Type of Website: Cemetery

The Category Cemeteries is a subset of Protected Areas in the UK.

Access to details of over eighty Cemetery Friends' Groups: 'Members of the Federation meet annually for the AGM and the venue varies each year with a mix of provincial and London based locations with the added incentive of a guided walk around the local cemetery either before or after the formality of the AGM.'

'Abney Park in Stoke Newington, one of the "magnificent seven" garden cemeteries of London, is a woodland memorial park and Local Nature Reserve, managed by the Abney Park Trust. We offer free public access throughout the year so everyone can come and enjoy this oasis of peace and greenery with a fascinating history.'

Abney Park Trust

'Anfield is a mid-19th-century cemetery laid out by Edward Kemp. The site covers approximately 44 hectares. Elements include axial and circular paths, two chapels and a gothic style catacomb.'

Parks and Gardens UK

Anfield Cemetery (City of Liverpool Cemetery) [Wikipedia] | Anfield Cemetery [Historic England]

'Our programme of tours runs from March through to November and themes vary according to the season, offering insight into local history, people's lives, wildlife and beautiful architecture that can be found in the 45 acres of garden cemetery ... Want to visit Arnos Vale and take a self-guided tour? Buy one of our Trail leaflets ...'

Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust

The Friends of Bedford Cemetery 'organise walks, exhibitions and other events and activities ... The Cemetery was known as Bedford Cemetery until the new Cemetery at Norse Road was opened in 1987, when the name was changed to Foster Hill Road Cemetery to avoid confusion'.

Friends of Bedford Cemetery

Bedford Cemetery [Parks & Gardens UK]

'We've developed a walking trail in partnership with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, which tells the stories of some of the famous people buried in the cemetery, as well as linking the City Cemetery's maritime heritage and Titanic Belfast.'

Belfast City Council

'In an area with few green spaces or outdoor recreational facilities, the Cemetery offers an oasis in all seasons, with paths for walkers and cyclists, and hours of diversion for historians, genealogists, naturalists and connoisseurs of memorial art and sculpture. Brompton Cemetery is managed by The Royal Parks, under contract from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and is thus Britain's only Crown Cemetery.'

The Friends of Brompton Cemetery

Brompton Cemetery [The Royal Parks]

'Follow the heritage trail to discover the people of Bromsgrove, their lives and their deaths.'

The Bromsgrove Society

'Bunhill Fields is a former burial ground in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, now managed as a public garden by the City of London Corporation. It is about 4 hectares (9.9 acres) in extent, although historically it was much larger.'

City of London Corporation

'A 200 acre site full of natural beauty. With more than 3500 trees, 32 acres of memorial landscaped gardens, a woodland area, water features, ponds, and a nature area the cemetery is home to a wide variety of birds, insects and animals. After passing through the striking gated entrance the stunning landscaped and beautifully maintained cemetery unfolds before you. All of our roadways and pathways are easily accessible and make for a very pleasant stroll through an oasis in the heart of East London.'

City of London Corporation

'Rapid growth in Birkenhead's population made it necessary for the provision of a municipal cemetery ... The site chosen was Flaybrick Hill, a prominent location outside of Birkenhead overlooked by Bidston Hill. 16.5 acres were purchased but this was extended to 26 acres in the 1890s.'

'The Gardens are open every day until 6pm, for pedestrian access only. Visitors are welcome to use the ajacent Tam O'Shanter complex for car parking, Cafeteria and toilet facilities. Guided walks and other event details may be found on the notice board by the main gates. Copies of the leaflet, self guide trails and further information are available from the Ranger's Office at Tam O Shanter Farm.'

'A 34.5 acre green, open space in the heart of Plymouth. The Trust recognises the importance of this much-loved urban wildlife refuge and manages it for the public benefit and for the protection and propagation of its wildlife ...'

Ford Park Cemetery Trust

'Cathays Cemetery, in the heart of Cardiff, is the third largest municipal cemetery in the UK, covering some 110 acres, and is owned and managed by Cardiff City Council. The cemetery was opened in 1859 when it was designated both as a place of burial and “as space was limited in the Victorian era“ as a pleasant environment in which to walk ... In recent years cemeteries in towns and cities have been rediscovered as places to visit and their importance as wildlife habitats is increasingly recognised.'

'A beautiful green, welcoming and peaceful place. The mature trees, broad paths and memorials of the cemetery are complemented by the neat headstone rows in the lawn cemetery and the vibrant, aromatic roses in the Garden of Remembrance.'

Leicester City Council

Cemeteries [Leicester City Council]

'Greenock Cemetery was opened in 1846 and was believed to be one of the largest municipal cemeteries in Europe; built on a hill with beautiful views over the town.  A walk through the cemetery tells the story of Greenock with its history of trade and commerce and the people involved.'

Geograph

'Highgate Cemetery has some of the finest funerary architecture in the country. It is a place of peace and contemplation where a romantic profusion of trees, memorials and wildlife flourish ... Open daily except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Different opening arrangements apply to the East and West ...'

Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust

'A hidden treasure of 1.2 hectares of tranquil green space at the heart of modern Basingstoke ... and within a few minutes walking distance from Basingstoke Railway Station which forms one of the boundaries. To help you get the most from your visit to the Holy Ghost Cemetery, South View, Basingstoke, volunteers from the South View Conservation Group and Basingstoke Heritage Society have created a range of Walking Guides ...'

'This Cemetery is important for the British Reform community in particular, as many of the founders of the movement in this country, who were often refugees from Germany, are interred in the cemetery and includes many well-known and loved figures. Additionally a number of other famous Jewish personalities and celebrities are interred in the cemetery as well.'

National Anglo-Jewish Heritage Trail

Hoop Lane Cemetery

'Inspired by the cemetery of Pere-Lachaises in Paris and founded in 1833 by the Barrister George Frederick Carden. Kensal Green Cemetery comprises 72 acres of beautiful grounds including two conservation areas and adjoining a canal. The Cemetery is home to 33 species of bird and other wildlife.'

The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery 'offer a two-hour introductory tour of the cemetery every Sunday from the beginning of March to the end of October, and the first and third Sunday only in November, December, January and February'.

General Cemetery Company

The Lancaster Civic Society 'has been organising tours of Lancaster’s Top Cemetery at Quernmore Road since the Heritage Days in 1996. The Tours are usually held on the THIRD SUNDAY in the Summer months April to September'.

Lancaster Civic Society

'Linthorpe Cemetery is a burial ground but it also provides a large area of accessible semi-natural greenspace in a densely populated urban area ... This 52-acre (21 ha) site is the largest area of woodland in central Middlesbrough. In the southern section of the cemetery there is an almost complete canopy cover of mature trees. Most of these were planted in the nineteenth century.'

Friends of Linthorpe Cemetery & Nature Reserve

'Covering some seventeen acres, it is the second largest Cemetery on the Island (after Carisbrooke Mount Joy) and the ‘woodland’ atmosphere of the northern part attracts all manner of wildlife – including a wide variety of bird species, butterflies and of course, one of the Island’s most prized possessions – the Red Squirrel ... As part of the Northwood Cemetery Heritage Project, four Family Trails have been produced; these are intended to help parents provide their children with a better appreciation of the Cemetery in an enjoyable way.'

'Perhaps the least known, but most attractive, of the great Victorian Cemeteries of London. Consecrated in 1840, it is one of the seven great Victorian cemeteries established in a ring around the outskirts of London. It contains examples of the magnificent monuments erected in memory of the most eminent citizens of the day, which contrast sharply with the small, simple headstones marking common, or public, burials. It's formal avenue of towering limes and the Gothic gloom of the original Victorian planting gives way to paths which recall the country lanes of a bygone era.'

Friends of Nunhead Cemetery

Nunhead Cemetery [Wikipedia]

'Paddington Cemetery is designed in a near-symmetrical grid-pattern about a north-west/south-east axis. The path layout forms a horseshoe shape, open to the south-east, with three semicircular drives to the north-west of the chapels, and to the south-east straight paths leading to the south-east boundary ...'

National Heritage List for England [Historic England]

'Stands on a beautiful site, surrounded by Wimbledon Common, covering 47 acres. Established in 1891 and as a crematorium in 1938 it has two service chapels and an extensive Garden of Remembrance.'

Parks&Gardens

Putney Vale Cemetery [The Victorian Web] | Putney Vale Cemetery [Wikipedia]

'Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, a Local Nature Reserve is a unique site in London's Zone 2 and well worth a visit. As a closed cemetery and one of the Victorian "Magnificent Seven" it contains a wealth of beautiful, ornately carved monuments in sandstone, granite, and even Italian white marble with fascinating stories of the lives of those interred.'

Tower Hamlets Council

The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

'A Grade II listed Victorian Cemetery with six listed monuments within 39 acres of green space. From the inscriptions on the monuments to beautifully crafted sculptures, Weaste Cemetery contains the biography of our community. With grassland untreated by chemicals since 1857 and woodland providing a habitat for butterflies and wild birds this is a real urban oasis. Together with Salford City Council, the Friends of Salford Cemeteries Trust have developed a Heritage Trail at Weaste Cemetery.'

Friends of Salford Cemeteries Trust

'Darlington's West Cemetery on Carmel Road, is the final resting place of many of the town's most significant residents, with monuments dating from the height of Victorian funerary grandeur through to the present day. This guide helps visitors to the cemetery to locate the more notable graves and provides a brief background to their occupants using information on Darlington's history from various sources.'

About Darlington

'West Norwood Cemetery is a 40-acre (16 ha) cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and ecological interest.'

Friends of West Norwood Cemetery

'York Cemetery is a working burial ground. At the same time, it provides opportunities for conservation, education, and informal recreation within a protected environment close to York city centre.'