Sheffield General Cemetery: Much-loved 187-year-old heritage "treasure" restored after years of work

The work included repairing catacombs, stabilising monuments, and supporting derelict walls which are close to two centuries old.
By Chloe Aslett
Published 23rd Oct 2023, 16:41 BST
Updated 23rd Oct 2023, 16:41 BST
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Sheffield General Cemetery has undergone extensive repair work costing £3.8 million, aiming to restore the Heritage Park as a "green oasis" for generations to come.

The cemetery closed to burials in 1978, after almost 87,000 people were laid to rest there over 92 years. It is now a designated Local Nature Reserve.

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After reopening in June, and works now having been fully completed, those involved will be celebrating their success and Sheffield's heritage on October 25 with a gathering at the reserve.

Dave Hunt, Chair of Sheffield General Cemetery Trust, said: "Completion of the project has been eagerly awaited by the 95 volunteers and staff of the Trust, which was originally set up almost 35 years ago to start the enormous task of bringing the cemetery back from dereliction. 

"We are delighted to see the historic and well-loved site secured for visitors for long into the future."

Many of the paths through Sheffield General Cemetery have been relaid.Many of the paths through Sheffield General Cemetery have been relaid.
Many of the paths through Sheffield General Cemetery have been relaid.

The Sharrow cemetery is an "exceptionally complete" example of the Garden Cemetery Movement, which created spaces focusing on the beauty of the natural world for visitors to reflect on life.

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The work included repairing catacombs, stabilising monuments, and supporting derelict walls which are now close to two centuries old.

£3 million of the project's funding was awarded to Sheffield City Council in 2018 by The National Lottery.

The iconic cemetery, built in 1896, was designed by Sheffield architect Samuel Worth with a chapel, catacombs, a cemetery office and a layout which makes dramatic use of a quarried hillside site. Before the project, Heritage England assessed the cemetery's condition to be 'generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems', but this has now drastically changed for the better.The iconic cemetery, built in 1896, was designed by Sheffield architect Samuel Worth with a chapel, catacombs, a cemetery office and a layout which makes dramatic use of a quarried hillside site. Before the project, Heritage England assessed the cemetery's condition to be 'generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems', but this has now drastically changed for the better.
The iconic cemetery, built in 1896, was designed by Sheffield architect Samuel Worth with a chapel, catacombs, a cemetery office and a layout which makes dramatic use of a quarried hillside site. Before the project, Heritage England assessed the cemetery's condition to be 'generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems', but this has now drastically changed for the better.

Helen Featherstone, Director at The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the north of England, said: "It is very exciting to see the completion of this fantastic project that has carefully restored Sheffield General Cemetery. 

"Conserving our public parks is a high priority of the Heritage Fund as we're committed to promoting environmentally sustainable heritage that increases people’s connection to nature and the world around them, and this project is a wonderful example of that."

Four new accessible car parking spaces, to be located on Cemetery Avenue close to the Gatehouse, will complete the capital works in 2024. 

Related topics:heritageWorkVolunteersBeautyNatureEnglandNorthSheffield City CouncilSheffieldNational Lottery

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