NZ2364 : Westgate Hill Cemetery
taken 8 years ago, near to Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
Westgate Hill Cemetery is one of the earliest C19th cemeteries in the country and the earliest in the North-East (1829). It is Grade II listed in the English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The cemetery was designed by architect John Green and was 'laid out in an ornamental manner' together with a lodge and chapel. The last burial took place in 1957 and the chapel was demolished in 1970. In the early 1990s the cemetery was acquired by Newcastle City Council. The entrance gates and boundary railings no longer remain and the cemetery is managed as an informal open space. Recent years have seen neglect, significant deterioration and damage to the surviving monuments. These include 15 casualties of the First World War, the location recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission plaque at the entrance.
As the final caption of the video on the Tyneside Silent Cities says: Is this how we show respect for our dead?
Tyneside Silent Cities: Link Archive Link
Pastscape: Link Link