Wardsend Cemetery

Location/Address

Wardsend Cemetery Club Mill Road Sheffield

Type

Park or garden

Coherent areas of land designed and/or managed for leisure purposes.

Description

Wardsend Cemetery is a Church of England burial ground on the steep slopes above the River Don at the northern end of Club Mill Road. The cemetery opened in 1857 as a detached parochial burial ground for St Philip's parish, whose church and churchyard stood some distance away near the junction of Infirmary Road and Penistone Road. The cemetery consists of two parts. The original 1857 part was of 5¼ acres (2.13 ha) and was bounded along its eastern side by the former Sheffield, Lincolnshire and Manchester Railway (still in use for local freight movements). In 1901 an extension of 2 acres (0.81 ha) was opened on the other side of the railway. From that time the cemetery became a rare example of a cemetery traversed by a working railway line. The two parts of the cemetery are connected by a bridge which was constructed by the railway company some years before the creation of the cemetery. The bridge is for foot traffic only as the roadway is stepped. Another bridge which is closely related to the cemetery but is not part of the site, carries traffic across the river Don. This is Wardsend Bridge which today is a modern construction. The original bridge was destroyed by the 2007 floods. It was built by the local landowner shortly after 1857 to allow funerals a direct route to the cemetery from Owlerton. The cemetery closed in 1988. Since then the layout of the cemetery, its paths and memorials have remained intact though dilapidated and covered with abundant vegetation. There are many gravestones in their original positions. Although some have fallen or lean at precarious angles, the great majority are in excellent condition. The cemetery once contained a chapel and a house for a resident sexton. These buildings were demolished in the 1950s. The platform on which the chapel stood survives. A limited archaeoligical excavation a few years ago revealed wall footings and the remains of tiles that decorated those walls. The footings of the sexton's house are also visible to some extent. The cemetery remains the property of the Church of England, in particular The Vine parish (St Stephen's and St Bartholomew's) as successors to the parish of St Philip's. Sheffield Council accepted responsibility for the management of the site in 2010. They, along with the Friends of Wardsend Cemetery and other partners have worked to control the vegetation in parts of the site, particularly at the front of the cemetery adjacent to Club Mill Road and the river. Website here: https://wardsendcemetery.wordpress.com/

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Age

Wardsend Cemetery opened in June 1857. An extension was opened in 1901. The cemetery closed in 1988 though no individual interments had taken place since 1974. As a detached parochial burial ground the cemetery was closely linked to its Parish Church of St Philip's (Church of England) which stood near the junction of Infirmary Road and Penistone Road. St Philip's was a 'Million Act' church which opened in 1828 and was closed following damage sustained during the Sheffield Blitz in 1940. The successor-parishes to St Philip's are still the owners of the cemetery. The cemetery has preserved almost in its entirety its original layout shown on 1890s Ordnance Survey maps (for the 1857 section) and 20th century O.S.) maps (with the addition of the 1901 extension). The main differences apparent today are: - the loss of all cemetery buildings, demolished in the 1950s. - the removal, at an unknown date, of boundary fences. - the neglect and dilapidation of many memorials, though the majority are in excellent condition. The covering of the cemetery with a patchwork of woodland, heathland, bracken, brambles and other vegetation.

Rarity

Wardsend Cemetery is one of only two Church of England church cemeteries in Sheffield. For other denominations, the Catholic and Jewish cemeteries in the Rivelin Valley could be considered comparable. A church cemetery is a parochial burial ground, established at a distance from the parish church, on a scale greater than that normally found in churchyards. By their nature Church of England church cemeteries are consecrated spaces administered by one denomination (although this does not prevent individuals of other denominations being buried in the cemetery). This contrasts with municipal cemeteries which generally have sections dedicated to different denominations, and also to Sheffield General Cemetery after a consecrated section was added in 1849. The other church cemetery is Walkley Cemetery which opened in 1880. This is the burial ground for the Church of England parish of St Mary's Walkley which itself was created by the division of the parish of St Philip's.

Architectural and Artistic Interest

Wardsend occupies a steep hillside on the banks of the River Don. When the cemetery opened it was in a rural setting commanding fine views across the meadows to Owlerton and Hillsborough. The retaining walls around the chapel site are mainly constructed from crozzle walls. The mound on which the chapel stood is a mix of crozzle and stone. Crozzle is a by-product from cementation furnaces, a pointer to Sheffield’s industrial past. Wardsend wasn’t a landscaped cemetery. Newspaper reports suggest that this was a cause of dissatisfaction among some of the parishioners. Although demolished in the 1950s the chapel and sexton’s house which were designed by celebrated architects Weightman, Hadfield and Goldie (see photo).

Group Value

There are very few stories from Victorian Sheffield until the cemetery’s closing in the 1980’s to which Wardsend is not connected in some way. We share many stories with other cemeteries and have worked with Sheffield General Cemetery on projects. We have taken the first steps in creating ‘The Sheffield Cemeteries’ which will highlight these connections and create a resource which will be useful for cemetery tourists as well as those interested in family history.

Historic Interest

Wardsend’s fascinating history doesn't only relate to the people who are buried here but also to the surrounding area which went through a period of enormous industrial and social change during the cemetery's 150-year existence and its transformation from rural idyll to the smog and grime of a landscape dominated by steel works, gas works and the coal fired power station. There are strong links with Hillsborough Barracks including Lieutenant George Lambert VC and other veterans of the Indian Rebellion, Crimean War and victims of the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864. It is also the location of the Cemetery riot following rumours of grave robbing by the sexton and the Reverend Livesey, which shocked the people of Sheffield and made the newspapers around the world. It also contains 16 neglected War Graves which the Friends group found and marked in November 2020. We are in conversation with the CWGC about making Wardsend the place of commemoration for these men once more. Wardsend has links to the Sheffield Outrages and the unions. Charles Bagshaw was President of the forerunner to the TUC. Charles Burgon and James Ball, co-founders of Burgon and Ball are both buried at Wardsend. The sheep shears for which they became famous are still made in the traditional way at the nearby Burgon and Ball factory at Malin Bridge.

Archaeological Interest

The cemetery is divided into two parts by the old Sheffield to Manchester railway line which pre-dates it. The lower, original and now wooded part, was opened in 1857. The newer part, above the railway, opened in 1901. It is very different in character being predominantly heath and acid grassland. It contains about 2000 of the near 30,000 burials at Wardsend. The majority of memorials in the old part are well preserved examples of traditional Victorian headstones with several more elaborate memorials. This area includes the site of the old mortuary chapel and sexton’s house which were demolished in 1955. The chapel site was excavated by students from the University of Sheffield in 2015 (see photo). We would like to excavate the sexton’s house of which the foundation walls are clearly visible. A painting in Weston Park Museum: Sheffield and the Valley of the Don by Edward Price 1863 shows the cemetery in its then rural location six years after the cemetery opened, one year after the suspected grave robbing and riot and a year before the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864.

Landmark Status

Wardsend Cemetery has suffered from years of neglect but it is the intention of Friends group to make it a place that the people of Sheffield can appreciate, enjoy and be proud of. Through our tours and other events, the Friends group have been telling its fascinating stories, drawing attention to the rich natural heritage of its riverside, woodland and heathland habitats and developing the old chapel site as a performance space in our ‘theatre in the woods’. Some of the more senior local residents still remember Wardsend when it was open, many have ancestors buried there or remember it as their playground when they were children. Somewhere along the line their connection with Wardsend was broken and we are keen to reconnect people with this wonderful place. In addition to our history and nature tours and events we hold an annual anniversary event with a brass band, folk singers and poetry and a wide range of stalls and activities. We have hosted a performance by students form Sheffield College and the screening of a film made at Wardsend. We are very proud of our partnership work. We have received wonderful support from local businesses and organisations like the Don Catchment Rivers Trust and the fans of Sheffield Wednesday who raised money for a memorial for the unmarked grave of Wednesday’s first superfan Tom Wharton. We have been pleased to work closely with various departments of the University of Sheffield as well as provide placements to young offenders through Remedi. Prior to lockdown we were proud to receive two awards for our community work. As a Northern gateway to Parkwood Springs Wardsend has an important role to play in the regeneration of this important Green Space. The cemetery is located on the Upper Don Trail, an active travel route for leisure and commute from Lady’s Bridge to Stocksbridge and we are confident that when complete it will improve access to the cemetery and attract visitors form near and far.