Undercliffe Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Undercliffe Cemetery is located between Otley Road and Undercliffe Lane in Bradford
, West Yorkshire
, England
.
The cemetery stands atop a hillside overlooking the city and contains some very impressive Victorian funerary monuments in a variety of styles.
It is a notable example of a Victorian
cemetery where a number of rich and prominent local residents have been buried, notably mill owners and former mayors.
Undercliffe Cemetery is grade II* listed by English Heritage
in their Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
.
Partly in response to this situation the 'Bradford Cemetery Company' was set up and provisionally registered in 1849.
Membership of the company included local notables Henry Brown, Robert Milligan
, William Rand, Edward Ripley and Titus Salt
.
The land used for the cemetery had previously been agricultural land with a farmhouse on part of the Undercliffe Estate of the Hustler family.
The plot was purchased in 1851 by John Horsfall with £3,400 of monies from the Bradford Cemetery Company.
The cemetery was designed and laid out over the years 1851–1854 by park and cemetery designer William Gay (1814–1893) and architect John Dale for the sum of £12,000 for landscaping, planting and building
involving the building in 1854 of two chapels on the main promenade.
The Anglican western section of the cemetery was consecrated
by the Bishop of Ripon on 1 August 1854 and on the 21st the cemetery was opened.
William Gay was appointed the first registrar for the cemetery and Joseph Smith (1800–1858) the first land agent.
With its laid out gardens, lawns, shrubbery and few graves the cemetery became popular for promenading in an age before Bradford had its first public park.
In 1876 the planned westward extension of the cemetery did not happen and the land went for housing.
The two chapels built on the main promenade in the historic core of the cemetery were replaced in 1878 by two larger chapels designed by Lockwood
and Mawson.
Bradford Council at that stage could not justify the cost of adopting the cemetery.
In 1980 the site was sold to a property developer then the chapels were demolished along with the lodges at the north and south entrances and some kerbstones were removed.
It emerged that the registration of the cemetery to the property developer had been refused by the Land Registry under a clause that prohibits the sale of consecrated ground that has been used for burial.
In 1984 after a local campaign, Bradford Council applied to compulsorily purchased the cemetery and the area was made a conservation area
.
A £360,000 three year Community Programme Scheme funded by the Manpower Services Commission
cleared up the results of previous years' neglect
and a lodge from Bowling Cemetery, Bradford was moved to the site and rebuilt at the southern entrance.
In 1987 the management of the cemetery was given over to 'The Undercliffe Cemetery Charity' and in 1988 English Heritage
added the cemetery to its Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest as grade II listed and upgraded it to II star the next year.
A major feature of the cemetery is the long east west promenade the western end having excellent views over Bradford.
Also at the western end is a small bandstand
.
At the historic core the land to the north of the promenade is terraced down to the northern entrance on Otley Road.
Both entrances have a car park but only the south entrance on Undercliffe Lane has a lodge used for adminisration.
Most of the western half of the site is consecrated for Anglican burials while the eastern half is set aside for non-conformist burials such as Baptist
, Methodist, and Quaker.
The Quaker graves are characterised by their identical horizontal ground level memorial stones.
The northern area of the cemetery was set aside for the un-baptised and those who had been excommunicated
or committed suicide.
Communal graves known as 'company plots' are to be found on the southern side of the site where up to thirty coffins at a time were interred in one grave.
Close to the car park at the southern entrance onto Undercliffe Lane is a war memorial to those who died in the first and second world wars.
(1984) one of nearly 60 such areas in Bradford.
Approximately 30 monuments are cleaned each year to remove graffiti
and dirt.
(1963),
L.A. Without a Map
(1998),
and King Girl (TV 1998)
Web
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The cemetery stands atop a hillside overlooking the city and contains some very impressive Victorian funerary monuments in a variety of styles.
It is a notable example of a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
cemetery where a number of rich and prominent local residents have been buried, notably mill owners and former mayors.
Undercliffe Cemetery is grade II* listed by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
in their Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...
.
History
In the early 1800's Bradford's textile industry underwent rapid growth and with it Bradford's population, consequently there was pressure on housing then on burial ground space and this eventually became a health hazard.Partly in response to this situation the 'Bradford Cemetery Company' was set up and provisionally registered in 1849.
Membership of the company included local notables Henry Brown, Robert Milligan
Robert Milligan (Bradford MP)
Robert Milligan was an English Liberal Party politician.He was elected unopposed as Member of Parliament for Bradford in West Yorkshire at a by-election in October 1851, and held the seat until the 1857 general election....
, William Rand, Edward Ripley and Titus Salt
Titus Salt
Sir Titus Salt, 1st Baronet , born in Morley, near Leeds, was a manufacturer, politician and philanthropist in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. His father Daniel Salt was a businessman and was sent Titus to Batley Grammar School...
.
The land used for the cemetery had previously been agricultural land with a farmhouse on part of the Undercliffe Estate of the Hustler family.
The plot was purchased in 1851 by John Horsfall with £3,400 of monies from the Bradford Cemetery Company.
The cemetery was designed and laid out over the years 1851–1854 by park and cemetery designer William Gay (1814–1893) and architect John Dale for the sum of £12,000 for landscaping, planting and building
involving the building in 1854 of two chapels on the main promenade.
The Anglican western section of the cemetery was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
by the Bishop of Ripon on 1 August 1854 and on the 21st the cemetery was opened.
William Gay was appointed the first registrar for the cemetery and Joseph Smith (1800–1858) the first land agent.
With its laid out gardens, lawns, shrubbery and few graves the cemetery became popular for promenading in an age before Bradford had its first public park.
In 1876 the planned westward extension of the cemetery did not happen and the land went for housing.
The two chapels built on the main promenade in the historic core of the cemetery were replaced in 1878 by two larger chapels designed by Lockwood
Henry Francis Lockwood
Henry Francis Lockwood was an influential architect, born at Doncaster on 18 September 1811. His father and grandfather were mayors of Doncaster. He married Emma Day whose great uncle, Charles Day , made a fortune through the Day and Martin company...
and Mawson.
Recent history
Following a decline in the number of burials the Undercliffe Cemetery Company was liquidated in 1977.Bradford Council at that stage could not justify the cost of adopting the cemetery.
In 1980 the site was sold to a property developer then the chapels were demolished along with the lodges at the north and south entrances and some kerbstones were removed.
It emerged that the registration of the cemetery to the property developer had been refused by the Land Registry under a clause that prohibits the sale of consecrated ground that has been used for burial.
In 1984 after a local campaign, Bradford Council applied to compulsorily purchased the cemetery and the area was made a conservation area
Conservation Area (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, the term Conservation Area nearly always applies to an area considered worthy of preservation or enhancement because of its special architectural or historic interest, "the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance," as required by the Planning ...
.
A £360,000 three year Community Programme Scheme funded by the Manpower Services Commission
Manpower Services Commission
The Manpower Services Commission was a non-departmental public body of the Department of Employment Group in the United Kingdom created by Edward Heath's Conservative Government in 1973. The MSC had a remit to co-ordinate employment and training services in the UK through a ten-member commission...
cleared up the results of previous years' neglect
and a lodge from Bowling Cemetery, Bradford was moved to the site and rebuilt at the southern entrance.
In 1987 the management of the cemetery was given over to 'The Undercliffe Cemetery Charity' and in 1988 English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
added the cemetery to its Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest as grade II listed and upgraded it to II star the next year.
Layout
The cemetery is at a height of 210 m above sea level with an area of 26 acres (10 hectares) accommodating some 124,000 burials and about 23,000 marked graves.A major feature of the cemetery is the long east west promenade the western end having excellent views over Bradford.
Also at the western end is a small bandstand
Bandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
.
At the historic core the land to the north of the promenade is terraced down to the northern entrance on Otley Road.
Both entrances have a car park but only the south entrance on Undercliffe Lane has a lodge used for adminisration.
Most of the western half of the site is consecrated for Anglican burials while the eastern half is set aside for non-conformist burials such as Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, Methodist, and Quaker.
The Quaker graves are characterised by their identical horizontal ground level memorial stones.
The northern area of the cemetery was set aside for the un-baptised and those who had been excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
or committed suicide.
Communal graves known as 'company plots' are to be found on the southern side of the site where up to thirty coffins at a time were interred in one grave.
Close to the car park at the southern entrance onto Undercliffe Lane is a war memorial to those who died in the first and second world wars.
Memorials
The cemetery contains the graves and memorials of the rich and famous, local industrialists, ex-mayors, businessmen, professionals, mill workers and their relatives.Listed buildings
Six of the memorials in the cemetery have listed building status and all are in good condition except for the Swithin Anderton monument.- Joseph Smith Obelisk (mid/late C19), a prominent 30 ft tall grey granite obeliskObeliskAn obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
to Joseph Smith, surveyor, businessman and land agent to the cemetery company. - Mawson Monument (1889), a monument to William Mawson, architect partner of Henry LockwoodHenry Francis LockwoodHenry Francis Lockwood was an influential architect, born at Doncaster on 18 September 1811. His father and grandfather were mayors of Doncaster. He married Emma Day whose great uncle, Charles Day , made a fortune through the Day and Martin company...
– a granite obelisk on a pedestalPedestalPedestal is a term generally applied to the support of a statue or a vase....
. - Swithin Anderton Monument (1860), a Scott MonumentScott MonumentThe Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott . It stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, opposite the Jenners department store on Princes Street and near to Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station.The tower is high, and has a series of viewing decks...
inspired memorial to Swithin Anderton, JPJP-People:* Jayaprakash Narayan, a late Indian freedom fighter and politician* Jayaprakash Narayan , an Indian politician and founder of Lok Satta Party...
and family, signed I S L Thornton. - Illingworth Mausoleum (~1860), a grey granite mausoleumMausoleumA mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
of the Illingworth family, owners of Whetley Mills on Thornton Road, in the style of an Egyptian mastabaMastabaA mastaba, or "pr-djt" , is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with outward sloping sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians of Egypt's ancient period...
. - Behrens Monument (1889), a monument in renaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
style to Sir Jacob BehrensJacob BehrensSir Jacob Behrens was an Anglo–German textile merchant. His company, Sir Jacob Behrens & Son Ltd., was established in 1834 and still operates today...
and family. - Miles Moulson Monument (~1856) a monumental sculpture to the Moulson family of Horton by J Throp, sculptorSculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
. Miles Moulson himself was a monumental masonMonumental masonryMonumental masonry is a kind of stonemasonry focussed on the creation, installation and repairs of headstones and other memorials.- Cultural significance :...
.
The Undercliffe Cemetery Conservation Area
After the opening of Undercliffe cemetery several surrounding properties were built on a speculative basis; a row of houses on Undercliffe Lane known as Guy's Cliffe and properties on Undercliffe Old Road named Westfield Crescent and West View and all these properties now constitute the Undercliffe Cemetery Conservation AreaConservation Area (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, the term Conservation Area nearly always applies to an area considered worthy of preservation or enhancement because of its special architectural or historic interest, "the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance," as required by the Planning ...
(1984) one of nearly 60 such areas in Bradford.
The Undercliffe Cemetery Charity
The site is owned by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council but operated and maintained by the 'Undercliffe Cemetery Charity' and their volunteers, and it is still an operational cemetery with ongoing burials.Approximately 30 monuments are cleaned each year to remove graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
and dirt.
Cultural references
The cemetery was used as a location in the films Billy LiarBilly Liar (film)
Billy Liar is a 1963 film based on the novel by Keith Waterhouse. It was directed by John Schlesinger and stars Tom Courtenay as Billy and Julie Christie as Liz, one of his three girlfriends. Mona Washbourne plays Mrs. Fisher, and Wilfred Pickles played Mr. Fisher...
(1963),
L.A. Without a Map
L.A. Without a Map
L.A. Without a Map is a 1998 film directed by Mika Kaurismäki and written by Mika Kaurismäki and Richard Rayner, based on his novel. The film stars David Tennant, Vinessa Shaw, Julie Delpy, Vincent Gallo, and Johnny Depp It is a French, British and Finnish production.Also known under the titles:...
(1998),
and King Girl (TV 1998)
Further reading
Books- In Loving Memory – The Story of Undercliffe Cemetery, Colin Clark & Reuben Davison, Sutton Publishing.
Web
- Website: The Undercliffe Cemetery Charity
- Webpages: Bradford Libraries, Archives & Information Service, English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, Find a Grave
- Cemetery maps: City of Bradford MDC, Conservation Area
- Historic photographs: Bradford Libraries, Archives & Information Service, Science & Society Picture Library
- Listed buildings: Swithin Anderton Monument, Behrens Monument, Illingworth Mausoleum, Mawson Monument, Miles Moulson Monument and Joseph Smith Obelisk
- Guy's Cliffe at British Listed Buildings
- AnaglyphsAnaglyph imageAnaglyph images are used to provide a stereoscopic 3D effect, when viewed with glasses where the two lenses are different colors, such as red and cyan. Images are made up of two color layers, superimposed, but offset with respect to each other to produce a depth effect...
: Flickr (red / cyan 3D glasses required).