Part I

'At this peaceful site, amid trees and flowers, Sorrows and laments come to cry their tears;
Here they can find a sympathetic shade; Death hides from their eyes its hideous scythe,
As it spreads its subjects throughout a vast garden; For the home of the dead has become the new Eden.'
(Written in French on a terrace wall, Pere La Chaise, Paris 1813)

'The crowded state of the public cemeteries, in the large and populous town of Newcastle upon Tyne,
has for many years been not only revolting to those feelings which man,
whether civilised or uncivilised,
cherishes for the dead but a source of general complaint
with those who have been called to pay the last sad office of friendship to the departed.'
(Outline of a Plan for a New Burial Ground, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1825)

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The two introductory quotes evoke the sentiments that created the move for British cemeteries in the early nineteenth century. The horrific conditions in urban churchyards constituted 'an offence to decency' (John Fenwick, Speech entitled 'A New Place of Sepulture', 1826, City Records) in terms of respect for the dead as well as in a danger to public health. Whilst these conditions prevailed in England, Paris was building picturesque garden cemeteries in which the tomb became an attractive part of landscape and individual grave ownership was promoted.

The nineteenth century corresponded with dramatic changes in British society. The Industrial Revolution involved a huge shift in the population from the country into the cities, leading to overcrowding, poor living conditions and a population explosion. These changing times created new public urban buildings such as town halls, offices, hospitals, schools, libraries, museums, and other facilities such as factories, waterworks, the railways, mass housing and finally cemeteries.

Newcastle upon Tyne was one of the areas involved in urban growth and transformation and one of the first in the country to build new cemeteries unattached to the traditional parish churches. Cemetery designs in the city reflect the changes in society ideals, advances in technology and mass production as well as the progression of styles from the end of the eighteenth century through to the early twentieth.

Cemeteries in England were rare until the nineteenth century, as the majority of the population had for hundreds of years been buried inside or immediately adjacent to the local parish church. As the eighteenth century drew to a close urban churchyards were becoming increasingly overcrowded to the dismay of local populations. Unfortunately the Church of England was reluctant to confront the problems as it received income from increasing numbers of burial fees.

The cause for new burial grounds became the domain of the new Protestant religions that were reluctant to bury their dead in the rituals and grounds of the Church of England. In the Northeast region dissenting Protestant groups were popular particularly Methodists but also Presbyterians, Baptists Quakers and Unitarians. In contrast to the unpleasant and overcrowded churchyards the notion of a private burial ground within pleasant landscaped surroundings (especially in grounds unattached to the Church of England) appeared very attractive to these predominantly middle class expanding groups of society.

The new wealthy middle class were interested in emulating the high class landowners of the previous centuries and the prominent eighteenth century gardens in the picturesque landscaped style were greatly admired. Tombs and mausoleums became features in some of these gardens for example the Mausoleum at Castle Howard and the temples at Stowe. Whilst the colonies of British India created cemeteries from the 1760s it was the Parisian approach to dealing with the nineteenth century burial problems which inspired not only the British but large parts of Europe.

These new cemeteries which had no precedents in recent history developed a language from the ancient Greek and Roman cemeteries and adopted the informal and naturalistic landscapes of the previous century's ornamental gardens. India produced the earliest European cemeteries to be unattached to the church, large, remote from the living; spacious, well laid out with formal tree lined avenues and containing ornamented permanent mausolea and tombs.

In Paris reforms led to the building of three cemeteries located outside Paris. Designed by Alexandre Theodore Bronigart in the early 1800s Pere La Chaise became the largest and most celebrated. The planning included formal avenues and informal winding paths lined with trees. Trees and shrubs were planted in naturalistic groups with the intent of allying death to the natural processes of decay growth and renewal. The picturesque terrain was exploited to display tombs in the new age of sentimentalism for those buried in the cemetery.

The main avenue was planted with lime trees, the transverse route lined with chestnut trees and the perimeter carriage path was planted with poplars. The inclusion of these trees was probably due to their dark thick foliage thought suitable for the sombre atmosphere of a funerary garden. The designs also included vertical features such as monuments and mausolea occasionally located in 'rond- point' or clearing of the trees at an important intersection. Roman influences can be seen in the mausolea along the routes of Pere La Chaise (go to images 1 & 2).

There shortly followed a campaign for cemeteries in England in the style of Pere-La Chaise. The new French cemeteries were regarded as places of recreational value for the local population and pleasant and delightful spots where architecture, sculpture and landscape could be studied. From 1821 non-denominational cemeteries were built in Britain early examples were created in Norwich and Liverpool. In Newcastle there was already an independent burial ground which had probably been in use since the 1500s.

The Ballast Hills Burial Ground was popular amongst the Protestant Dissenters and when it fell into disrepair and became overcrowded during the 1780s it regularly received improvements paid for by the local population as well as attention in the local press. (Newcastle Courant, 1825, 12 March and 26 April) During the 1820s a committee desiring the improvement of Ballast Hills Burial Ground received permission to extend and improve it's provision. (go to images 3 & 4) Engravings of the extension plan and new lodge buildings illustrate what was to be achieved.(available in Newcastle City Library local studies library and the Tyne and Wear Archives) The extension of 23yards was much less than the 80yards originally requested and the group planned a new and grander place of burial to be located to the west of the city.

On the 14th June 1825 a speech was made by John Fenwick to a group of people described as 'The Various Denominations of Protestant Dissenters' entitled 'A new place of Sepulture'. (John Fenwick, Speech entitled 'A New Place of Sepulture', 1826, City Records) This speech mentioned the extreme overcrowding problems in local churchyards and distress caused by the necessary uncovering of previously interred bodies in order that new burials may take place. Those proposing the new burial ground calculated that there was less than two acres of land available in any of the city's churchyards. It was clearly stated that the new ground was not to be consecrated by the Church of England and that it would be available for other forms of religious burial namely the various Protestant dissenters.

The appendix to the John Fenwick speech included descriptions of the landscape design of other burial grounds of the city at this time. These include a gravel walk and trees and shrubs planted in the consecrated grounds of the Infirmary. The Quaker burial ground was completely level with no indication of interment at all apart from indexes on the wall allowing the sexton to determine grave positions. The appendix also included studies of other great European cemeteries (notably Pere La Chaise) which might influence the design of a new place of burial to be built in Newcastle.


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The landscaping of the early nineteenth century cemeteries was informal in style similar to the former landscaped parks and picturesque gardens of England. These cemeteries generally provided burial in attractive grounds for those with enough money to travel out of town. The British cemeteries differed from those of the French in that they were mainly provided for the developing middle class wealthy as a way of providing a grave plot for each person or family on which they might erect their own carved memorial or mausoleum. (The English higher classes and important national figures were still buried in private family chapels or even Westminister Abbey)

Many cemeteries of this period were established as Joint Stock enterprises, that is, the cemetery was paid for and owned by shareholders that received dividends from burial fees. Of the cemeteries established in Newcastle in the nineteenth century two began as joint stock enterprises Westgate Hill and Newcastle General. As enterprises the designs of these cemeteries functioned as an advertisement to those who might purchase a plot within them. As such the designs provided attractive and varied settings for monuments and memorials.

The Westgate Hill Cemetery Company was established in 1825 in order to raise £3500 in shares to build a cemetery open 'to the whole human family without difference and distinction'. ('A Fine and Private Place', 2000, Alan Morgan, p7) The cemetery itself (also known as Arthur's hill) was built in 1829 and consisted of three acres of unconsecrated ground situated opposite the earlier graveyard of St. Paul's Chapel. There appears to be no remaining illustrations and very limited information on the original cemetery design by John and Benjamin Green but several descriptions of what was intended exist in records of the dissenting groups and shareholders interested in the company.

The design of the cemetery was described 'as being similar to that of Pere La Chaise in 1855'. (A Guide to the Historic Parks and Gardens of Tyne and Wear, Fiona Green, 1995, p27) The original cemetery plan stated that 'it is intended to lay out this ground in an ornamental manner after the model of the celebrated Cimetiere Pere la Chaise'. (Outline of a Plan for a New Burial Ground, Westgate Hill General Cemetery Company, 13thSept.1825) This was a likely comparison as Pere La Chaise was not only the leading example of cemetery design at this time it was also mentioned in some length in the appendix of Mr. John Fenwick's speech and therefore would have been a primary influence on the Westgate Hill cemetery developers.

The main entrance is situated at the centre of the northern wall with a secondary entrance up a flight of steps at the South- Eastern corner. The positioning of the main entrance was perhaps reminiscent of the classical language fashionable in cemeteries at this time. The cemetery was planned in an ornamental style with deciduous planting and curved pathways. A wide drive roughly followed the perimeter of the triangular shaped site. Another drive also crossed the site towards the Southeast corner. The ground level was raised above that of the surrounding streets, presumably added to create more burial depth, a practice common in churchyards.

Undulating ground levels indicate that not only was extra earth brought in to increase burial space but that this earth was landscaped for dramatic effect. Raised sections of ground are gently undulated to give naturalistic hill effects to the west and east of the main curving path between the two entrances. The ground also rises uphill to the south from the main entrance. The trees remaining are not all the original planting however older specimens seem to indicate the planting co-ordinated with ground level variations.
Influences in the planting design may have come from the Low Hill cemetery in Liverpool mentioned in the outline ground plan. The committee was to 'have power to plant boundaries of ground and any other parts not occupied' the first mention of planting or even aesthetic in relation to the city's burial grounds. The public health aspect being foremost in the campaigners minds the drainage of the ground was emphasised and the 'ground laid out in such a manner as scientific persons shall recommend'. (Outline of a Plan for a New Burial Ground, Westgate Hill General Cemetery Company, 13th Sept.1825)

There is a number of weeping elms in the western section, which were planted for their symbolism of mourning. The only evergreen planting occurs along the rear boundary; there is also one holly present as well as heavily overgrown ivy and two common lime trees. At the Northeastern corner three laurel shrubs are arranged to highlight the grave of 'Elizabeth' which would have been visible from the original perimeter pathway. Directly opposite the main entrance ash trees are planted at a higher ground level sheltering a number of family vaults.

There is evidence of a circular mound feature on the Ordnance Survey map of 1879 surrounded by the original carriageway and beside the main entrance. This may have contained planting as there is an indication of this on early maps and today there are two trees (not original) remaining in this position. (go to image 5) This is an interesting feature as it is echoed in the design of almost all cemeteries designed in the city. This feature may stem from the 'rond points' of early Pere la Chaise. Interestingly a similar feature appears on an 1855 map of the Ballast Hills burial ground that was not part of the original extension design. In which case the circular drive containing planting at Westgate Hill Cemetery may have inspired such an addition not only in future designs but also in the existing burial ground.

One fourth of the land at Westgate Hill was intended for sale as private family burial places and the rest left for general interment. There was one general mortuary chapel and lodge within the same building. Only the foundations remain visible but the design was likely to have been classical in a style comparable to the proposed buildings for the Ballast hills site and in the spirit of nonconformist building. The boundary of the ground was 'walled in part' in brick or stone (the stone part still visible) and 'the remainder pallisaded'. (Outline of a Plan for a New Burial Ground, Westgate Hill General Cemetery Company, 14thJune 1829) The tall curved iron railings were designed to deter grave robbing a common crime until 1832. (go to image 6)

The new cemeteries were popular as business opportunities and shortly after the building of Westgate Hill the Newcastle General Cemetery Company was created citing Westgate Hill as a financial success. Presumably the small area on the Westgate Hill was not sufficient for the city and perhaps the eastern citizens of Newcastle required a more local burial site. The Newcastle General (also known as Jesmond Old) established during 1834-6 was the second of the nineteenth century cemeteries to be built in the city.

Cemetery landscapes during the 1830s included trees such as Willows, Yews, Cypresses and Hollies. Weeping trees were common due to their obvious connections with mourning. Weeping willows were initially popular and yet were gradually phased out due to their associations with water and bad drainage not desirable in a cemetery. The cemetery architecture built in England during the 1830s was almost entirely Greek in derivation with influences from Roman and Egyptian motifs.

The stark contrast between the picturesque planting and the terrible conditions in the parish churchyards meant that cemeteries became a desirable option for members of the Church of England and consecrated areas appeared. Cemetery styles during these early years had become representative of nonconformist ideals. Religion was a very important division in society of the era. The nonconformists adopted a neo-classical style of architecture as opposed to the gothic adopted by the Church of England.

The Newcastle General Cemetery Company was formed in January 1834 and a prospectus was issued for shareholders. This included the company's intent to form an extensive cemetery on a site in Jesmond. The cemetery was to be divided into a consecrated portion and an unconsecrated portion. Also included in the prospectus was an engraving by John Dobson of the scheme as imagined would be built. (available in the Tyne and Wear Archives) The early version of Dobson's design shows a more formal plan with a straight promenade forming the main north south carriageway and the main buildings placed centrally and at the Southeastern corner. The promenade from the main buildings was to be lined with monuments, culminating at large obelisk. Curved paths and naturalistic planting would provide a number of different areas and there was a large hill engraved in the southeastern section.

A circular drive was included at a smaller entrance central to the northern wall as in the existing Westgate Hill Cemetery. There was no particular feature included at the centre of this circular drive however it looks as if there was a suggestion of a central circle although the intended use unclear. There was originally a wide raised gravel walk along the northern edge of the cemetery and smaller curved paths crossed it at various points. This walk is the only main feature to survive from the earlier design.

This grander plan may have been designed to include the entire plot of fifteen acres originally purchased by the General Cemetery Company. Possibly related to the proposal for a new carriageway along the line of Dobson's original main axis the land to the west of this line was not included in the final design. This extra section of land was never used for burial as this was made clear when it was sold off piecemeal from 1880 to the 1930s. However the area was landscaped although it is not clear by whom and although it appears on an Ordnance survey map (c1890) as Portland Park it is included on the drainage plan of 1866 as a 'cemetery garden'. (Outline of a Plan for a New Burial Ground, Westgate Hill General Cemetery Company, 14th June 1829 ) It is therefore unclear what the use of this area of land was or indeed it's relationship to the landscape of the adjacent cemetery. The plot of ten acres to the East was developed by Dobson to create a final design for burial.

Dr Maltby the Bishop of Durham opened the General Cemetery on November 11th 1836 at a ceremony that was well attended despite the bad weather. The cemetery designer John Dobson was a well-known local architect. Dobson was commissioned by the General Cemetery Company to design the entire cemetery planting, layout and buildings. Dobson was assisted by a sexton gardener, hired during 1856, in the laying of the serpentine paths and the tree and shrub planting.

At the time of opening the General Cemetery was surrounded by cornfields and meadows on a site which adjoined Benton Lane and a proposed road to the east of Carlton Terrace. The main entrance was relocated to this new road with entry provided between two chapels. Another entrance was provided from Benton lane with an adjoining lodge. Dobson also designed the new road onto which the main entrance of the cemetery faces. This road originally named Cemetery Road (currently Jesmond Road) also houses All Saints Cemetery built 1853. The Corporation of Newcastle upon Tyne formed the road around 1840.

Construction of the cemetery began in 1835 as the land was first drained and then the boundary walls erected. The boarder is clearly marked by a two and a half metre high stone rubble boundary wall that screens both the cemetery and the rest of the city from each other. The significance of this solid wall may be that it was built to deter grave robbers although it was constructed after they were put out of business by the 1832 Anatomy act. (A Fine and Private Place, Alan Morgan, 2000, p9) A sketch from 1843 suggests that this wall may not have been the first wall erected and this would explain the strip of land outside the wall that currently contains planting.

The cemetery is triangular in plan and divided along a central carriageway. The design included two informal areas of open space. The western part of the ground was consecrated on the 11th November 1836 by the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Durham and the eastern part left unconsecrated. A description of the consecration in announces that ' the grounds are being laid out in walks and plots and will in a short time be ornamented with numerous evergreen shrubs and trees.' (Newcastle Courant, November 16th, 1836)

The main carriage way through the cemetery curves between the two gates. On either side of the main carriageway is a small hillock containing a series of vaults. Ground levels across the site vary slightly supported by small stone walls. (go to images 8 & 9) The ground rises with progression alongside the main carriageway and stone steps are provided up to the level of the vaults. Paths are informally arranged and are generally at a lower level than the ground used for burial. A circular feature beside the northern walk was indicated on a map from the 1850s but is no longer in existence.

The planting was informal and included many trees such as holly, common yew, common lime, common ash, beech, and elder. There are a few examples of white willow, silver birch and cherry. Both the planting and shaping of ground levels provide a variety of secluded spaces within the cemetery for groups of monuments. However this may have occurred with maturity as a nineteenth century critic describes the cemetery as containing 'two open spaces'. (Architectural and Picturesque Views in Newcastle upon Tyne, M. Ross, 1841) Certainly the 1850s Ordnance Survey map shows an unusually large collection of trees seemly naturalistically planted in comparison with later cemeteries in the area in which trees are planted in formal rows.

Trees are arranged informally throughout the site. One common device is the pairing of trees on either side of paths orientated North-South. There is a pair of variegated holly trees at the main entrance and a pair of common lime trees at the Sandyford Road entrance. Two pairs of yew trees mark a path on the eastern side of the cemetery. Alternating tree species is another device used, now in evidence along the northern walk and around the eastern vault. Weeping elms, also common in Westgate Hill cemetery, are planted at the turning points of several winding pathways in the western section.

The main entrance to the cemetery is situated in centrally on the northern wall as at the Westgate Hill Cemetery. The fashionable style of that time was Greek revival and the buildings are of Greek design and geometric in form. (go to images 10 & 11) The semicircular arch is Roman in origin. The entrance consists of a large semi-circular arch flanked by two square towers containing small staircases. The main structure contained two storeys of accommodation and a single storey extension included a living room and kitchen-bathroom for the lodge keeper.

The main carriageway runs underneath this arch and passes between the two mortuary chapels attached to the towers. The Church of England chapel was to the west on consecrated ground and the Dissenters chapel to the east. These chapels are ornamented with four pilasters of the Tuscan order topped with a low pediment and rusticated sidewalls. Each chapel contained seating for almost sixty people.

Beneath these chapels are catacombs, twenty-two shelved enclosures, linked by an underground passage. Entrances to these are provided at the side of each chapel. There are ten catacombs beneath the Church of England chapel and twelve under the Dissenters chapel. The expense of building these at the time was £700 a sum worth commenting on in the 1841 description. These were not popular and the space below each chapel came to be used for the hygienic storage of coffins before they were required for burial.

The vaults were situated at angles to the main carriageway and create an interesting distinction between different areas of the cemetery. These brick structures were covered in earth to appear as a natural hill and planted so they are now barely visible. A study of remaining planting around the Western vault indicates there was a flowerbed around the stone monuments. Hollies and yew trees are planted around the sides. The trees around the vaults separate the main carriageway from the more open sections of ground.

High stone walls and iron gates at each entrance achieve security in the cemetery. The main carriageway leads south across the cemetery to the smaller pedestrian entrance on Sandyford Road. This entrance consists of two masonry piers topped with sarcophagi. (go to image 13) There was also a small neo-classical lodge built next to this entrance to accommodate an assistant gravedigger. There is a large maintenance drain cover situated to the east of this lodge. An 1866 diagram (Plan Showing Drainage of Jesmond Cemeteries, June 13th 1866, Tyne and Wear Archives) indicates the main drain ran Southwest across the site passing beneath the two vaults.

The architecture of the cemetery was admired by John Claudius Loudon in his book 'On the Laying Out, Planting and Managing of Cemeteries'. The main entrance was included in the supplementary engravings and Loudon wrote ' We consider it as peculiarly appropriate for a cemetery, on account of its church like towers: one of which is used as a belfry, and the other contains a clock.' (John Claudius Loudon, On the Laying Out , Planting and Managing of Cemeteries, 1843, p115) Dobson's daughter said of the design, 'the cemetery is ornamentally laid out, and yet there is no mistaking it for a mere garden'. (John Dobson, Architect and Landscape Designer, Lyall Wilkes, 1980, p66)

Inside the cemetery there are various outstanding monuments including obelisks, urns and Celtic crosses largely belonging to leading commercial and industrial figures from the early Victorian city. The largest monument, designed by Dobson himself, is that of Archibald Reed (died 1843) consisting of a large gothic pinnacle on a square base. (go to image 14) An engraving by William Collard shows early classical style monuments placed in key positions beneath planting along the main carriageway. Leading figures might purchase graves in important locations for example intersections or along main routes. The engraving demonstrates the style of displaying the tombs against landscaped surroundings and naturalistic planting.

A description from 1841 of the cemetery mentions that 'many of the graves are ornamented with flowers intended as tributes of respect to the memory of the departed.' (M. Ross, Architectural and Picturesque Views in Newcastle upon Tyne, 1841) This practice of planting flowers on graves was common in the early cemeteries particularly for those who could not afford stone memorials. The practice declined in the following decades under the influence of John Claudius Loudon editor of the Gardener's Magazine, he believed that any sign of ground disturbance, even flowerbeds, was not desirable.

Loudon advocated the adoption of a style of landscape design to reflect the unique character of the cemetery. He believed that the picturesque arrangements and bright colourful flowerbeds, which had characterised the early designs, should be avoided so that a cemetery could be distinguished from a 'Pleasure ground' or garden. Under Loudon's influence the move towards cemeteries took up the ideas of moral uplift, education, improvement of taste and decorous recreation and soon became burial grounds for all not just the dissenting few.


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As the nineteenth century progressed the expanding urban populations during the industrial revolution made the severe overcrowding in the churchyards worse. Sir Edwin Chadwick highlighted this in a supplementary report to that on the sanitary conditions of the labouring population. ('On the Results of an Inquiry into the Practice of Interment in Towns', Edwin Chadwick, 1843) In comparison to these terrible conditions the new pleasantly landscaped cemeteries appeared increasingly attractive. (During a meeting of Newcastle City Council in March 1855 to approve cemetery plans the view was put forward that rather than depreciating the value of property in the area an ornamental cemetery may be seen as an attraction)

The design of cemeteries was increasingly influenced by the opinions Loudon who published a book 'On the Laying out, Planting, and Managing of Cemeteries' in 1843. Loudon had strong views on every aspect of cemetery design and character. He viewed cemeteries in a very utilitarian sense and his book gave advice on the practicalities of laying out a new cemetery. His views were widely published in his book and magazine and largely adopted over the following decades.

Many influential people of the time such as J. C. Loudon and Sir Chadwick were seeking to prohibit burials within the limits of the large towns and cities. Due to the work of such men between 1852 and 1857 a series of Burial Acts in England worked to establish a new system of Public Interment in the urban areas. (The General Board of Health was given the power to close the overcrowded churchyards and establish new cemeteries as well as purchase those already in existence. New burial boards were created to manage these cemeteries.) The prospectus for the Newcastle General Cemetery stated that 'it is anticipated from the moment the cemetery opened interments in the churchyards in the town will cease' . (Prospectus of the Newcastle upon Tyne General Cemetery Company, 1834, Tyne and Wear Archives) In fact it was not until 1854 (following the 1853 Burial Act) that the city of Newcastle issued an order prohibiting burial in its churchyards. A number of cemeteries were established over the next few years by burial boards in the city's parishes.

The cemeteries established during the 1850s were designed for the general population and were no longer the domain of the middle class nonconformists. Hence this change of emphasis was embodied in the design styles used. Under J. C. Loudon's influence the planning became more formal and his recommendations could be seen in the planting. The burial board cemeteries combined a synthesis of traditional informal and newly recommended formal planning effects.

Loudon regarded cemeteries primarily as sites for the decomposition of bodies and therefore potentially a risk to health. From a public health point of view Loudon advocated conditions which discouraged dampness. The cemetery should ideally be located in an airy situation 'open to the north and with a south aspect so that the ground might be dried by the sun.' Set on exactly this type of orientation the St. John's cemetery was the result of a collaboration of the townships of Westgate and Elswick and the parish of Newcastle St. John Burial Board. The 1857 design by Johnstone and Knowles was possibly inspired by the dramatic views across the Tyne Valley available from the site. There had previously been examples of dramatic cemetery design exploiting hillside sites in Glasgow and Bradford. (go to images 15 & 16)

St John's cemetery landscape includes variations in ground level and path layout as well as planting to create a suitably attractive resting place for some of the wealthy citizens of the time. The cemetery is large, the largest in the city, although it is currently full. The cemetery appears almost symmetrically planned from the main entrance. And yet once on the central axis secondary paths curve away in various directions following surprising routes to other points of interest and areas of the cemetery design. (go to image 17)

Loudon's thoughts on dampness also extended to the trees planted in the cemeteries. He recommended planting which was suitably sombre in character but which also did not hinder the drying of ground. This included narrow conical shaped trees with foliage that would not shade the ground. Evergreens with dark foliage such as pines, firs, junipers and yews were seen to give an appropriate 'expression of solemnity and grandeur' (John Claudius Loudon, On the Laying Out, Planting and Managing of Cemeteries, p21) that deciduous and flowering trees would not.

Loudon advocated the adoption of a style of landscape design to reflect the unique character of the cemetery. The picturesque arrangements and bright colourful flowerbeds were avoided in order that the cemetery may be distinguished from the 'Pleasure ground' or garden. In fact Loudon suggested that if flowerbeds were to be included they should be on as yet unused grave plots and coffin shaped to reflect the unique cemetery style. Under Loudon's influence planting in St Johns includes evergreens, yew trees and shrubs such as Aucuba japonica however there are flower boarders which may be later additions.

New thoughts on planting were embodied into the design of All Saint's cemetery situated opposite the Newcastle General Cemetery across Jesmond Road on a site of five acres. The cemetery was created by the All Saints burial board and opened on 15th February 1857 on a site previously known as 'Dead Men's Graves'. (An Account of Jesmond, F. W, Dendy, 1904, p25) A comparison between the tree species of All Saints and the earlier Jesmond Old Cemetery demonstrates the changes in planting design that had occurred over a twenty-year period. All Saints cemetery contains a mixture of deciduous and evergreen planting. There are significantly more evergreens than in Jesmond Old Cemetery including examples of Cypress and Holly. Other trees in All Saints recommended by Loudon as adapted for use in cemeteries include Field Maple, Silver Birch and Lombardy Poplar. (On the Laying out, Planting and Managing of Cemeteries, J. C. Loudon, 1843, p95)

Far more trees are indicated on the map of the 1900s whereas currently there appears to be few trees compared with the planting in the Jesmond Old Cemetery. This may be explained partially by the death of many elm trees highlighted by the recent removal of the large elm originally the main feature of the central axis. In fact in these cemeteries it was common practice to plant a lot of trees as can be seen in earlier maps and then later remove them as the land is required for burial. The trees designed to remain are located in formal rows sympathetic to the rectilinear layout characteristic of this period. (go to image 18)

One of the contemporary architectural problems was the distinguishing of the two mortuary chapels (Church of England and non-conformist.) The accepted solution was to pair the chapels often placing them within the layout of the cemetery so that they acted as pendants to one another. The division between the religious groups was an important issue embodied into cemetery planning. Cemeteries were usually divided into areas according to the Victorian class system with spaces reserved for the established, non-conformist and catholic religions. The more expensive grave plots would be located near to the chapels or along main routes.

The planning of All Saints Cemetery includes two mortuary chapels that are placed symmetrically on a transverse axis to the main carriageway. The paths are laid out in a grid format and the remaining trees line the main axes. The cemetery boundary is marked on Jesmond Road by iron railings producing far more visibility than the old cemetery. The designer of the architectural elements was Benjamin Green one of the designers of Westgate Hill Cemetery and the prominent Theatre Royal in Newcastle city centre.

There is little variation in ground level across the site which slopes gently uphill to the north. On a map of 1850s paths are shown crossing the cemetery at right angles to the main carriageway with a perimeter route curving around irregularities in the site boundary. The main carriageway stretched forward to a central area containing an elm tree situated between twinned Chapels. (go to image 19) This elm tree was situated in a central mound inside the circular carriageway. This type of circular feature occurs in other cemeteries in Newcastle and the presence of the elm suggests that the other cemetery mounds may have originally contained planting as a focal point.

The St Nicholas cemetery is interesting in this aspect as a circular mound was drawn on a map of 1855-65 including planting (possibly two trees) at the centre. (go to image 20) This seems to indicate that these features have always been intended for planting in Newcastle rather than burial as in other locations. St. Nicholas was established by the burial board of that parish to provide a cemetery for the Fenham area that was opened in 1858. Designed by Archibald M. Dunn (the designer of nearby Hexham St. Andrews Cemetery) the original planning of this cemetery appears strange today but can be explained by historical analysis.

The main approach is from the Southwest corner on a road leading north off Westgate road. This seems curious today as the secondary entrance is centrally located on the main road of Studley Terrace and is the more obvious means of entry. However this road was, at the time of building, non-existent and there was only a pathway along the edge of a field. The designer seems to have partially anticipated the building of Studley terrace and positioned the secondary entrance central in the northern wall as with the several other cemeteries in the city.

Loudon recommended that there should be one main entrance to a cemetery with a smaller secondary entrance if the cemetery was large enough. The main entrance route into St. Nicholas Cemetery from the Southwest curves westward beside an area of planting towards the arrangement of buildings at the southern end of the cemetery. In 1900 the cemetery was still not surrounded by buildings, the adjacent hospital site was not occupied. This indicates that the cemetery was not related to the hospital in original design although it appears orientated towards it.

Early maps show a mixture of deciduous and evergreen planting in naturalistic groups. The boarders of the main carriageway were mainly evergreen in common with the fashion of the time. An original pathway followed an irregular route around the perimeter of the cemetery. Planting was located in informal beds beside the pathways. There was a main axis from the secondary entrance to the central arch of the buildings and a secondary axis East-West. The only remaining planting shields the approach from the cemetery. Loudon was critical of those cemeteries in which the whole was visible at first glance yet also believed the entry should also not resemble the drive of a country residence.

A cemetery, which appears very much like a country residence on approach, is the St Andrews Cemetery (established by the St Andrew's parish and Jesmond township Burial Board) that opened in 1857. (go to image 21) This cemetery was designed by one of the leading firms specialising in cemetery design which catered for the huge demand during the Burial Act reforms. James Pigott Pritchett ran a design firm based around York and the Northeast and is most famous for the Greek style York Fulford Cemetery of 1836. As a result of this expertise the St. Andrews cemetery displays an integrated approach to cemetery design and several representative features of Burial Board Cemetery planning.

The cemetery is organised using a system of imaginary squares laid out on the landscape to designate burial plots. An early map of the cemetery illustrates the lettering system for these squares and plots would be numbered so that they might be identified as T10 for example. Sometimes numbers might occur on stones set into the cemetery ground but more often the letters were merely painted onto the walls. A photograph of the spray painted marking of square boundaries in St Andrews today indicates this system was used here. (go to image 22)

The system of painting numbers was criticised by Loudon as it was unattractive and difficult to locate graves without a map. Loudon believed a more sensible system would be to lay out the cemetery in double rows of graves with grass routes between them so that it was visibly obvious where boundaries occurred without consulting a map. Loudon also believed in formal planning so that the functional laying out of graves was easier. The system of double rows of graves was implemented in the extension of St Johns Cemetery in contrast to the square numbered rows in the older part of the cemetery. (go to image 23)

Using grid plan format drainage could be provided in practical pattern underneath paths and carriageways. At St Andrews drainage is located beneath formal routes around the cemetery and interestingly where these routes coincide with the square system drain covers are located at each letter boundary. The boundary markings are exactly as advocated by Loudon. The eastern boundary, which faces onto open moorland, is marked with an iron pallisade on top of a low stone wall. A high stone wall with buttressing marks the sides of the cemetery which border onto residential development. The boundaries contain intermittent pillars carved with small patterns resembling human faces. (go to image 24)

The carving of cemetery pillars is also a characteristic of St. Nicholas Cemetery main entrance pillars onto which carved sea horses sit above reliefs of ships representative of the coat of arms of Newcastle and the patron saint of Sailors respectively. (go to image 25) The St. Andrews cemetery does not resemble others in the city in several key-planning features. There is no indication of the circular drive characteristic of all other cemeteries in the city however a map of 1878 illustrates two circular areas of planting.

The lodge buildings are designed in an asymmetrical arrangement. The chapels do not have gothic spires as can be seen elsewhere and present gothic motifs on rather classical geometric forms. Whilst the chapels initially appear similar they are actually on a different orientation a variation in planning from the symmetrical arrangements elsewhere in the city. This is an interesting way of distinguishing the Church of England and non conformist without a large variation in architectural style.

Loudon was criticised for lack of attention to the spiritual aspect of death particularly in religious aspects. (The March Quarterly Review 1844: 451 suggests that 'his book falls short as a guide to what a Christian cemetery ought to be' from Loudon and the Landscape, Melinie Simo, p282) The Church of England adopted Gothic revival as a representative style and mortuary chapels and indeed most cemetery architecture became gothic rather than classical in origin. The architecture in All Saints Cemetery includes the gateway and chapels that are gothic in design. The Dissenters Chapel is located to the right of the main axis and the Episcopal Chapel on the left. The carriage arch is very tall and characteristic of thirteenth century gothic. (go to image 27) There is also a lesser Tudor arch at either side for pedestrian access. The arch and chapels frame a view along the main avenue.

In the 1850s an architectural feature, unique to cemetery design, emerged the linking of the two chapels by a belfry over a covered porch often topped by a steeple (known as a porte-cochere). The only example of this in Newcastle occurs in the St. Johns cemetery design of the original chapels. The main carriageway stretches down hill from the entrance gateway towards the twinned chapels joined by a porte-cochere. (go to image 28)

As cemetery design became more formal the practice of locating monuments in the landscape no longer created a picturesque effect. Trees planted to give the cemetery atmosphere were removed to create space for new burials. Monumental styles changed with the fashions of architecture. Earlier monuments in the cemeteries contained examples of urns and crosses in classical styles. The inclusion of Christian motifs such as crosses and pointed headstones highlights the difference in society from buried in cemeteries before the introduction of the burial acts and the social mix later. The rows of stones in the Burial Board cemeteries create a virtual city of the dead rather than the gardens of the dead designed for the Joint Stock Companies.

Nineteenth century urban cemeteries preceded the great Victorian urban parks and were places in which the public could walk around and mourn in peaceful and attractive surroundings. The steeple of the St Johns Cemetery porte-cochere is an imposing feature in the urban landscape as was appropriate for a city attraction, an expression of civic pride and designed to be seen from a distance. Loudon regarded cemeteries secondarily as a place of remembrance to the dead whilst also providing an open space for exercise liberal and moral education and peace of mind for the living. He believed they 'might become a school of instruction in architecture, sculpture, landscape gardening, arboriculture, botany and general gardening'. (John Claudius Loudon, On the Laying Out, Planting and Managing of Cemeteries, 1843, p13)


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Currently over sixty percent of burials take place in the city's most recently designed cemeteries, the Byker and Heaton Cemetery in the east of the city and the West Road Cemetery to the west. The West Road Cemetery also contains the city's only crematorium. Both cemeteries were located outside the city limits at the time of building. By the 1870s Loudon's influence on cemetery design was fading and the early cemeteries were showing signs of neglect. Cemetery design began to concentrate on function rather than art and the new cemetery at Byker and Heaton reflected these developments.

The Byker and Heaton Cemetery was a late nineteenth century addition to the city following a decision made by All Saint's Cemetery not to allow burials to non parishioners. Managed by the Byker and Heaton burial board until 1921, it opened on April 24th 1890. In a council meeting to approve the cemetery the only issue raised was that of the drainage in contrast to the questions over aesthetics that appeared in council meetings during the 1850s.

In 1901 the cemetery was described as 'It is neatly kept, and a good many trees are planted, which in time will improve its appearance.' (Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, 21st August 1901) Although it was built almost half a century later the design of the Byker and Heaton Cemetery bears many similarities to All Saints' Cemetery. Upon entrance the two chapels are situated opposing one another upon either side of a circular drive and framing the view along the main tree lined axial carriageway. (go to images 29 & 30)

Symmetrically planned on a rectangular site this central carriageway stretches from the gateway to the rear of the cemetery. Secondary paths cross the plan at right angles. A secondary entrance is provided at the rear northeastern corner. As the more modern grave sites are at the rear of the cemetery the secondary entrance is the more frequently used vehicular entrance and the original design sequence of framed viewpoints is now rarely appreciated.

Foremost upon entering the cemetery is the elliptical mound inside the circular drive. Currently this mound contains a cruciform shaped flowerbed. A comparison with All Saints Cemetery indicates that this mound may originally have been planted with a central tree. A repetition of this feature is also included at the culmination of the main axial carriageway. (go to image 31) This type of avenue was thought of as an expression of grandeur and therefore it can be assumed that some type of important feature would provide an 'imposing ending'. (H. E. Milner, The Art and Practice of Gardening, 1890)

This is a development from the 1850s designs in which the formal avenues mainly lead to a secondary entrance and in the case of All Saints cemetery the main avenue does not have any culminating feature. The main axis is lined with trees between the chapels and the rear of the cemetery. Originally there was a row of trees in front of the stone wall that provided a barrier between the cemetery and the residential development behind. Only a few are currently remaining.

Influences on design at this time may have come from H. E. Milner a proponent of the landscape park tradition. As Loudon's influence faded there was a return to the use colour in cemeteries with flowerbeds and flowering deciduous trees. Planting in Byker and Heaton includes deciduous trees and there is only one evergreen in evidence a Leyland Cypress. Tree species in the cemetery are varied but few in number the only significant percentage being young sycamores. Species that are not present in earlier city cemeteries include Rowan and Common Pear.

Remaining trees are informally located in the older sections of the cemetery but in areas more recently used for burial trees are clustered around path intersections. There are currently flowerbeds around the entrance area. In 1890 Milner suggested that if original planting is removed to provide room for burial space then 'trees and shrubs planted by loving hands at the graves of the departed will serve to replace an effect at first apparent in the general design.' (H. E. Milner, The Art and Practice of Gardening, 1890, p98) This strategy seems to have been adopted in modern cemetery management across the city.

The cemetery contains a number of different areas for sections of the community. A military section is positioned centrally on the southern side of the main carriageway and separated from the rest of the cemetery by a hedge. (go to image 32) The Jewish section of the cemetery is located on the northern side of the central carriageway beside the rear wall. It is separated from the rest of the cemetery by an iron railing. The Jewish graves can be distinguished by the provision of kerbstones, a special disposition given on behalf of the council, on account of their religious beliefs.

In Byker and Heaton utilitarian concerns appear foremost in the formal planning and countrywide vast new cemeteries prompted concerns over public health. (James Stevens Curl, The Historical Problems of Designing Crematoria, 1980) Loudon advocated cremation and predicted that in the future most of the dead would be cremated rather than buried. He wrote in 1843 that 'Every large town will .. have a funeral pile, constructed on scientific principles, instead of a cemetery; and the ashes may be preserved in urns and, or applied to the roots of a favourite plant.' (Gardens magazine 19 (1843);591, from Loudon and the Landscape, Melinie Simo, p282) It was the end of the nineteenth century before the first crematoria were built and the twentieth century before this trend reached Newcastle.

The most recent cemetery to be built in Newcastle was the West Road Cemetery and Crematorium. The cemetery was officially opened on Monday 22nd of October 1934 by Alderman John Moore J.P. (Chairman of the Cemeteries Committee) Newcastle City Council has always managed the cemetery. By this stage in cemetery design the disposal of the dead was seen in such a utilitarian sense that the entire of West Road was masterminded by a professional engineer rather than a designer. The nineteenth century tradition of employing a leading city architect no longer applied.

The draft design for the general layout was prepared by the city engineer of the time Major W.J. Steele. Major Steele supervised the building of the cemetery by various departments, including the drainage and levelling of the site, the building of paths, the formation of the shrubbery and the Garden of Remembrance, the Southern boundary wall and railing. Currently a large percentage of the burials in the West of the city take place in this cemetery. It was mentioned in 1995 that nearly a quarter of a million visitors passed through the grounds annually.

English cemetery design in the twentieth century had in general become somewhat functional and prescriptive. Influenced by the military cemeteries of the Great War memorials became less flamboyant and the landscape became simplified. The West Road cemetery displays these new attitudes. The planning includes formal pathways around varying sizes of rectilinear burial lawns. There are two circular drives, one functioning as a roundabout at the entrance gate and the other in a large forecourt placed so that all the buildings may be accessed from it. (go to image 33)

Car parking is provided in sections adjacent to the main drive and screened from the cemetery by a large boarder of trees and flowering shrubs. Drainage runs throughout the site located underneath the formal pathways. Drain covers appear at regular intervals along the main routes and are sometimes disguised. An example of this can be seen at the centre of a flowerbed at the culmination of one of main avenues of the cemetery. (go to image 34)

Trees are planted in rows along the edges of paths. There does not seem to be any underlying principle to the species of tree chosen in any particular area. Rows of Lombardy Poplars are most noticeable and are located along the northeastern boundary and beside a path in the eastern part of the cemetery. The two mounds in the centre of the circular drives were featureless at the time of opening but now include shaped flowerbeds.

The buildings in the cemetery were designed and supervised by the architect J.J. Hill and the general contractors were Thomas Clements and Sons Ltd. The main buildings are positioned centrally in the cemetery plan. There are two groups of buildings containing a chapel to the East and West in the cemetery. The Eastern chapel is designed for earth burial and the Western group for cremation. This Western group contains a Chapel, Catafalque, Columbarium, Incinerating chamber, Waiting room and working apartments. To the East and West the buildings are separated from the burial ground by large planting beds and rows of trees. Planting in these sections includes Hawthorn trees, variegated Holly and variegated Elder shrubs.

An arcaded cloister leading to a garden of remembrance links the two groups of buildings. After crematorium the cremated remains can currently be strewn on the Garden of remembrance, buried or taken away by the relatives. The garden of remembrance is accessed through the cloister on axis with the main approach drive. It contains a central lawn space surrounded by a low wall with provision for mourners to leave flowers. There are memorial benches surrounding the perimeter path and deciduous planting marks the boundary. (go to images 35 & 36)

Strewing of ashes is the most popular choice however there are increasing numbers wishing to bury their relation's ashes. Although cremated remains can be buried at any of the city's cemeteries West road cemetery has a special section of quarter sized graves for these type of burials located to the left of the garden of remembrance. (go to image 38) There is no special demarcation of this area by planting as in other areas of the cemetery.

A military section very similar to that in the Byker and Heaton cemetery is situated beside an avenue of Cherry trees. (go to image 37) Flowering Cherry trees are popular in sparse modern cemetery planting. (Mortal Remains, Chris Brooks, 1989, p60) Dominated by a large sandstone cross the military area is separated from other burial space by a low hedge. In 1991 a special section for the burial of stillborn and young children was opened at this cemetery. The site was later improved with the provision of landscaped pathways and seats and now contains a central patio with seating and a flowerbed. (go to image 39)

The Snowdrop garden of remembrance for young and still born children is a recent addition to the cemetery and includes a central paved area, two benches and a small shelter for mourners to leave flowers and tributes. (go to image 40) There are deciduous trees and flowering shrubs planted in naturalistic shaped beds along the rear boundary.

Whilst the numbers of those choosing cremations remains reasonably steady new burial space has been required. The land to the north of the cemetery, presently used as allotments, has been suggested for development to include an additional garden of remembrance and columbaria for the placement of ashes or other memorials. Criticisms of new designs with relation to crematoria may be that memorials for those cremated appear smaller in size and therefore less important than those buried. The bereaved often appreciate a physical memorial to tend.

The need for the bereaved to tend the grave and the placement of objects and flowers around graves leads to what has been described as 'the resulting patchwork of micro-gardens'. (Cemeteries for the Living, Frances Clegg, Landscape Design, October 1999) This may appear to those concerned with the overall management detrimental to the overall appearance and inconvenient in terms of maintenance. This does not appear to cause problems at West Road as grave tributes are generally adequately accommodated however there are regulations controlling the size of modern memorials.

The more recent extensions to the cemetery show a more sensitive approach to memorial landscape. Provision for seating, individual memorial tributes and attractive planting is provided. The less formal memorial gardens interact well with the formal planning of burial plots. However additions such as these make ground maintenance, one of the foremost concerns of today's cemetery management, a more costly operation. The second part of this study contains a more detailed analysis of the maintenance issues in Newcastle's cemeteries.


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'Churchyards and cemeteries are scenes not only calculated to improve the morals and the taste,
and by their botanical riches to cultivate the intellect, but they serve as historical records.'
(On the Laying Out, Planting, and Managing of Cemeteries, J. C. Loudon, 1843)

'A cemetery is not an all-weather pitch, neither is it simply a nature reserve;
it is a complex historical, social, cultural legacy of great emotional meaning'
(The Cemetery in the City, K. Warpole, 1997)

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The large urban cemeteries created during the previous centuries were designed to provide a permanent attractive memorial for their inhabitants. The planting was carefully designed with continued maintenance and the effects of maturity in mind. J. C. Loudon anticipated that when full cemeteries should be 'sprinkled with trees' and used as type of urban garden for moral instruction and public remembrance. The first part of this study identified the design intentions related to the historical context in which the cemeteries were built. Further study of the present condition of the cemeteries in Newcastle reveals some of the key issues involved in today's urban cemeteries.

Today English local authorities are responsible for the upkeep of almost all urban cemeteries and attitudes have changed towards disposal of the dead. Death has become somewhat of a taboo subject in society. Design for ease of management has meant that an unimaginative style of landscaping prevails. During March and April in 1921 the functions of all Newcastle's burial boards were transferred to the Cemeteries committee of Newcastle City Council which manages the grounds.

Currently the majority of Newcastle City Cemeteries have no new space available for burial. Over sixty percent of burials take place in the main eastern and western cemeteries Byker and Heaton and West Road. However research interpreted by Dunk and Rugg (The management of old cemetery land, Dunk and Rugg, 1994, p12) suggests that cemeteries without available burial space are far from disused, in fact there are still burials taking place in all the Newcastle cemeteries except the two designed as Joint Stock enterprises.

The Westgate Hill Cemetery, one of the earliest nineteenth cemeteries in the country, now highlights one of the inherent problems facing urban cemeteries. Today the cemetery is severely vandalised with few monuments left standing in their original state. (go to image 41) Acting on a report of the civic services committee 9th October 1968 the City council took over responsibility for this cemetery. A report in the city's archives claims that the gravestones were moved, the site landscaped and the area managed as an informal space.

The only drive left in evidence is that which cuts across from the main entrance to the Southeast corner. The main gates and the original railings have been taken away leaving only the intermittent stone pillars which would have formed part of the external boarder security. Only the foundations of the mortuary chapel are visible. (go to image 42) There is some planting present although rarely original. Examples of weeping elms now succumbed to Dutch elm disease are particularly noticeable. Large parts of the rear of the cemetery are overgrown with ivy and bramble and conceal broken bottles and empty spray cans left behind by local residents. There are many remaining monuments including a Gothic Pinnacle with carved columns commissioned by C Burn a sculptor for the IAnson family.

Vandalism and neglect have become associated with Joint Stock company cemeteries, often unable to sustain financial independence some famous examples such as Highgate in London have grown into 'wild eerie places.' Westgate Hill cemetery is still maintained regularly with the grass mown and planting attended to and has escaped the fate of its forebears the Ballast Hills Burial Ground site cleared in 1929 by the City Council (go to image 43) and the Liverpool Low Hill Cemetery now demolished.

Considering its current level of conservation I believe the Westgate Hill Cemetery description from the archives is more likely to refer to the adjacent St. Paul's Churchyard. St. Paul's chapel has been demolished and only a few gravestones remain propped against the rear wall whilst the rest of the site is merely grassed over. This reflects a country wide approach to old burial land where a desire to cut maintenance costs leads to a clearance of memorials to leave an easily mown open green space.

The cemeteries managed by the local authorities are generally in a better state of repair, with a marked contrast in Newcastle between those situated to the east and west of the city centre. In the main body of St. Nicholas Cemetery the main north south axial route is the only remaining path as all other landscaping has been removed. The only planting being in the South- western corner. In contrast the St. Andrews Cemetery in the East of the city has a number of new trees planted on the northern boarder. The western cemeteries of St. Johns and St. Nicholas have implemented a system of kerbstone clearance dating from the 1980s. Kerbstones around older graves have been removed (Under powers given by the Local Authorities Order of 1977) in an ongoing programme the latest stage of which began in 1997. It appears that kerbstones have not been removed from graves that are tended regularly. (go to image 44) No new kerb surrounds have been allowed in any of the city's cemeteries since 1981.

Exceptions to the regulations mean that the Jewish section of Byker and Heaton cemetery has a special dispensation from the city to allow kerbs to be placed around the graves. The Muslim section of West Road Cemetery also has a special dispensation from the city's regulations to allow for mounds on graves. These later maintenance policies stem from a report to the Public Health and Environment Committee in April 1995. Regulations exist quoted in the City 1995 report including 'that the cemeteries retain a neat and ordered appearance' and 'lawn sections ..are open and unobstructed areas.'

Newcastle City Council has no specific cemetery management plans. The 1998 Local Unitary development plan only refers to the cemeteries and churchyards in the city under the policies for 'open space and recreation' in the same category as nature reserves and allotment gardens. Maintenance and operations are included in the overall ground maintenance of the city. The clearance of memorials is not only related to maintenance costs. Aesthetic considerations may be a desire to make the area look more 'tidy' (The Management of Old Cemetery Land, Dunk and Rugg, 1994, p48) and therefore more respectful to the dead. Open green space is also more accessible and suitable for amenity use than land overgrown and crowded with memorials. However Chris Brooks suggests that there are alternatives to grass lawns which require a regular maintenance programme of mowing. Other types of ground cover that might be established in cemeteries amongst memorials include mosses, ivy, heathers and herbaceous plants such as lavender. (Chris Brooks Mortal Remains, p114)

The cemeteries in Newcastle were originally located outside the town limits. They may now provide important green space in built up areas. Cemeteries can provide land which offers an alternative to the sports orientated open grass areas found in other urban parks. The vast open expanse of Newcastle's town moor differs drastically from the seclusion provided in nearby cemeteries. Cemeteries may contain different types of landscape. Examples of these are the memorial lawn, (go to image 46) with monuments and kerbstones intact and regular maintenance, semi-open and open space, wood cover and modern lawn type with recent headstones usually without kerbstones and high levels of maintenance.

Newcastle General Cemetery ceased to function as a company on the 1st of July 1967and subsequently became the responsibility of the city council's cemetery committee. Vast sections of the cemetery are inaccessible as untended and rarely visited graves are overgrown by surrounding vegetation. Maintenance in the cemetery is restricted to the mowing of areas accessible to a lawnmower, some paths remain cleared whilst others have vanished.

A study in 1999 suggested that the diversity and subsequently the general atmosphere of Newcastle's cemeteries could be improved with the application of more sensitive management techniques. (Jonathan Follows, Examining the Ecological Theory of Species, p35) As with other early Joint Stock cemeteries in Britain over time 'shrubs and bushes remain unclipped; coppices and stands of trees are not thinned out' (Mortal Remains, Chris Brooks, p81) and a very different landscape is created from that intended. Overgrown cemeteries may contain habitats for birds, insects and plants not found in more tidy modern parks. Landscapes such as this might be ideal for policies of ecological conservation. These landscapes can encourage wildflowers and different grass species by letting areas become meadows and planting more trees.

Contrary to popular belief this does not mean maintenance is not required. This type of management involves tending the planting so that invasive species such as bramble, ivy, nettles, Japanese knotweed and sycamores do not dominate those species which require encouragement. Currently sycamore trees vastly outnumber other tree species in several cemeteries across the city and this is particularly noticeable in Newcastle General Cemetery. Japanese knotweed is a particular problem for cemeteries across the country and the Westgate Hill Cemetery has large patches that require regular treatment.

One problem with allowing species to thrive in a nature reserve type style is that in a cemetery this can conflict with the primary use of the ground. The introduction of ecological conservation to encourage diverse habitats works particularly well if applied only to certain areas of the cemetery. Amenity values may be improved with a variety of spaces to please various groups of the community. Ground recently used for burial such as along the main carriageway of Jesmond Old Cemetery could be kept neatly mowed to appear respectful and pleasant for those mourning. Whilst older sections away from remaining access paths might be either be managed to encourage wildlife or maintained in an accessible fashion for study of local history.

In other parts of the country cemeteries suffering from severe neglect have been improved with the help of Voluntary groups and there is now a National Federation of Cemetery Friends. These groups are generally associated with the more prominent Joint Stock company cemeteries that are likely to have been older leading and important designs and also have suffered from long term lack of finance. This may indicate a renewal of interest in the disposal of the dead in our society. Newcastle has no such group although there is a certain amount of local concern over the Jesmond Old Cemetery.

The cemetery obviously arouses a certain amount of civic pride in the area and there was a strong local protest when the cemetery was threatened by a motorway proposal in the 1970s. (New Road Threatens Ancient Buildings, Newcastle Evening Chronicle, 20th January, 1970) During this time a section along the northern edge was cleared of graves. (go to image 47) Most of Dobson's work in the city was gothic in style and the monumentally classical design style of the cemetery buildings can only be found in two other remaining designs within the city, the recently renovated Central Station and the remains of the original Grainger market. The cemetery was saved on account of this and in 1978 the chapels and the main entrance were given new roofs. The chapels were converted and the Anglican chapel has become an office for the Archaeological Society whilst the Dissenter's chapel became a flat.

The cemetery is currently included on the local unitary development plan as being a site of local conservation interest. As recently as April 2000 Alan Morgan the local City Tour guide for the cemetery has published a short book entitled 'A Fine and Private Place' which covers the history of the cemetery and prominent local figures buried there. There is a suggestion that the availability of more literature on the value of cemeteries might encourage visitors and promote understanding of ecological and conservation policies operating in various areas.

The nearby Tynemouth Cemetery in North Tyneside is operating a policy encouraging wildlife in certain older sections of the ground. Signs are provided to explain the policy and describe wildlife that might be present. A survey of the cemeteries in Newcastle may reveal much of interest in terms on major landscape features, buildings and monuments of architectural merit, original planting, and memorials to leading and interesting figures in Victorian society. All of which may encourage visits from the public if appropriate information was to be provided. This study has demonstrated that all cemeteries contain design features that could be regarded as worthy of local interest. Often more peaceful and secluded than modern public parks the nineteenth century cemeteries are now again becoming places of leisure containing geological interest and diverse wildlife.

Landscape designs in the modern climate have slightly different issues. Increasingly management of cemeteries is regulating individual expression by controlling size and shape of stones and even wording. Often only a small horizontal plaque on a lawn grave is allowed. It has been suggested that this type of regulation causes distress in the early stages of loss whilst the appearance of overall surroundings in context is only recognised later in the bereavement process. The more recent extensions to the West Road Cemetery show a more sensitive approach to memorial landscape. Provision for seating, individual memorial tributes and attractive planting is provided. In 1995 an Environmental and engineering services report relating to West Road stated that 'for any visitors ..the quality of the landscape and maintenance of the grounds may be their only impression of municipal Newcastle.'

The large numbers of cremations at West Road have allowed the development of memorial gardens and columbaria within the cemetery context. Nation-wide there has been renewed interest in these areas of design. Recently the Memorial Advisory Bureau has been running the Phoenix Awards Scheme a competition for the design of 'after cremation cemeteries'. The Architects Padley and Yee who designed a winning entry in this award Scheme as well as a new memorial garden for the Kensal Green Cemetery suggest that the Phoenix competition is 'looking for a new convention.' (Landscaping for a Garden of Remembrance, The Architect's Journal, 28 October, 1992)

There are alternative styles of memorial landscape to the facilities in West Road that may be applied in future. There has been increased interest in green burial. This has led to the design of cemeteries that simulate natural woodland and are usually rurally located. The Local Authority allows the use biodegradable coffins for burial in Newcastle's cemeteries. There is no woodland burial site in the city at present and the nearest available site is in Hexham. Another interesting memorial development is the Virtual Memorial Garden (http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/VMG/) that was set up at Newcastle University in 1995 by Dr Lindsay Marshall. (The Guardian, Thursday March 2, 2000, Society p2) This demonstrates a total separation from the physical remains and attractive memorial, perhaps reflective of detachment from death in our technological society.

A report from March 1993 predicted that there was land available in the city's cemeteries for burial to last a further twenty years. Seven years into this period there appears to be no clear strategy directed towards solving this problem. Recent precedents exist of cemetery designs that take maintenance and aesthetics into account. The concept of eternal memory can be suggested by 'timeless features of the landscape' (J. O. Simonds, Landscape Architecture, p92) mature planting, weathered and yet enduring materials. Hopefully future designs in the city will be sensitive and reflective of new ideas.


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The designers of the Nineteenth Century sought to harmonise death by creating beautiful cemeteries as a resting-place for their dead. The early cemeteries provided a welcome respite from the harsh realities of urban living during this time and performed an important function for all sections of society. From the outset cemeteries in such as those in Newcastle have been promoted as places for society to visit for recreational purposes. Careful consideration in the design of memorial landscape was essential in the development of this ideal.

In conclusion the most important issue in relation to the nineteenth century cemeteries today is the high cost of maintenance. The money to keep these cemeteries in the attractive state of repair that their designers intended is not available today. However various strategies for maintaining the cemeteries in a sensitive manner to improve the contribution they make to urban life are being developed. Integrated policies of conservation in older sections could complement the more modern open and neatly kept areas in cemeteries operating around Newcastle.

Current research indicates that existing cemeteries fulfil many important roles in our urban environments. These cemeteries can contain a variety of landscapes whilst functioning as educational tools, recreational facilities and ecological reserves. However the importance of the cemetery environment in society's collective memory of its dead whether in the form of remembrance gardens or individualised burial plots should remain the primary aim. The design and maintenance of cemeteries in Newcastle should continue to reflect the sensitive nature of these special environments.

Almost all of Newcastle's cemeteries were designed by leading architects with detailed local knowledge applied at all levels of implementation. Cemeteries in the city contain many features of merit including carefully created landscapes with diverse planting as well as important monuments and buildings. These cemeteries demonstrate changing styles, fashions, uses and attitudes to cemetery design throughout two centuries and can hopefully continue to perform their functions in an attractive and respectful way.

Today those who die without strong religious beliefs in Newcastle are most frequently cremated the ashes scattered and often the only memorial a few lines in book of remembrance that is opened once a year. It is estimated that new cemetery provision in Newcastle will shortly be required and new ideas regarding memorials to the dead could be considered. The deposition of human remains has retained a physical and spiritual significance throughout history and it is hoped that future cemetery design in the city will take these considerations into account.

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A Fine and Private Place, Jesmond Old Cemetery,
Alan Morgan, 2000, Tyne Bridge Publishing
A Guide to the Historic Parks and Gardens of Tyne and Wear,
Fiona Green, 1995, Tyne and Wear Specialist Conservation Team.
An Account of Jesmond,
Frederick Walter Dendy, 1904, R. Robinson and Company Ltd.
A New Place of Sepulture, Substance of the Speech of Mr. John Fenwick at a general meeting of the Various denominations of Protestant dissenters of Newcastle upon Tyne,
Second Edition, Mr. John Fenwick, 1826, B.J. Holdsworth and Weightman and Cramp, London, City Records,
Application called by Minister (demolition of gates and Lodge), Newcastle General Cemetery, Jesmond,
Department of the Environment, October 1970, Inspector Miss J.M. Albery
Architecture and Picturesque Views in Newcastle upon Tyne,
engraved by William Collard, historical and descriptive by M. Ross, Newcastle 1841, republished S. R. Publishers Ltd. 1971
Architecture and the Afterlife,
Howard Colvin, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1991
Cemeteries and Crematorium General Policy,
Divisional Director Environmental and Engineering Services, 10th April 1995, Public Health and Environmental Protection Committee
Cemeteries- Designing for the Public,
Landscape Design, October 1999
Landscape Architecture, The Shaping of Man's Natural Environment,
John Ormsbee Simonds, 1961, London
Loudon and the Landscape,
Melanie Louise Simo. 1998, Yale University Press
Mortal Remains: The History and the Present State of the Victorian and Edwardian Cemetery,
Chris Brooks, 1989, Wheaton Publishers Ltd.
John Dobson, Architect and Landscape Designer,
Lyall Wilkes, 1980, Oriel press Ltd.
Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, 2nd November 1895.
Newcastle upon Tyne Unitary Development Plan,
January 1998, Newcastle City Council
Northern Cemetery Under Threat,
Country Life, July 2,1981
Olivers Reference plan of Newcastle, 1844
On the Laying out, Planting, and Managing of Cemeteries,
John Claudius Loudon, 1843, Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans
The Art and Practice of Landscape Gardening,
Henry Ernest Milner, 1890, Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent and Co. Ltd. London
The Buildings of England- Northumberland,
Nicolaus Pevsner and Ian Richmond, 1957/1992, Penguin Books
The Cemetery in The City,
Ken Warpole, 1997, Comedia
The Historical Problems of Designing Crematoria,
James Stevens Curl, A paper read at the Cremation Society's Conference in 1980.
The Management of Old Cemetery Land, Now and the Future,
A Report of the University of York Cemetery Research Group, Julie Dunk and Julie Rugg, 1994, Shaw and Sons
West Road Cemetery and Crematorium,
Official Opening, Order of Service for the Dedication of the Chapels, 1934
West Road Crematorium,
1937, City and County of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Andrew Dickson Ltd

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Much more information is available in Newcastle at the Newcastle City Library Local Studies Section and The Tyne and Wear Archives Service has online details of it's resources (including burial records) as well as a research service.

The Tyne and Wear Archives Service:
Blandford House, Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4JA, UK

The cemeteries in this study are managed by the Newcastle City Council:
Cemeteries and Crematorium Office, Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

If you are interested in this subject feel free to email me.

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 Illustrations