The cemetery was laid out between 1848 and 1850 by T. M. Penson. This original part of the cemetery to the north of Overleigh Road is described by the authors of the Buildings of England series as having been "highly romantic", and as still being "eminently picturesque". Overleigh Cemetery was a private development by the Chester General Cemetery Company; it was consecrated on 12 November 1850 by the Bishop of Chester; in 1875 it contained a lake with three islands, two chapels, two lodges, paths and trees, and a house for the chaplain. It was extended to the south in 1879. The south part of the cemetery is described as being "prosaic". In 1930 the cemetery came into the ownership of Chester City Council, and it was further extended to the south during the 20th century. Penson's lake, lodges and chapels are no longer present. The West Chapel in the south part of the cemetery was built in 1904 and is Grade II listed. It fell into disuse and is now the Greek OrthodoxChurch of St Barbara the Great Martyr.
Notable structures
The gates and gate piers designed by Penson at the original entrance to the cemetery are still present, and are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. Also listed at Grade II is a bridge over the drive in the north section of the cemetery, which was designed by Penson. In the north part of the cemetery, and listed at Grade II, are the following monuments: to John Graham, Bishop of Chester who died in 1865, to William Makepeace Thackeray, uncle of the novelist of same name, to U Larsing, a missionary to Bengal, who died in 1863, to Revd Richard Knill, who died in 1857, and his wife, who died in 1870, to Samuel Venables, master of Chester Bluecoat School, who died in 1848, to William Brown of Browns of Chester, who died in 1852, and to Henry Raikes, Chancellor of the diocese of Chester. In the south part of the cemetery is a monument to Frederick Coplestone who died in 1932. It dates from 1934, was designed and carved by Eric Gill, and is listed at Grade II*. Also in the south part of the cemetery, and listed at Grade II, are the west chapel, and a cenotaph, in form of a Cross of Sacrifice, to those who died in the First World War. The chapel is currently used by the Greek Orthodox Community of St. Barbara. Another notable gravestone in the cemetery, although not listed, exists to Edward Langtry,, who died in a local lunatic asylum in 1897. Another notable gravestone in the cemetery, with an epitaph "Far From The Bones Of His Ancestors" in both English and Japanese, is that of the Japanese actor Ishiao Ishimura, one of the acting team "The Mikado Family", who died on stage in December 1915 in the Royalty Theatre in Chester when he fell and broke his neck.
Graves
The Overleigh Cemetery database lists details of over 60,000 burials. Photographs of some of the more notable memorials are given on the Chester Walls website. The cemetery contains the graves of 197 Commonwealth service personnel, 127 from World War I and 69 from World War II. Apart from a small war graves plot containing 32 graves from both wars, the graves are dispersed throughout the cemetery.
