Arnos Vale Cemetery

Arnos Vale Cemetery is located between the A37, Wells Road, and the A4, Bath Road, in Bristol. The main entrance is from Bath Road and there is pedestrian access from Wells Road via Cemetery Road. A frequent bus service passes from the city centre and Temple Meads Railway Station, the bus stop is by the main gates.

The industrial revolution saw a massive increase in the population of England’s towns and cities where private companies began to establish large cemeteries from about 1830 onwards to resolve (and profit from) the scandalous overcrowding of inner city churchyards. One such cemetery was Arnos Vale, set up in 1837 through a private Act of Parliament establishing the Bristol General Cemetery Company.

When the Health in Towns Act of 1855 finally closed the old City churchyards, Arnos Vale was the only place of burial in Bristol until Greenbank Cemetery was opened in 1871.

Arnos Vale Cemetery was designed to be visually attractive in the style of a Greek Necropolis, with mortuary chapels and other buildings bordering a beautiful garden of trees and plants noted in classical legend, with the backdrop of a steep hillside terraced like an amphitheatre.

Today, the 45 acre site is of considerable ecological importance, having progressed from mediaeval countryside to Georgian estate to Victorian Cemetery to the present day with almost no use of chemical pesticides or insecticides, it is now a rare urban haven for wildlife and plants.

There are four fine buildings within the Cemetery - two Entrance Lodges and two Mortuary Chapels (Anglican and Non-conformist). All four buildings are listed Grade II*. Designed by Charles Underwood and built using the finest materials so that the high quality of the building probably saved them from even greater dereliction, given their lack of maintenance and attention over the last two decades of the 20th century.

The Doric style Lodges were the working office buildings and the home to the Cemetery Superintendent and his family. They were linked by a tunnel running under the main drive-in area between them.

The Ionic styled Non-conformist Chapel is more elegant than the Lodges but still with sufficient moral simplicity to satisfy the religious ‘dissenters’.

Non-conformist Chapel c. 1870

The Corinthian styled Anglican Chapel is the grandest building, set at the crest of two inclines which enhances its majestic proportions with its stunning bell tower.

Anglican Chapel c.1870

The names of many prominent Victorian and Edwardian families appear on elaborate memorials such as ‘Wills’ and ‘Robinson’ who provided the generations of Bristol with much needed employment in their heydays. Great social reformers such as George Muller, Mary Carpenter and Raja Rammohun Roy rest in the Arcadian Garden area. Among the 'ordinary' citizens resting nearby are survivors of the Charge of the Light Brigade, and a police officer murdered in Old Market whilst trying to intervene over the ill-treatment of a donkey.

In 1891 it was necessary to incorporate a further area, previously used as allotments, into Arnos Vale Cemetery. In this flat area to the south of the Cemetery, many 20^th century people were buried, particularly railway workers and their families from Totterdown and Pylle Hill.

In 1929 the Bristol Crematorium was opened at Arnos Vale, using the crypt of the Non-conformist Chapel to house part of it, and further buildings were added around it in the 1950s. In its day, it was a state of the art installation and the first Crematorium in the West of England. Subsequently municipal crematoria were also opened in Bristol, and a private crematorium was opened in South Gloucestershire, to the north-east of Bristol, creating a situation of over-capacity.

Decline and Threat of Closure

In the late 1980s, Arnos Vale, together with other Victorian cemeteries, reached a critical situation; practically ‘full’, income dwindling, less money to pay for staff and maintenance. Changes in social outlook led to vandalism and indifference. Many of the once-splendid memorials have fallen and wind-born seeds of Ash and Sycamore grow, once grassed areas are now choked with bramble, bindweed and knotweed closing paths once walked by visitors to their family graves.

In 1987, alarmed by a press report that the private owner of the Cemetery had announced aspirations to clear and commercially develop a large section of the Cemetery, a group of concerned locals came together to form the ‘Association for the Preservation of Arnos Vale Cemetery’ (APAC) (later changed to ‘Friends of Arnos Vale Cemetery’). They campaigned to secure a safe future for Arnos Vale, supported by the Bristol council, Bristol citizens and many people worldwide.

In 1998 Arnos Vale Cemetery reached crisis point, it lost its cremation licence, and the owners announced they were closing the Cemetery and locking the gates. In the event, the office was closed down, but bowing to public pressure, the gates were left unlocked. A few dedicated volunteers took responsibility for opening and closing the gates on a daily basis, a vital task also carried out was a basic level of site maintenance to keep it safe for visitors.

In April 2001, convinced by the high level of public pressure, the Bristol City Council made a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), after the failure of negotiations with the owner to buy the Cemetery. A prolonged legal battle culminated in the CPO “going forward unimpugned” and the ownership of Arnos Vale Cemetery passed into the hands of the City Council on 7 August 2003 - out of private ownership for the first time in its existence.

With the generous assistance of Northcliffe Newspapers, who own the Bristol Evening Post, the Books of Remembrance have been acquired and are now on display at the cemetery (to view please see opening times)

In the meantime, the Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust had been set up and was awarded charitable status. On 7 August 2003 the City Council licensed the Trust exclusively to manage Arnos Vale Cemetery.

Whilst the site had been acquired, the business records, including the burial and cremation records remained with the former owner. In spite of vigorous campaigning by the Friends and Trust, these records while safely stored and maintained, were not available to the public until the City obtained a Statutory Instrument from the Government to transfer the records to the City.

It is now possible to request a search of the records which include approximately 50,000 graves, 170,000 burials and 123,000 cremations. Full details are on the Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust website.

Alternative ownership has secured the cemetery against private commercial development. An Endowment Fund has been set up to be managed by the Greater Bristol Foundation, to provide ongoing revenue to maintain the Cemetery after the restoration has been carried out. After much hard work by members of the Trust and their consultants under the guidance of Richard Smith, a bid for Heritage Lottery Funding was successful in December 2005 and £4.8million had been awarded from the fund towards the restoration of the cemetery buildings and grounds. This sum however only represents about 75% of the required costs, a further £600,000 has to be raised through fund raising projects organised by the Trust and Friends.

West Lodge Opening Ceremony - March 2006

A programme for the restoration and regeneration of the site was established under the project management of Bristol City Council. This included the four main buildings, landscaping, paths and some principal monuments. The West Lodge was restored with the backing of English Heritage and Bristol City Council; this was the first building to be used by the Trust in March 2006 as offices with part as a visitor's centre and the books of remembrance on display.

A second phase was completed in the spring of 2007 with tree works to remove some of the self seeded trees with other undergrowth generally to form widened access corridors based on the original drives and footpaths. This is primarily to allow light at ground level and to encourage diversity of plants and shrubs.

The main restoration building programme began in March 2008 and was completed in November 2009.

The second lodge was available from March 2009 and is now used as the visitors reception and also a shop selling quality gifts and associated items. The basement has been fitted out as a place for volunteers; the remaining space on the top floor is currently used by Trust staff.

The Anglican chapel has been restored to its former excellence, including the plasterwork and tiled floor. The original fixed seating was lost some time ago and not replaced. The building is now available for hire, for a multitude of uses; please refer to the Trust website for details.

The former Non-conformist chapel is now an education centre and has been considerably remodelled including a new glazed entrance foyer with basement facilities including toilets. The building is now known as the Spielman Education Centre and also contains a display of artefacts from its days as a crematorium.

The West Lodge, the first building completed, now houses the main interpretation displays as well as the Crematorium Books of Remembrance. There are staff offices on the top floor.

Much of the refurbishment was funded by the Heritage Lottery Foundation (HLF) but also through donations and fundraising. The Friends played an active role in the refurbishment phase by fundraising for particular projects and also providing volunteer time which was used for 'match funding towards the HLF grant. The Friends to date have donated in excess of £65,000 to the cemetery as well as the greater part of the £250,000 of volunteer time.

The Group of Friends and Trustees are all volunteers who have worked relentlessly to ensure that the cemetery was saved and restored. For a number of years Richard Smith was chairman of both Trust and Friends and was awarded an MBE in 2006. His wife Joyce was also awarded an MBE in 2008 for her significant contributions including various roles on the Friends Committee.

The crematorium is no longer functioning but existing burial rights are to be honoured by the Trust and in addition cremated remains can be scattered in the two gardens of rest, further details are on the Trust website.

Arnos Vale once again welcomes visitors who wish to visit a place of quiet reflection and rest and somewhere to remember those no longer with us. Many parts of the Cemetery no longer tended, are now a haven for wild life. The environment varies from woodland to open meadow and is the breeding habitat of many species.
	In the winter it offers refuge to many migrants who find shelter and food in the berry-rich bushes. The spring brings carpets of primroses and bluebells and the birds, including southern visitors filling the air with song. The ecology of the site will be sensitively balanced with the need to access family graves safely
Arnos Vale Cemetery now has a secure future which means that already some of the aims of the Friends and the Trust have been achieved. Working together with Bristol City Council, they are confident that with the help of those who care, Arnos Vale will once again achieve the respect, dignity and prestige which inspired its inception.