Paradise Preserved An introduction to the assessment ... - HELM

INTRODUCTION
Cemeteries were conceived and designed both as gardens
of the dead and as a memorial.They are functional
landscapes and many of our historic cemeteries are still
being used for the business of burying and mourning, and
as places for quiet reflection.They are valued and enjoyed
by local people as open spaces and for the wildlife and
they make an important contribution to the quality of life
of the local community. Cemeteries are distinct from other
burial places and other green spaces.This interweaving of
architecture, sculpture, landscape, wildlife and poetry is
like no other place in the historic environment.
As an important record of the social history of the area it
serves, a cemetery may be said to contain the biography
of a community. Its design and layout reflect the fashions
of the time when it was first opened; different religious
faiths and denominations are characterised by different
styles of commemoration and sometimes special sectors
within the cemeteries; the inscriptions on the monuments
contain important information about the people who are
buried there. Different types of cemetery have special
significance to different people, not only reflecting the past
and its community but also including the people involved
in managing and caring for the cemetery today. As general
interest in genealogy and family history grows, so does the
importance of cemeteries as repositories of biographical
information to the wider community.
Over time, this artificial environment has often been
softened, overlaid and sometimes obliterated by the
growth of the original planting, and by the natural arrival
of other plants.Wildlife colonises these quiet, green spaces,
which quickly become important habitats for plants and
animals.These sites were often created on the edge of
towns and today they are gems of countryside and remnant
habitats locked in an urban setting.The combination of
designed and natural features creates unique and
important landscapes.
In conserving and managing these landscapes we need
to take into account all of their special meanings and
characteristics, and also the dynamics of the working
cemetery receiving new burials. Paradise Preserved firstly
looks at the history of the English cemetery and the
range of designations highlighting the significance of these
places and their buildings and monuments, and secondly,
it offers advice on conservation management planning
and practical conservation.
1 Bradford Undercliffe Cemetery and its rows of Victorian monuments
sit high on the hillside looking over the city and beyond.The Metropolitan
District Council has designated the cemetery as a Conservation Area to
protect its historic interest and as a feature of the city.
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The Sheffield General Cemetery Trust promotes awareness and interest
through themed leaflets, one of which celebrates the lives of women
buried in the cemetery and another features the war graves. Sheffield
General Cemetery Trust
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MONUMENTS AND BUILDINGS
Erected in their thousands, cemetery monuments range
from magnificent mausolea to humble headstones. It
is the tombs, by and large, which create the qualities of
contemplation and feelings associated with cemeteries.
The combination of word and image, of epitaphs and
symbolism, can be deeply touching.The monuments
remind us that the dead were once alive, and that the
deceased shared the same feelings as us.
In artistic terms, tombs can be of high quality:
commissioning an elaborate tomb was a way of showing
respect, as well as a way of gaining remembrance, and many
of the leading sculptors and architects of the past were
engaged in tomb design. Some exceptional monuments
are individually listed for their historic or sculptural
importance, but all memorials possess some value as
tributes to past lives and as visual components
in the special cemetery landscape. Knowing what we
value now, and will value in the future, is one of the
greatest challenges English Heritage faces as it begins
to address our sepulchral and memorial inheritance.
Churches, chapels, lodges, walls and other structures
form the largest and grandest architectural presence
within cemeteries.They help to define the character of
the place, and embody the ambition and pride that went
into them.Very often, however, these buildings have fallen
out of use, and have suffered from a consequent lack of
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