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Key Hill and Warstone Lane Cemeteries

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wendy
  • Start date Start date
Thanks for posting that item Wendy. Such a huge list of projects but at least people can see what's what as it were. Good news about Key Hill and Warstone
Cemeteries. I really believe the children should be involved in some way in these projects and not just let heritage buildings, etc. rot away.
 
It was nice to see it on the local news. The local shools do get involved there have been various school projects involving the people buried at Key Hill. The local scout group helped with one of the clean up days.
 
I saw the article on Central News. They were on about vandalism at Warstone Lane and Key Hill - but a lot of that was "authorised" vandalism, i.e. Birmingham City Council.
Don't get me started !!!!!
 
hi wendy. so glad something is being done at last with the cemetary. i also saw the item on the news and straight away i thought of you. do you remember when i was there a few months ago (i fell in a pot hole) now dont laugh. anyway i got talking to a chap who was going round with a clip board taking notes. anyway he was very helpful and although i know a lot of damage has been done due to pure vandalism i noticed lots of headstones that were perfectly intact were just lying flat on the ground and not upright as they used to be. when i asked him why this was he said the council had ordered it as it was due to health and safety in case the wind blew them over on to passers by. i must admit if this is the case i find this is a lack of respect( to the people buried there and any of their remainng family )on the councils part just to go along pushing the headstones down. hopefully they will be put back upright in due course.best wishes wales.
 
Hello wales thanks for thinking of me. Yes I am so pleased something will at last be done. I know all about health and safety, it upset me so much to see what was done in this beautiful cemetery in the name of safety. I took these photo's after one visit in 2004 as you can see by the colour of the broken parts, the headstones were actually broken.:(
 
i saw many like that wendy on my recent visit but like i said there were also lots on the ground that were not damaged. anyway lets hope that in the near future all will be back to some sort of normality and respect will prevail. my very best wishes. wales. (lyn)
 
Wales
The laying down of gravestones may be an edict from the government or the local authority. Certainly I found four years ago in Bushbury cemetery in Wolverhampton that all new stones had to be flat, and you couldn't have ones standing up.

Mike
 
The reason for the laying down of gravestones is one child was killed by a toppling stone and two were injured. The laying of 'unsafe' stones is ongoing in every cemetery in the UK. Churches have to test their own because of public liability insurance.
 
I was in Warstone Lane cemetery yesterday as i have relatives buried there, i was sad to see so much litter lying about especially along the Pittsford St side where it looks like people just throw stuff out of their parked cars. There was still the same litter near my relatives grave that was there weeks ago, i was very tempted to pick it up but i was with friends and the pub was calling. Anyone know if any clean ups are due, i'd love to help,

Brumgum.
 
hi brumgum...its very sad i know to see the state of some of our cemeteries..wendy is our expert on this and may be able to provide you with any forthcoming tidy ups...

astoness:)
 
It is such a shame about Warstone Lane Cemetery:(. I have seen council workers clearing there but it's a momouth task. There time is limited all down to money I'm afraid. I am a memeber of the friends of Key Hill Cemetery and we have several clean up days. There are wonderful volunteers who work there all the time. The cemetery is now almost unrecognisable from what it was like a few years ago. It was overgrown untidy graves and rubbish and leaves everywhere. It would be nice if someone set up a 'Friends' group for Warstone Lane that would make a lot of differece. Local companies get involved and bring the workforce down on these organised days. Perhaps one day someone will set up a group for Warstone Lane. I do hope so!:)
 
I thought this was a better place to put pictures around Warstone Lane cemetery, rather than the 1969-73 thread. I haven't been there since the 70s, but, from what I read, it's not like this now. When I was taking them I was more interested in the buildings surrounding it than the cemetery itself, but you may find them interesting. They are all seem to have been taken pointing towards the back of the buildings that run up Vyse st from Warstone lane. The first two (10 & 11) are the side of no 10 vyse st, so on the first one Vyse st is to the left at the end of the wall. Numbers
12 - 17 must run going to the left along the back of Vyse st, and no 17, showing the PO tower, would be close to the lodge.
mike


E-mail_10_warstone__cemetery_.jpg


E-mail_11__warstone_lane_cemetery.jpg


E-mail_12__warstone_lane_cemetery.jpg


E-mail_13__warstone_lane_cemetery.jpg




E-mail_14__warstone_lane_cemetery.jpg
 
lovely pics mike...what a difference 30 odd years make...one would think as time goes on the upkeep of our cemeteries would be of a better standard....compering your pics to the way they are today proves different....

lyn:)
 
Wonderful photo's again Mike. I have walked around Warstone Lane Cemetery a few times sad to say it doesn't look like these photos. But it is nice to compare the area. I find it sad that even the Mint has gone now!

On the subject of our cemeteries it has been noticed that since the big clear and clean up at Key Hill the cemetery is being used a lot more. No druggies and prostitutes around now. The police cycle through regularly, even the local office staff spending lunch breaks there. It just shows what can be done with care and dedication. Mainly this is work done by two men!:)
 
Is there a record kept of the Grave Sites, if so could you please tell me where the records are kept. My Grandfather Frederick William Benson died in 1904, at the time he was living in Key Hill and would possibly have been buried at Key Hill Cemetery. This is a great site.
Best regards
Lionel Benson
Australia
 
Hello Lionel,

Dick Empson along with others are transcribing these records.

At some point these records may be available to purchase on disc's.

Present Website - Key Hill Cemetery
To contact - Dick Empson.

Website soon to be changed to-
Key Hill and Warstone Lane Cemeteries ( In Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter )

Bo
 
Hi Bo thats good news. They are both such an important part of the city. I have been away for a while recuperating so had missed this info.:)
 
Lionel Benson said:
Is there a record kept of the Grave Sites, if so could you please tell me where the records are kept. My Grandfather Frederick William Benson died in 1904, at the time he was living in Key Hill and would possibly have been buried at Key Hill Cemetery. This is a great site.
Best regards
Lionel Benson
Australia
Click to expand...

The burial registers for Key Hill Cemetery are kept at Handsworth Cemetery now. It may be worth sending an email with all the info you have. It may take a while for a reply as its a working cemetery, you may be lucky. If they have to search there is a charge.
 
Wendy said:
The burial registers for Key Hill Cemetery are kept at Handsworth Cemetery now. It may be worth sending an email with all the info you have. It may take a while for a reply as its a working cemetery, you may be lucky. If they have to search there is a charge.
Click to expand...

Handsworth searched for me but didn't charge, it helps if you have correct dates to give them,

Brumgum.
 
Can someone tell me how big is Warstone Cemetary, I went to what i believed was the cemetary a few months ago, but it seemed very small and the graves were very old in the part i was in, I was looking for my Gt Grandfather William's grave as i know he is buried there in the late 1930's, I have just emailed Handsworth to see if they can send me more specific info on the plot number, etc
 
claire-brum71 said:
Can someone tell me how big is Warstone Cemetary, I went to what i believed was the cemetary a few months ago, but it seemed very small and the graves were very old in the part i was in, I was looking for my Gt Grandfather William's grave as i know he is buried there in the late 1930's, I have just emailed Handsworth to see if they can send me more specific info on the plot number, etc
Click to expand...

Most of the graves from the 1920's and 30's seem to run along the top of the cemetery near Vyse st on the corner of Pittsford st, my Gt Gran was buried in 1939 and is in section H so there is a chance your Gt Grandfather will be in this area. The numbers run from left to right if you stand facing Pittsford Street.
 
Many thanks for that Brumgum, it'll be useful for when i go back, i'll see if i get anything from Handsworth in the mean time to narrow it down, but i have a good idea where to look now thank you, Claire :)
 
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