Abbey Cemetery
The Abbey Cemetery was opened in 1844 designed by the eminent landscape
architect John Claudius Loudon, the "Brunel" of cemetery
design. He wished to dispose of the dead in a hygienic manner and
also to improve the morals and taste of the great masses of society,
by its botanical riches. He said that the Cemetery should be conspicuous
from a distance, be an ornament to the surrounding countryside and
an impressive memento to our mortality. Sadly it seems a memento
to its own mortality!
Many of the monuments are unsafe. Thick strands of ivy are prising stones apart. The Abbey Cemetery was closed in 1996 and the huge job of mowing the pathways, cutting back the rampant vegetation and caring for the walls and trees was handed over to Bath City Council.The effects of over a century of weather have made many inscriptions difficult to read. Yet these stones tell a wonderful story.
The Widcombe Association has produced a new Tombstone Trail leaflet, priced £1.00, which is for sale at Prior Park Garden Centre, Prior Park Landscape Garden Bookshop and the Abbey Bookshop. It is also available from Rosemary Emsley for £1.00 plus 50p postage, cheques made payable to Widcombe Association.
The Cemetery has become a haven for wildlife. Lichens flourish alongside rare brambles. There is a wonderful display of snowdrops and primroses in the spring. Birds, moths and butterflies are easy to spot in the summer. There are glorious views in all seasons.
For more pictures click here
The Cemetery is a place of many facets but it is in sore need of
care and attention. The Widcombe Association together with the Abbey
and B&NES have been working together to amend this situation.
For some time now we have been recording the inscriptions on the memorials and tombstones in the cemetery. The first working party of 2008 comprised some 22 enthusiastic volunteers, and a great deal was achieved on a very pleasant early spring afternoon. Further working parties have made great strides and now under the leadership of Brenda Beaton some 2000 graves have now been cleaned and their inscriptions copied, recording approximately 5,000 names and 4,000 who lie at rest in Abbey Cemetery. The final clearing session was on July 5th 2008 when we celebrated our efforts with some gentle clearing of ivy regrowth to the accompaniment of the Widcombe Wobblers, and a tour of some of the more notable monuments with some amazing facts from Phil Bendall.
For an interim report on progress by our statistician Dr Phil Bendall, click here. Amongst other items of interest, you might wish to see if your family name has been noted in the records.