Abbey Cemetery
The Abbey Cemetery is one of Widcombe's often overlooked jewels. It was opened in 1844 having been designed 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. It well repays a visit. Leave Widcombe Parade at its eastern end, turning right into Prior Park Rd. After a five-minute walk past the garden centre (perhaps pausing there to buy a leaflet) you will find it on the right-hand side, just after the turn into Perrymead.
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. Under the leadership of Brenda Beeton some 2000 graves have 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 all concerned celebrated their efforts with some gentle clearing of ivy regrowth to the accompaniment of the folk band The Widcombe Wobblers, and a tour of some of the more notable monuments with some amazing facts from Phil Bendall. A presentation was made to Brenda Beeton by Richard Wales, the WA Chairman, who thanked her for her outstanding work in organizing the clearing and cleaning of graves and the recording of inscriptions. The WA would also like to record its appreciation to all those who helped in this valuable work, and particularly archivist Phil Bendall, whose unstinting efforts have produced an invaluable record.
Data from the memorial inscriptions have now been collated in limited-edition bound volumes. The information, complete with index, is also available on an attractive CD-ROM which can be obtained by Emailing the WA secretary. The pages from the volumes can be viewed as PDF files in Adobe Acrobat. The cost of the CD-ROM is £10 (plus £1.50 P & P). For more information, click here.
For a report on progress by our researcher Dr Phil Bendall, click here. Amongst other items of interest, you will find fascinating statistics of those interred. You might wish to see if your family name has been noted in the records. For general advice from Phil Bendall about researching family history, click here.
The Council strims the site once a year (last occasion Dec 2008) and it looks very attractive after its annual tidy. Because of its general condition, however, the Widcombe Association is looking to find ways to see that it does not suffer further neglect, and that its value as a amenity to be enjoyed by the public is exploited.
Please ring David Waterstone on (01225) 427346 if you need more information.