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Key Hill Visit 24/11/07

R

Rod

Guest
A few pictures from todays visit. It was bitter cold today but nevertheless, this my first visit to Key Hill was brilliant. There are so many graves of historical interest to a Brummie. The place is bursting at the seams with memorials to the once rich and famous, to past city leaders, and industrialists and last but certainly not least to ordinary folk. I was delighted to have the grave of some of the Tolkien family pointed out to me! Key Hill isnt an easy place to get around, care must be taken, some of the memorials are in a pitiful state, graves are being abused, some need a bit of TLC some need to be cleared of weeds and ivy, but seriously, the place is a treasure trove that must be seen.
 
Another few pictures

The last picture is ColinB, MomaP just inside the gate, and just outside the gates are Beatrice and her lovely mum Mary, gosh I felt sorry for her today with how cold it was.
 
Great photos Rod...........you all look frozen, but friendship warms you:)

The leaves on the ground add a lovely rustic colour to warm you too. Glad to see that the rubbish was in the bin and not on the ground!

Thanks for posting them.
 
Thanks for sharing your day with us all Rod. One of the days I'm going to come to Brum and join you all.:)

One thing that these cemetaries do have in common apart from the neglect they suffer, is the haven they are for our wild life.
 
:)Well done Rod great to put faces to fellow Members and the Photos are great
 
Great photos Rod. :great:Did you get one of that chimney stack - the only bit left of the old Mint (or has that gone too now?) - while you were in the area?
 
Unfortunately Paul I didnt. My attention was completely on the cemetary. I have found a few more pictures though that are good enough to post, I botched up a fair few yesterday. I may be going back there next Thursday so if I do, I will have a look.

Wendy mentioned the great capping stones on the gate posts yesterday, they really are magnificent.

I love how aged they look, theres a great sense of age about the place anyway, even the new additions are made to feel welcome by the covering of moss everything has.
 
Key Hill

Hi Rod
Thanks for posting your photos, please post more if you have them. My grandmother is buried in that cemetary in section 10v- the vaults, which Wendy tells me is all covered in ivy now. Ive never been there, my family all live in Ireland and my mother has only recently discovered that her mother was buried at Key Hill. She's not able to travel, so it's great to see photos of Birmingham, not just of the cemetary but of the whole city where her mum grew up. So thanks again, and please post all your piccies of Key Hill, they are great!:)
 
Liscoole, we realy did try to find your Georgina but it was a momouth task. Keith and I tugged at the ivy to see the vaults but they were just so overgrown. I have the bramble scars to prove it. I kept taking photo's as I am sure they will eventually disapear. I am so sorry we didn't find Georgina's name. I will keep looking.
 
This is a photo of the area we had to search it is totally covered in ivy.
 
Ivy!

Crumbs!!!:) Its hard to even tell that there are graves there- I see what you mean about the ivy!!!!!!!
But thank you so much Wendy for having a look, that really means a lot to me and my mum. I will show her these pics and I think she will finally be contented to see them. Please dont get any more bramble scratches!!:D Even besides my own personal interest in the cemetary, the photos are very interesting to look at. It great because I feel like Ive been there now I know what it looks like. Thanks again!!!:)
 
This is just a quote from some documents given to me about Key Hill Cemetery. The chaplain wrote a couple of guide books on the notable Birmingham people in Key Hill;
While we profess to cherish their memory, we find little time to meditate on the lessons which they teach. In fact-
"They fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the opening day".
Happily this guide to the old cemetery will remind the people of Birmingham of their debt to the past and will recall the unselfish labours of many of their noble benefactors. If it is true that history is consituted of the biographies of great and good men, then in compiling this booklet the history of modern Birmingham has unconciously been written. By Edward Henry Manning Chaplain.
 
Well done to you all:)

Isn't the kindness of our cyber friends over whelming:ange::ange::ange::ange:
 
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