Friends of Arnos Vale Cemetery

On Sunday 28th September 2008 a special ceremony of remembrance was held to mark the restoration of the tomb of Raja Rammohun Roy. India's High Commissioner Shiv Shankar Mukherjee cut a ribbon to mark the completion of the restoration work on the tomb. The High Commissioner described him as the man who taught India "not just to accept and tolerate, but to celebrate diversity".

The campaign for the restoration was led by Arnos Vale Cemetery Trustee and Historian, Carla Contractor. The tomb was originally built in 1843 by Dwarkanath Tagore and designed by William Prinsep in the authentic style of a Bengali 'chattri'. The restoration was generously financed by Aditya K. Poddar, a Singapore-based Bengali businessman, after being approached by the mayor of Kolkata, Bikash Bhattacharya, who saw the state of the tomb in 2006.

The restored tomb of Raja Rammohun Roy on the 28th September 2008
	Visitors attending the ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Raja's death and the restoration of the tomb. After the Ceremony, everyone enjoyed food cooked and prepared by Awaz Utaoh from Easton in Bristol - a charity that helps and supports deprived South Asian people.
Guests at the unveiling included the Lord Mayor of Bristol, members of the Unitarian Church from both Bristol and London (including Lindy Latham the minister from Frenchay and Kevin O'Connor minister from Golders Green), Brahmo Samaj members, Indian-origin councillors and other prominent representatives of the Indian community in Britain. Here we see Richard Smith, the chairman of Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust shaking hands with Councillor Chris Davies Lord Mayor of Bristol.
Photographs by Liz Johnson

July 2008: Grave of Arnos Vale Cemetery Architect Charles Underwood rediscovered

Charles Underwood was the architect who designed and laid out the cemetery and its fine buildings. He died in 1883 aged 93 and a search of the records indicated that his remains were buried in his cemetery somewhere behind the Anglican Chapel. Like many other parts of the cemetery the area is seriously overgrown but some careful exploration and clearing by a small group of 'Friends' resulted in success:-

On Thursday 15th May, Councillor Chris Davies, the Lord Mayor of Bristol, performed the turf cutting ceremony marking the next phase of restoration at the cemetery.

At last contractors are on site and preparing to carry out major building works over the next 12-18 months. over the next few weeks port-a-cabins will be located outside of the non-conformist chapel and panels will be erected to protect trees and monuments that might otherwise be at risk. Visitors are still welcome at the cemetery but parking is severely restricted on site and there will be restricted access in some areas where work is in progress.

At significant times of the year, floral tributes appear all over the cemetery especially in the 'Gardens of rest'. Arnos Vale is a place of remembrance for Bristolians and visitors from all over the world. While some may visit regularly, this is not possible for others who live far away. However, before Christmas, one family group wanted to include a visit to the ancestral grave as part of their reunion and we were delighted to run a special cemetery tour for them - although it was rather cold and windy! Best wishes and a happy new year to the 'Townshend clan'!

In 1990, Joyce became the APAC Committee Secretary (now known as the 'Friends of Arnos Vale Cemetery'). Since 1998, she has been our treasurer and in 1999 she took on the additional task of membership secretary. She has organised and supported countless events, conducted tours, given presentations, talks and does regular voluntary works at the cemetery. Now our own Joyce Smith has been made an 'MBE' in recognition of the hard work she has put into our campaign to save Arnos Vale and bring it back to its former glory. Two years ago, her husband Richard Smith was made an 'MBE' in recognition of all the amazing work he has done to save Arnos Vale and we are delighted that Joyce has now been recognised for her own efforts.

It is always exciting to 'rediscover' the grave of a person of note - perhaps a family member or someone who 'made a difference' in their day. Rowland Brotherhood was laid to rest in Arnos Vale in 1883 - 'under a large pink granite slab' it was reported. We've found that pink granite slab and having now the undergrowth is cleared, you wouldn't believe that this fine polished stone had been there for almost 125 years! Rowland Brotherhood was a railway engineer who helped his friend Isambard Kingdom Brunel build the Great Western Railway. He built his engineering work in Chippenham and if you go to the Chippenham museum you can get the full story.

Work has been carried out in the area of Mary Carpenter's grave to repair the cross which was in danger of falling from its plinth and also to rebuild the grave in front which was subsiding into the path. Thanks are due to The Friends, Avon Gardens Trust, Unitarians and Co-operative Funeralcare who made generous donations and also to Bristol & West Memorials who carried out the work (for a very low!) 'cost price'.

Volunteers have been busy clearing the paths and some graves behind the Garden of Rest where some of the oldest graves in the cemetery are found. One of these graves proved to be that of William Humphries who died in 1848. For 44 years, he was Governor of Bristol Gaol (the gates of this Gaol still survive today adjacent to 'The New Cut' - a channel which was made for the river Avon when the Bristol Docks were modified in the early 1800's). He was Governor at the time of the Bristol Riots of 1831 and the story goes that he was taking refreshment at the Bathhurst Hotel across the road when the mob attacked his Gaol and "he was forced to stay there and watch the destruction" (wise man!).

The guided tour which 35 people enjoyed on Saturday 6th October was the last heritage tour of 2007 but The 2008 tour programme begins in March 2008. The Friends and others have been busy at the cemetery throughout 2007 and many who attended our tours during the year applauded all the hard work of volunteers. When our new tour programme starts, we anticipate that major restoration work to the historic buildings and structures in the cemetery will be under way. This work will restrict access in some areas (particularly around the buildings) during opening times and result in temporary diversions for tour groups. In addition we anticipate that limited car parking within the cemetery will only be available for those visiting graves/gardens of rest privately (note that other visitors who drive into the cemetery while the restoration work is being done will not be able to park and their vehicles may be at risk or obstructed by contractors vehicles and equipment). See the restoration section of this website for progress reports on the Restoration project.

Bramble has been cleared from the area behind the non-conformist chapel in preparation for restoration work and to improve visibility in the area. This has facilitated the rediscovery of the grave of Anthony Norris Groves (1795-1853). He was a Christian missionary in the Middle East and a founder of the Plymouth Brethren. His sister Mary married George Műller and Groves' writing concerning the Bible's teaching about material possessions had a major impact on the life of George Műller, the founder of the famous Orphanage in Bristol.

The Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust set up the 'Guardian Angels' who subscribe regularly providing generous support to help restore, repair and reopen the cemetery. The Friends were pleased to take part in the annual 'thank you' on Saturday when around 80 'Angels' joined us for tea and biscuits in the Non Conformist chapel and enjoyed either a heritage tour, wildlife tour or an interesting talk on the social reformer Mary Carpenter.

2007 is the 60th Anniversary of Indian independence as a Nation and therefore it is most appropriate that a generous donation of $100,000 (approx. 50,000) was presented by a Calcutta businessman to Carla Contractor, Arnos Vale Trustee, for the restoration of the Tomb of Raja Rammohun Roy, the father of modern India

Arnos Vale Cemetery will be featured on Radio Bristol on Sunday 29th April - tune in between 9 - 10.00 to hear Trevor Fry walking around Arnos Vale with Mary Payne M.B.E. and others, chatting about the wildlife and the history of the cemetery.

Visitors to the cemetery enjoyed a drink and a snack in the sunshine on the steps of the Non-conformist Chapel on Saturday. Thanks to all those who attended and supported FAVC.

Over 40 visitors enjoyed the Owl Prowl at Arnos Vale on Wednesday evening, including a 'choir' of young people who's owl calls were as good as the real ones! We learned about the Barn Owl, Little Owl, Long Eared Owl, Short Eared Owl and the Tawny Owl. On this special occasion, our guide, Ian, introduced us to three Owls who joined him for the evening. It was a wonderful evening, many thanks to Ian and Matt and their three feathered friends.

All kinds of birds and other wildlife inhabit the cemetery now, including the Owl's favourite food - field voles. One of the visitors on the Owl Prowl was Howard Utting, who's father was Superintendent of Arnos Vale Cemetery. He recalled 50 years ago when the cemetery was well cared for; in the middle of the cemetery were trees sheltering stables where the hearse horses were kept. After the gates closed the Superintendent's family who lived in the cemetery could visit this area at dusk (if they were brave enough!) where they had a good chance of seeing the shadows of Tawny Owls that lived there and hearing their " tu-whit tu-whoo"calls.

A new wildlife walks programme has been announced. In 2007 each walk will focus on a specific aspect of wildlife, such as birdsong, flowers trees or Bats etc. - visit the tours page for full details

Woodland Management activities at Arnos Vale have been continuing for over two months now and some areas are beginning to open up and let more light in. Removing some of the self-seeded ash and sycamore will prevent further damage to the graves and walls and encourage a more diverse range of plants to grow which will, in turn, attract a wider range of wildlife. It will also improve the structure of the remaining trees - particularly the original historic trees, a few of which pre-date the cemetery. Some of the wood will be heaped in certain areas to provide 'dead wood habitat' for plants animals and insects; in other cases the wood will be removed. [Visitors who come to the to the cemetery to asking for logs for burning or woodworking are currently very welcome - please make a contribution towards the restoration fund in return for the wood. You can send an email enquiry about this to wood@arnosvalefriends.org.uk ]

Daniel Burges (VC, DSO, Croix de Guerre avec Palme, Greek Military Cross) was awarded a VC in the Great War. He died in 1946 at the age of 73 and his body was cremated at Arnos Vale but until now, there has been no memorial to honour him. This new plaque will take pride of place on a new memorial wall which is yet to be built but it can be seen at its temporary home in the West Lodge at Arnos Vale where historical information is also on display.

Professional contractors began a programme of work involving various parts of the cemetery to thin out some of the ash and sycamore trees and remove some of the self-seeded saplings. This will allow in light which will encourage a more diverse range of plants to grow and allow the original historic trees to survive.

The five original Books of Remembrance are now on display in the West Lodge (near the Bath Road entrance) Monday - Saturday, 10.00AM - 1.00PM or by special arrangement with the Trust.

The fragile nature of the Books means they cannot be touched and must be kept inside the glass display case.

The Books were bought by the Evening Post parent company, Northcliffe Newspapers Group, on behalf of the people of Bristol. The purchase was sanctioned by Northcliffe's Chairman, Lord Rothermere who is patron of the 5.5m fundraising appeal to renovate Bristol Cathedral.

Bristol United Press displayed the books at the Evening Post front office as a temporary measure but following the restoration of the West Lodge, as promised the Books have now been returned to Arnos Vale where they rightfully belong.

We take this opportunity to extend our grateful thanks to everyone at the Evening Post and to Lord Rothermere for all the effort which has gone into getting the Books back. We owe them a debt of gratitude.

If you would like to join the Friends of Arnos Vale Cemetery, please email: membership@arnosvalefriends.org.uk or write to: Mrs Joyce Smith, Membership Secretary, 15 Aintree Drive, Downend, Bristol BS16 6SY - or go to our membership page to download a form.