SK3448 : Belper Cemetery
taken 7 years ago, near to Belper, Derbyshire, England
The cemetery was created in 1857 on land purchased mainly from the Strutt family, totalling about 15 acres, and consecrated in 1859.
The Birmingham architect Edward Holmes was employed to design the buildings – these include the entrance lodge, the chapel building and the boundary wall alongside the A6. The layout was entrusted to William Barron, head gardener at Elvaston Castle near Derby.
The chapel building incorporates separate chapels for Anglican and – as shown on 19th century OS maps – Dissenters either side of a covered way for hearses which is surmounted by a tall spire.
This, the lodge and the boundary wall are all Listed Grade II, separately. The area covered by the original purchase is designated as a Historic Park and Garden, Grade II. This recognises the strength of the original layout with curving drives and that much of the original tree planting remains intact.
The cemetery has been significantly extended southwards from the late 19th century onwards, most recently in 2011/12.
Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.
In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.
There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.
In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.
In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)
Read more at Wikipedia Link