east from Wells. It has also been a civil parish since 1826. The parish had a population of 1,352 according to the 2011 census, and apart from Ashwick village also includes Gurney Slade and Oakhill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnos Vale Cemetery</span> Cemetery in Bristol, England

Arnos Vale Cemetery, in Arnos Vale, Bristol, England, was established in 1837. Its first burial was in 1839. The cemetery followed a joint-stock model, funded by shareholders. It was laid out as an Arcadian landscape with buildings by Charles Underwood. Most of its area is listed, Grade II*, on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England.

John Pinch was an architect working mainly in the city of Bath, England. He was surveyor to the Pulteney and Darlington estate and responsible for many of the later Georgian buildings in Bath, especially in Bathwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bathwick</span> Church in United Kingdom

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is located on Darlington Street in the Bathwick area of Bath, Somerset, England. The church is Anglican and located near Pinch's Sydney Place (1808) and Bath's famed Sydney Pleasure Gardens. The church was constructed by the Pulteney family, who used it to replace the medieval parish church of St Mary's, Bathwick, known even in Georgian times as Bathwick Old Church. The churchyard is now part of Smallcombe Cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton Old Cemetery</span>

The cemetery has had various titles including The Cemetery by the Common, Hill Lane Cemetery and is currently known as Southampton Old Cemetery. An Act of Parliament was required in 1843 to acquire the land from Southampton Common. It covers an area of 27 acres (11 ha) and the total number of burials is estimated at 116,800. Currently there are 6 to 8 burials a year to existing family plots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of London Cemetery and Crematorium</span> Cemetery and crematorium in the north east of London, England

The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium is a cemetery and crematorium in the east of London. It is owned and operated by the City of London Corporation. It is designated Grade I on the Historic England National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Andrew's Church, Backwell</span> Church in Somerset, England

St Andrew's Church is an Anglican church in Backwell, Somerset, England. The church building dates back to the 13thcentury, when the nave, aisles and the chancel were built. The church was subsequently altered and enlarged during the 14th to 17th centuries; the 31m-high west tower dates from the 15th century, and the rood screen is from the early 16th century. The church has been a Grade I listed building since 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St James, Ashwick</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St James in Ashwick, Somerset, England, is a church dating from 1881. It is a Grade I listed building, adjacent to Ashwick Court. It also houses a tower that dates back from 1450.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bath Abbey Cemetery</span> Cemetery in Bath and North East Somerset, UK

The Anglican Bath Abbey Cemetery, officially dedicated as the Cemetery of St Peter and St Paul, was laid out by noted cemetery designer and landscape architect John Claudius Loudon (1783–1843) between 1843 and 1844 on a picturesque hillside site overlooking Bath, Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Akenham</span> Church in Suffolk, England

St Mary's Church is a historic Anglican church in the village of Akenham, Suffolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of The Churches Conservation Trust. It stands in an isolated position in fields 3 miles (5 km) north of Ipswich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cemeteries and crematoria in Brighton and Hove</span>

The English coastal city of Brighton and Hove, made up of the formerly separate Boroughs of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, has a wide range of cemeteries throughout its urban area. Many were established in the mid-19th century, a time in which the Victorian "cult of death" encouraged extravagant, expensive memorials set in carefully cultivated landscapes which were even recommended as tourist attractions. Some of the largest, such as the Extra Mural Cemetery and the Brighton and Preston Cemetery, were set in particularly impressive natural landscapes. Brighton and Hove City Council, the local authority responsible for public services in the city, manages seven cemeteries, one of which also has the city's main crematorium. An eighth cemetery and a second crematorium are owned by a private company. Many cemeteries are full and no longer accept new burials. The council maintains administrative offices and a mortuary at the Woodvale Cemetery, and employs a coroner and support staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church, Mortlake</span> Church in Mortlake, London

St Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church, Mortlake, is a Roman Catholic church in North Worple Way, Mortlake, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The church is dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene. It is located just south of Mortlake High Street and the Anglican St Mary the Virgin Church. St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School is just north of the churchyard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Nicholas, Bathampton</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Nicholas is an Anglican parish church in Bathampton, Somerset, standing between the River Avon and the Kennet and Avon Canal. Built in the 13th century, with a 15th-century tower and 18th and 19th century restorations, it has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. The church is particularly noted for its Australia Chapel, which commemorates Admiral Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, who was buried there in 1814, while the churchyard contains several other significant tombs.

Francis Kilvert (1793–1863) was an English cleric, schoolmaster, antiquary, and literary editor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Mary Magdalene, Sparkford</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Anglican Church of St Mary Magdalene in Sparkford, Somerset, England was built in the 14th century. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Townsend Cemetery, Crewkerne</span> Cemetery in Somerset County, England

Townsend Cemetery is a cemetery in Crewkerne, Somerset, England. It is owned by Crewkerne Town Council, and jointly run by the Town Council and West Crewkerne Parish Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glastonbury Cemetery</span> Cemetery in Somerset County, England

Glastonbury Cemetery is a cemetery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. It was established in 1854–55 and is maintained by Glastonbury Town Council.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bathwick St Marys". Bath and North East Somerset. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 "The Smallcombe Cemetery Inscriptions". Sydney Buildings History Group. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  3. Historic England. "Anglican Cemetery Chapel, St May's Churchyard, Bathwick Cemetery Road (1392521)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  4. "Anglican Cemetery Chapel, St Mary's Churchyard, Bath". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  5. "Smallcombe Cemeteries" (PDF). Widcombe & Lyncombe Local History Society. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  6. "Issue No. 102. September 19, 2007". Built Heritage News. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  7. "The Smallcombe Cemetery Inscriptions". Sydney Buildings History. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  8. 1 2 "CWGC Cemetery report, Smallcombe (St Mary The Virgin) Churchyard, with casualty details". Commonwealth Graves Commission. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  9. "Non-Conformist Chapel in Smallcombe Cemetery (Formerly Bathwick Cemetery), Bath". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  10. Historic England. "Non-Conformist Chapel in Smallcombe Cemetery (formerly Bathwick Cemetery) (1406352)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  11. "Newsletter 51" (PDF). History of Bath Research Group. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  12. Historic England. "Hancock Memorial in Smallcombe Cemetery (1395882)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  13. Historic England. "Rockshute tomb in Smallcombe Cemetery (1395886)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  14. Historic England. "Pocock headstone in Smallcombe Cemetery (1395884)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  15. Historic England. "Unknown memorial in Smallcombe Cemetery (1406352)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  16. "Monumental Inscription Information in the Bath Record Office" (PDF). Bath Archives. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  17. "Smallcombe Garden Cemetery". Friends of St Mary's Churchyards. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  18. "Churchyard Lichens". British Lichen Society. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  19. "Trip report, 07/12/2013 Winter biodiversity in Smallcombe Cemetery". Bath Natural History Society. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  20. "Smallcombe Cemetery Species List". Bath Natural History Society. Retrieved 5 September 2014.

51°22′33″N2°20′35″W / 51.3758°N 2.3431°W / 51.3758; -2.3431