A long-term conservation project is underway at Wardsend cemetery to clean up the long neglected site and uncover Sheffield’s forgotten history.
The Friends of Wardsend, a local volunteer group, aim to make it a place for heritage, nature, performance and remembrance. They meet on the first Saturday of the month to clean the graves, litter pick, and generally maintain the site.
Howard Bayley, of Friends of Wardsend, said: “It’s important to conserve this place for the memory of the people that are buried. But also we wanted to create a space for the living as much as the dead.”
The cemetery was opened in 1857 as an expanded burial ground for St Philip’s Church after its own churchyard became overcrowded.
The cemetery was in use until a final burial took place in 1977. It was officially closed in 1988.
Hugh Waterhouse, local historian and a member of the group, has plotted individual graves in the cemetery since a large number of them are unmarked. The group then worked to create a burial list which was then made available to the public.
Howard says the project has been challenging due to the long neglect of the cemetery which he believes is down to lack of funding in the north of Sheffield.
“There will be lots of graves that we struggle to find because they’re either very overgrown or there are no markers anywhere. So it would be a bit of a rough guess. But yes, we’re very proud of what we’ve done over the last year or so.”
The burial list has meant that relatives have been able to learn where their ancestors are buried, and Friends of Wardsend have been in contact with people internationally, including Australia and Canada.
Beverly McDonnell, a 60-year-old Sheffield woman, had her relatives’ grave located by the group.
She said felt “emotional” seeing it for the first time.
“I never knew them. They’re my mum’s grandparents. But I’m so pleased to have finally found it at last.”
Beverly is not the only success story.
87-year-old Anne Diver volunteers with the group to maintain the cemetery and her family’s graves were also uncovered with the help of the burial list.
“It was weird that there wasn’t a stone. It was just a bare piece. I don’t know whether it was knocked down or moved because of overcrowding,” she said. “But there was nobody there to protest about it.”
Anne has a total of 24 relatives in 5 different graves at the cemetery.
“I remember coming here as a little girl and my mother standing over our family grave, just crying.”
Friends of Wardsend hope that, in the future, the area will be fully-accessible for everyone wanting to experience the natural beauty of heritage park.
You can find out more about their mission here on their blog and get involved on their Facebook page. You can also make a donation to their work here.
