Brandwood End Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Brandwood End Cemetery is a cemetery
located in the Brandwood Ward
of Birmingham
, England
.
church yards and burial grounds were the only major places available for burials. By that time these ancient burial grounds were becoming overcrowded, causing the burials to become shallower and the graveyards to be considered as unsanitary health hazards. Added to this was the massive increase in the population, particularly in the expanding urban industrial areas, which increased the demand for burial space. The situation was further exacerbated by the increased death rate during periodic epidemic
s such as cholera
, occurring unchecked within these overcrowded urban environments.
These burial problems were resolved with the development of ‘public cemeteries for all’. This was initially not under the direction of local or central government, but under Joint Stock Companies
for profit. For example, Key Hill Cemetery
in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter
, founded in 1834, was a local example of such a Joint Stock venture.
However, these efforts by private enterprise could not, by themselves, solve the overall problem, and as a direct result of the cholera epidemics of 1831-1832 and 1848-1849 central government had to take action. Between 1852 and 1857 a series of Burial Acts were passed, which established a national system of public cemeteries under the direction of local Burial Boards. These Boards were responsible for the interment of the dead; could build and manage new cemeteries; and, charge the expenses to the Poor Rate
.
In the late 19th century, King's Norton Rural District Council was one of the largest administrative districts surrounding Birmingham. As Birmingham expanded in the 1880s and its population increasingly settled in this parish due to the new rail and tram routes, it created increasing pressure on the existing church burial grounds. These, like others across the country, were full and unable to expand. To resolve this problem using the new legislation, the Kings Norton RDC resolved to establish a cemetery, in the north of the district where population growth was greatest, but experienced some difficulty in finding a suitable site.
In 1892, the first plan was to build a cemetery in Billesley
, in the parish of Yardley
, but this was abandoned due to objections by the Yardley authorities to the scheme. In 1895, an area of farmland was finally acquired for the purpose of building a new cemetery in Brandwood End
, near Kings Heath
, within the parish of Kings Norton
.
Brandwood End Cemetery was therefore one of the later Victorian Cemeteries, and was formally opened on 13 April 1899, by Mr George Tallis, the Chairman of the Local Cemetery Committee; the cemetery being subsequently incorporated within the City of Birmingham in 1911, under the Greater Birmingham Act, when the city expanded its boundaries.
The two semi-detached mortuary chapel
s stand at the highest point in the cemetery grounds, and provide a dramatic central focus for the cemetery. The chapels are joined by a carriage entrance archway (a ), which is surmounted by a tower and spire. The twin chapels were designed by Mr J. Brewin Holmes, a Birmingham architect, and are built in the Gothic style
with Art Nouveau
details from red brick and terracotta. The mortuary chapel on the east was for Non-conformists and the chapel on the west consecrated for Anglican services. The chapels are mirror images of each other, containing: a chancel, a coffin chamber, a vestry and an underground heating chamber. There is also a Cemetery Lodge, built from red brick and terracotta, which contained the cemetery offices and living quarters for the cemetery Superintendent.
The plans for the original cemetery, drawn up by the Birmingham District Surveyor, are a classic example of the Victorian grid plan design for a cemetery. It contained a grand tree lined central driveway running north to south through the cemetery ground, and passing beneath the carriageway arch between the two mortuary chapels. There are subsidiary pathways which run in an east to west direction, at right angles to the grand central driveway, and which divide the cemetery in to its various Sections. Later extensions to the cemetery grounds: to the west in 1915; to the east in 1917, 1920 and 1950; and two further purchases of small parcels of ground in 1967 and 1996, continued to follow this original grid plan maintaining the original Victorian lay out.
The landscape was a very important aspect in the design of a Victorian cemetery, and Brandwood End was planted with a mixture of evergreen
and deciduous
trees which were popular in that period. Evergreens are concentrated within the original area of land obtained in 1885, and consist of avenues of: Scots pines; Cypress
trees; and, Wellingtonia
. The dark green foliage was deliberately planted to present a striking contrast to the red terracotta chapels. The deciduous planting included Horse-Chestnut, Beech
, Hornbeam
and Poplar
, which were added to existing Oak
trees.
While this was a cemetery for everyone, the most impressive funerary monuments are those grouped around the mortuary chapels, where the local ‘great and the good’ purchased their grave plots. These illustrate a range of early twentieth century styles including Edwardian Italian marble angels and the Art Deco memorials of the 1930s.
In 1929, a ‘Cross of Sacrifice
' was erected in the main central driveway to commemorate those who died in the First World War, and below this, to the east of the drive, a Memorial Garden was laid out in 1952, in memory of the Civilian War dead from the Second World War who are buried in this cemetery.
For the local historian all these ‘new’ Victorian cemeteries, whether privately or publicly constructed, are not simply a new style of burial grounds constructed to answer a burial problem, but a reflection of the attitude of our Victorian and Edwardian predecessors to death, and their cherished memory of the departed.
It is from this 'culture of commemoration' we gain these beautifully landscaped cemeteries, with their Gothic buildings and funerary monuments which are now treasured open spaces within our 21st century urban environment. Many of these Victorian cemeteries, including Brandwood End Cemetery are contained within English Heritage
's, National Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, and many of the Victorian cemetery buildings are contained within the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.
Brandwood End Cemetery is listed as Grade II in both the above registers reflecting its historical value.
It has the full non-political support of the local Birmingham City Councillors for the area and is a registered charity
, number 1114333.
The objectives of The Friends are: to promote for the benefit of the local community and others, the restoration, conservation
and respectful enjoyment of Brandwood End Cemetery and Chapels, including monuments, buildings, records, green spaces, adjacent pool
and allotments
and overall environment.
In June 2011, it was announced that comedian Alistair McGowan
, who has over 30 members of his extended family interred at Brandwood, had become a Patron
of the friends.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
located in the Brandwood Ward
Brandwood
Brandwood is one of 40 wards which constitute Birmingham City Council and is currently part of the Birmingham Hall Green constituency until the next General Election. Following changes to constituency boundaries, after the next General Election it will form part of the constituency of Birmingham...
of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 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...
.
History
Until the early 19th century the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church yards and burial grounds were the only major places available for burials. By that time these ancient burial grounds were becoming overcrowded, causing the burials to become shallower and the graveyards to be considered as unsanitary health hazards. Added to this was the massive increase in the population, particularly in the expanding urban industrial areas, which increased the demand for burial space. The situation was further exacerbated by the increased death rate during periodic epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
s such as cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
, occurring unchecked within these overcrowded urban environments.
These burial problems were resolved with the development of ‘public cemeteries for all’. This was initially not under the direction of local or central government, but under Joint Stock Companies
Joint stock company
A joint-stock company is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more individuals that own shares of stock in the company...
for profit. For example, Key Hill Cemetery
Key Hill Cemetery
Key Hill Cemetery, , originally called Birmingham General Cemetery, a Nonconformist cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Birmingham, England. It opened on 23 May 1836. Located in Hockley, the city's Jewellery Quarter, it is one of two cemeteries there...
in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter
Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
, founded in 1834, was a local example of such a Joint Stock venture.
However, these efforts by private enterprise could not, by themselves, solve the overall problem, and as a direct result of the cholera epidemics of 1831-1832 and 1848-1849 central government had to take action. Between 1852 and 1857 a series of Burial Acts were passed, which established a national system of public cemeteries under the direction of local Burial Boards. These Boards were responsible for the interment of the dead; could build and manage new cemeteries; and, charge the expenses to the Poor Rate
Poor Law Amendment Act 1834
The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, sometimes abbreviated to PLAA, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Lord Melbourne that reformed the country's poverty relief system . It was an Amendment Act that completely replaced earlier legislation based on the...
.
In the late 19th century, King's Norton Rural District Council was one of the largest administrative districts surrounding Birmingham. As Birmingham expanded in the 1880s and its population increasingly settled in this parish due to the new rail and tram routes, it created increasing pressure on the existing church burial grounds. These, like others across the country, were full and unable to expand. To resolve this problem using the new legislation, the Kings Norton RDC resolved to establish a cemetery, in the north of the district where population growth was greatest, but experienced some difficulty in finding a suitable site.
In 1892, the first plan was to build a cemetery in Billesley
Billesley
Billesley may refer to:*Billesley, West Midlands, a district of Birmingham,*Billesley, Warwickshire, a village near Stratford-upon-Avon....
, in the parish of Yardley
Yardley
-Sportspeople:* Bruce Yardley, a former Australian cricketer* George Yardley, a former NBA player* George Yardley , Scottish footballer* Jim Yardley , English cricketer* Norman Yardley, an English cricketer...
, but this was abandoned due to objections by the Yardley authorities to the scheme. In 1895, an area of farmland was finally acquired for the purpose of building a new cemetery in Brandwood End
Brandwood End
Brandwood End is a locality in Birmingham, England, and part of the Brandwood electoral ward. It is the location of Brandwood End Cemetery....
, near Kings Heath
Kings Heath
Kings Heath is a suburb of Birmingham, England, five miles south of the city centre. It is the next suburb south from Moseley on the Alcester Road.-History:...
, within the parish of Kings Norton
Kings Norton
Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.-History:...
.
Brandwood End Cemetery was therefore one of the later Victorian Cemeteries, and was formally opened on 13 April 1899, by Mr George Tallis, the Chairman of the Local Cemetery Committee; the cemetery being subsequently incorporated within the City of Birmingham in 1911, under the Greater Birmingham Act, when the city expanded its boundaries.
The two semi-detached mortuary chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s stand at the highest point in the cemetery grounds, and provide a dramatic central focus for the cemetery. The chapels are joined by a carriage entrance archway (a ), which is surmounted by a tower and spire. The twin chapels were designed by Mr J. Brewin Holmes, a Birmingham architect, and are built in the Gothic style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
with Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
details from red brick and terracotta. The mortuary chapel on the east was for Non-conformists and the chapel on the west consecrated for Anglican services. The chapels are mirror images of each other, containing: a chancel, a coffin chamber, a vestry and an underground heating chamber. There is also a Cemetery Lodge, built from red brick and terracotta, which contained the cemetery offices and living quarters for the cemetery Superintendent.
The plans for the original cemetery, drawn up by the Birmingham District Surveyor, are a classic example of the Victorian grid plan design for a cemetery. It contained a grand tree lined central driveway running north to south through the cemetery ground, and passing beneath the carriageway arch between the two mortuary chapels. There are subsidiary pathways which run in an east to west direction, at right angles to the grand central driveway, and which divide the cemetery in to its various Sections. Later extensions to the cemetery grounds: to the west in 1915; to the east in 1917, 1920 and 1950; and two further purchases of small parcels of ground in 1967 and 1996, continued to follow this original grid plan maintaining the original Victorian lay out.
The landscape was a very important aspect in the design of a Victorian cemetery, and Brandwood End was planted with a mixture of evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
and deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
trees which were popular in that period. Evergreens are concentrated within the original area of land obtained in 1885, and consist of avenues of: Scots pines; Cypress
Cypress
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...
trees; and, Wellingtonia
Wellingtonia
Wellingtonia can mean:*A genus of plants in the family Sabiaceae, usually treated as a synonym of the genus Meliosma.*A vernacular name for the coniferous tree Sequoiadendron giganteum....
. The dark green foliage was deliberately planted to present a striking contrast to the red terracotta chapels. The deciduous planting included Horse-Chestnut, Beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, Hornbeam
Hornbeam
Hornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...
and Poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
, which were added to existing Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees.
While this was a cemetery for everyone, the most impressive funerary monuments are those grouped around the mortuary chapels, where the local ‘great and the good’ purchased their grave plots. These illustrate a range of early twentieth century styles including Edwardian Italian marble angels and the Art Deco memorials of the 1930s.
In 1929, a ‘Cross of Sacrifice
Cross of Sacrifice
The Cross of Sacrifice was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission and is usually present in Commonwealth war cemeteries containing 40 or more graves. It is normally a freestanding four point limestone Latin cross in one of three sizes ranging in height from 18 to...
' was erected in the main central driveway to commemorate those who died in the First World War, and below this, to the east of the drive, a Memorial Garden was laid out in 1952, in memory of the Civilian War dead from the Second World War who are buried in this cemetery.
For the local historian all these ‘new’ Victorian cemeteries, whether privately or publicly constructed, are not simply a new style of burial grounds constructed to answer a burial problem, but a reflection of the attitude of our Victorian and Edwardian predecessors to death, and their cherished memory of the departed.
It is from this 'culture of commemoration' we gain these beautifully landscaped cemeteries, with their Gothic buildings and funerary monuments which are now treasured open spaces within our 21st century urban environment. Many of these Victorian cemeteries, including Brandwood End Cemetery are contained within 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...
's, National Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, and many of the Victorian cemetery buildings are contained within the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.
Brandwood End Cemetery is listed as Grade II in both the above registers reflecting its historical value.
Friends
The Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery (FBEC) arose from community interest in maintaining this historic landscaped Victorian Cemetery, which is also a valued green open space within an urban setting. The group officially commenced its activities following an inaugural meeting on 21 July 2005, when its Constitution was agreed and an Executive Committee elected by a well attended public meeting.It has the full non-political support of the local Birmingham City Councillors for the area and is a registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, number 1114333.
The objectives of The Friends are: to promote for the benefit of the local community and others, the restoration, conservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
and respectful enjoyment of Brandwood End Cemetery and Chapels, including monuments, buildings, records, green spaces, adjacent pool
Reflecting pool
A reflecting pool or reflection pool is a water feature found in gardens, parks, and at memorial sites. It usually consists of a shallow pool of water, undisturbed by fountain jets, for a calm reflective...
and allotments
Allotment (gardening)
An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
and overall environment.
In June 2011, it was announced that comedian Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
, who has over 30 members of his extended family interred at Brandwood, had become a Patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
of the friends.
External links
- Birmingham City Council page
- Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery
- parks & Gardens UK (details of National Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England entry)