Please help
The whole of the physical fabric of the Burial Ground is grade 2 listed. Our conservation approach is to preserve the Burial Ground’s history, atmosphere and physical character. In practical terms this means maximum retention of the historic fabric with minimal intervention, involving repair and restoration where necessary rather than replacement. The approach is not to change the site but to restore where necessary so that the heritage is preserved for future generations. Over the last four years we have carried out and extensive programme of conservation and repair funded by grants and donations. There is more to do as well as ongoing annual maintenance. Please consider making annual donation to support this work.
Restoration
For about 20 years the Friends have been working to maintain the burial ground and restore the gravestones, the cottage and the entrance area. Here is an overview of what we have been able to achieve recently.
Please click on the arrows or on the dots below the captions to advance the slideshows.
From the past
1935 is the earliest photograph we have, taken by the Bath Chronicle
1960s - the ground is very overgrown with saplings and ivy
1960s - gravestones overgrown by vegetation
1970s - some saplings gone but the willow is thriving
1980s
2019 - clearing begun and willow cut back
Here are some archive images of the burial ground in previous decades.
The cottage
Early 2000s, there is only a temporary cover on the roof
2006 - no window
2009 - reinstating the roman tile roof
2009 - reinstating the roman tile roof
2009 new sash window
2020 there is no ceiling and the walls need re-pointing
2021 preparing the rafters for new lime plaster
2020 lime plaster for two of the walls
2019 the floor is crumbling slabs and mud
2021 old flooring removed
2021 new plastered ceiling, new traditional door
2021 new display lighting
2021 new floor slabs in blue lias stone
Until 1929 the cottage was about twice as large as it now appears. It has been home to many generations of tenants who were caretakers for the ground. Both exterior and interior have needed extensive conservation.
Walls and paths
2020 and the wall facing Bradford Rd is decayed and crumbling
2020 and the wall facing Bradford Rd is decaysed and crumbling
2021 a skilled team of masons mending the wall
2021 new lime mortar is now in place
2019 the entrance is rock-strewn and hard to use
2020 new slabs make the entrance more accessible
2021 restoring the step into the cottage
2021 completed entrance with temporary handrail
2021 re-roofing the area behind the cottage that used to be a privvy
2021 the area will be used to house gardening tools
2021 removing a bank of builders' rubble at the back end of the burial ground
2021 the rubble removed
The entrance way has been repaired and thanks to a grant from BaNES Community Infrastructure Levy we were able to make a start on the extensive work needed to repair the external walls. We have also created a store area at the back of the cottage (that once used to be an outside toilet). In 2023 we commissioned the repair of the interior walls for which we are responsible.
Headstones
There are about 40 headstones, several are snapped with only stumps remaining and many are partially or wholly delaminated. All are at risk of further erosion.
2005 the two table tombs, Joseph and Catherine Sigmond, were in danger of collapse. Catherine's (nearest) was restored in 2005 but it was not until 2020 that we could restore Joseph's.
2021 with aid of a gantry, Joseph Sigmond's tomb is dismantled and rebuilt
2021 the ledger stone is placed back on the restored table tomb
2021 specialist repairs to minimise water penetration into the stone strata
Many of the headstones have suffered from erosion by weather and have delaminated, meaning that the inscriptions have become detached from the stones. Some of the larger ones were seriously decayed. To try to mitigate further damage we have to restore them using specialist methods, but repairs will inevitably be ongoing if the headstones are not to be lost entirely.