Northampton cemetery faces uncertain future but community support now likely say campaigners

The future looks bleak for a historic Northampton cemetery - unless local communities step in. That is the prediction from concerned members of the Northamptonshire Gardens Trust who warn that the landmark 176-year-old Northampton General Cemetery in Billing Road, which has long been closed for burials, will continue to deteriorate further unless positive action is taken.

“The grass is regularly mown, but the once impressive main entrance is now in a sorry state and self-set saplings are damaging many of the remaining graves.” said a worried Elaine Johnson, chair of the Northamptonshire Gardens Trust. “And most passers-by are not aware of the history or significance of the cemetery.”

But now, the Trust, which cherishes our parks, gardens and designed landscapes and “helps preserve the past for the future,” has won a grant, which members hope will be a key catalyst for change, ultimately helping to preserve and publicise the heritage and sustainability of the cemetery.

“We have been awarded the country’s first Gardens Trust Community Grant which is aimed at supporting historic designed landscapes and which we hope, will enable us to enhance the cemetery and prevent it going into further decline,” Elaine said.

“We will now be able to form an active and enthusiastic Friends of Billing Road Cemetery group that will bring people together from local communities and beyond, to support and promote the cemetery. There are similar cemetery groups around the country.”

“The cemetery really is a hidden gem when you think about it…it’s the town’s best kept secret - and it has lots of possibilities.”

The cemetery, formerly known as the Northampton General Cemetery which opened in 1847, is one of the most significant heritage assets within the Billing Road Conservation Area.

It was laid out to a design by Robert Marnock (1800-1889), a renowned horticulturalist and garden designer.

Designed in a style known as a garden cemetery, it was the town’s first secular burial site with the £5,000 cost being financed by shareholders.

In 1941, an enemy bomb landed on the cemetery, creating a deep crater and considerable damage.

Surrounded by streets of terraced houses, the cemetery’s fortunes changed after the Second World War when cremations started to become popular.

The Northampton General Cemetery Company was wound up in 1959 and the cemetery passed to Northampton Borough Council. A chapel and lodges, and most of the monuments have since disappeared, and many of the remaining monuments are said to be in a perilous state.

However, the cemetery contains an single impressive Grade II Listed monument, a sculpture of a riderless horse on a plinth, dedicated to the famous circus owner Robert Fossett (1859-1915) and his family.

Another notable monument is dedicated to Caroline Chisholm (1808-1877) and her husband Archibald. Caroline became famous for working to improve the education and living conditions of women in India, and also for thousands of emigrants in Australia, where her work is recognised as being culturally significant.

A memorial for 149 war dead from both World Wars is tended by The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The site is now owned and managed by West Northampton Council (WNC) and the new Friends of Billing Road Cemetery group will work closely in partnership with both WNC and the Northampton Town Council.

The Wildlife Trust (for Beds, Cambs & Northants), comments that it is excited to be working with Northamptonshire Gardens Trust and Billing Road Cemetery as part of the Wildlife Trust’s Churchyard Conservation Award Scheme. Lisa Rowley, Projects and Conservation Officer says “We very much look forward to seeing how we can work with the Friends Group to help improve the habitat and encourage wildlife in this lovely green oasis within Northampton.”

Elaine says that despite its current condition, the cemetery is an important public green space much favoured by dog walkers. “It is a beautiful, tranquil space that lends itself to being a community hub, benefiting both local people and those from further afield,” she added.

Now members of the Northamptonshire Gardens Trust responsible for the project are preparing leaflets calling for help to form a Friends of Billing Road Cemetery group and will walk the streets placing them in letterboxes.

A public meeting to explain the idea is planned for 7pm on Tuesday 18th April 2023 at Abington Park Museum in Park Avenue South, Northampton NN1 5LW

To find out more, or to offer your help, Elaine can be contacted via email at [email protected]

www.northamptonshiregardenstrust.org

www.wildlifebcn.org/about-us/advice-landowners/wild-churchyards