Hull General Cemetery


Hull General Cemetery was established by a private company in 1847 on Spring Bank, in the west of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. In 1862 the Hull Corporation established a cemetery adjacent, now known as Western Cemetery, and in expanded the cemetery west across Chanterlands Avenue onto an adjacent site.
The General Cemetery contains several notable monument and burials, including a monument to a cholera outbreak in 1849, as well as the graves of many notable persons of the Victoria era and early 20th century of Kingston upon Hull. The General Cemetery closed in 1972, the Western Cemetery is, as of 2018, still in use.
In 2018 a community group of volunteers, , was formed and have taken on the challenge of caring for this heritage site of special natural interest.  The group was formed as a subcommittee of the Hull Civic Society. It meets regularly at the Avenues Centre, Park Avenue, Hull. During its short life it has generated a significant amount of interest in the cemetery from the general public and plans are afoot to bid for local and national funding to make the cemetery a more hospitable place for the community to visit yet still retain its historical significance and environmental importance for future generations.
In September 2018 a short introduction to the Hull General Cemetery 1847 – 1972, was published by Pete Lowden and Bill Longbone

History

Hull General Cemetery

Hull General Cemetery Company was established in 1846, with a capital of 1,000 shares of £10. The cemetery on Spring Bank was opened in 1847, for Anglican burials only, with the foundation stone of the cemetery's entrance lodge formally laid by the mayor, B.M. Jalland on 2 June. The ground was consecrated on 28 August 1847. In 1859 the foundation stone for the cemetery's chapel was laid, by the mayor, Martin Samuelson. The cemetery entrance was in a gothic revival style, consisting of three lodges and six large double gates; the original mortuary chapel was octagonal, a second chapel was later added exclusively for Anglican rites, and a third in 1863 for the use of non-conformists. At the time of its development the cemetery was in the parish of Cottingham, and on the outer fringes of the urban development of Hull.
In 1854 an act allowed incorporation of the company, and allowed it to expand. Intramural burial were abolished in Hull after 1856/7. In 1855 Quakers took a 999-year lease on a plot of ground within the cemetery. Several prominent Quakers were later buried in the ground including persons from the prominent local employers of the Reckitt, and Priestmann families. By 1864 the cemetery occupied around, and contained over 10,000 interments.
The main gates were demolished in the early 20th century, and built over. The Hull General Cemetery went into receivership in the 1970s, and maintenance of the cemetery was taken over by Hull City Council. The final interment was in 1972, excluding the Quaker burial ground which had its last burial in 1974. The overgrown cemetery was cleared after being taken over by the council in 1972. The main gates, and all the chapels had been demolished by 1983.
The Hull General Cemetery Company sought liquidation via the courts which it achieved in 1972 leaving the site without ownership. Eventually, after questions asked in Parliament the site was sold to Hull City Council for a nominal sum of £1 in 1974. At the time the local press was calling the site an ‘eyesore’ and demanding that it was cleaned up. What the aims of the council were when it acquired the land initially is open to question and it could be argued the local authority was reacting to events rather than having a strategic goal for the site.
However, within a short space of time the local authority made clear that the cemetery should be re-developed. There had been earlier demonstrations of cemetery ‘re-development’ in the city when Trippet Street, Division Road and the Drypool graveyards in the early 1960s and 70’s suffered this process. Redevelopment in this sense meant that the vast majority of headstones would be removed and the cemetery landscaped. This took the form of harrowing and grass seeding the ground so that it could be mown.
Public opposition to this plan for Hull General Cemetery, including such names as Philip Larkin and John Betjeman, was overruled and the wholesale destruction of irreparable historical artefacts took place. The whole process took about 18 months. However, because of Hull General Cemetery’s conspicuous role in Victorian Hull, a number of headstones, principally of more notable members of the public, were allowed to remain. Also, as an indication of how ‘bad’ the cemetery had become until the council stepped in, a number of rows of headstones were left in situ. These are the rows next to and surrounding the Quaker plot. By 1979 the site had been ‘developed’.
At first the council maintained the grounds. Grass cutting took place on a regular basis and paths were re-laid every year with sand and gravel. The council maintained the trees. The cemetery resembled a park with headstones dotted around. Children played there, families picnicked and dogs were walked. Apart from the headstones, the cemetery may well have been, to a casual observer, either West Park or Pearson Park.
Unfortunately, over time, with the council suffering significant funding cuts, the maintenance of the cemetery fell by the wayside and it began to acquire a neglected feel. The dumping of rubbish began to happen more regularly, paths became quagmires; sycamore saplings began to destroy the remaining stones whilst ivy swamped them. The entire cemetery was quickly becoming a place to avoid rather than to visit.
With the formation of the Friends of Hull General Cemetery in 2018 unpaid volunteers began to address the neglect of the Cemetery and thoughtfully, carefully and sensitively began to reclaim the cemetery and began encouraging the diversity of flora and wildlife and also to encourage local residents to enjoy the diversity the Cemetery has to offer. As a result the Hull General Cemetery woke from its slumber in 2018 and started to come alive and the undesirables left to leave it an oasis of tranquillity almost in the very heart of the city. The hard work of the Friends of Hull General Cemetery has brought enjoyment and relaxation to so many people... many of whom have lived near to but avoided the cemetery because of the what it had deteriorated to but now look at it with loving eyes. Wildlife has started to return to the cemetery and The Friends of Hull General Cemetery are mindful to of the need to strike a balance between the needs of the flora and fauna and also the needs of the public to enjoy been able to escape an inner city environment and step into an 'ancient' woodland.
To this end the original objectives of Friends of Hull General Cemetery are as follows…
Hull General Cemetery is one of the greatest historical resources that the city of Hull has. That it has been abused, neglected and damaged by its custodians is not in doubt but it still breathes charm and exudes magic. Walking there, within 100 yards of a major thoroughfare, one can forget the modern world.
The Friends of Hull General Cemetery are actively working to create an oasis for the community in the heart of the city. The Friends of Hull General Cemetery Facebook group was formed to promote and celebrate the unique historical and environmental attributes of the cemetery. It is the ‘Friends’ intention to try and turn this long-overgrown and disused burial ground into a place which can once more be enjoyed by all in the local neighbourhood. The 'Friends' hope to achieve this over time by clearing-up the graves and headstones, by encouraging the diversity of flora and wildlife, by promoting historical research, and most importantly of all by getting and keeping local people and organisations involved in its upkeep.
The goals of the 'Friends' could never be achievable without the input of time, energy and ideas by its members and volunteers who throughout the years make themselves available to help in the upkeep and ongoing improvements of the cemetery and its overall environment.

Notable graves and monuments

of land had been set aside by the Hull General Cemetery for use of the board of health, and in 1862 the board acquired the land, opening a new cemetery adjacent west of the old General Cemetery, known as the Western Cemetery. A chapel was later added for Anglican rites, and a third in 1863 for the use of non-conformists. By 1892 the Western Cemetery occupied.
In the cemetery was expanded westwards, with additional land on the opposite side of Chanterlands Avenue, a further mortuary chapel was built in the extension. As of 1995 all the cemetery's chapels had been demolished.
As of 2018 the Western Cemetery is in still use.

Notable graves and monuments

Landmarks and map locations