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Warstone Lane Cemetery

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wendy
  • Start date Start date
I don't think it matters what was or was not there. Key Hill has always had gate posts railings etc we have many photo's showing this from as early as the 1900's. The Key Hill entrance gates had a massive section cut out by who knows. What does matter is people have given their time and money to restore the gates, pillars, capping stones, and repair railings.

We also have unnamed people who have donated to have individual grave stones re-erected to make the cemeteries look better. There is an ongoing fund for this. My family have had two memorials put back, which was at some expense.

As for locking gates who is going to lock and unlock the gates as there is no office on the site of either cemetery. There are lockable posts at Key Hill cemetery but no one to lock and unlock them. At the end of the day it's about money and priorities.
I feel upset when people criticise the cemeteries after all the hard work that has been done. Maybe instead of negative comments we could have some positive ones and make these two cemeteries a nice place to visit. We all know the more people that go there the less damage will be caused. I for one am exceedingly proud of all the work done by The Friends past and present. This is probably the earliest photo of Key Hill Cemetery it's from a sterio view taken from the railway bridge and clearly shows the railings which have always been there.

Key_Hill_Cemetery_Photo_edited_1.jpg

View attachment 88776
 
Considering all the cut backs etc the grass cutting in Warstone Lane has improved greatly and looks a lot tidier than it used to in the not too distant past:biggrin:.
 
Well said Wendy and like you I have relatives buried there albeit back in the early part of the last century and before. The work done is phenomenal and as one who first visited back in 1997 it is a much pleasanter place to visit now than then.
 
Yes Wendy


The gates and the pillars of key hill have been there for decades as I recall being a nipper
we and I myself lived along the rd from the cemeteries and passed and walked and ran passed them daily and also the picture you have put on the forum is how i remember it as a kid growing up and the building up the drive it was a marvellous building where they done the cremations in.


The pathway you see going across the grounds i have walked along there many times and of a certain grave along that path
there is a well known family [ respectable family ] with the marble head stne and there was a bench right next to it and thats where we sat down time and time again on our visits and just along from there there was a family grave of my ancesters
which i found registered in the central library


The railing was there for centuries right up until the sixty seventys when they was removed from the ickneld street side right up to the mint factory ;these was taken down probable 12 months or two years after the st phillips church yard had there’s removed at that time we as young people said the same thing as people do today it was a bad idea especially at that time it as very isolated area and that section of the roads was very dark and people could have been attacked and robbed [ that was in those days ]
but happy to say I have never or anybody else as heard of any one being attacked in either the places


I can recall the pair of key hill gates being rusty and unlockable and the gap of the railing being repaired and also being painted.

As i said i have passed and seen and been in that cemetry for donkeys years even when i was a little kid walking back home with my mother coming from hockley brook late of a night to get to ladywood and mom would point to the family grave of her family.

so i know that the cem workers always maintained all the grounds in those days worked hard seven days a week down there but the the mindless one of the youths in those days used to smash head stones and wreck the graves and the thieving toe rags pinched the flowers and whatever as been left on the graves and sell them on ; I have first hand information on this I can tell you
best wishes
 
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i spent hours in both key hill and warstone cemetery when i was a child and as i said on a earler post the good hiding i got of my mother
becouse she thought i was taking flowers of graves ( i was sharing them out to graves that hadnt got any on )
like myself there are a lot of relatives that cant always make it to their loved ones resting place and meny graves get run down
so thank you to the friends of warstone and key hill cemetery for all the hard work you all do
josie
 
When we first visited Warstone Cemetery some years ago, Eliza's Grave was only reachable by crouching under fallen trees, paths were overgrown and everything looked neglected. The Friends have made such a difference, paths have been cleared, ivy removed, trees felled and burned and as Wendy said, graves have been restored. I wish I could do more there, but health does not permit!!
I think it is a beautiful restful place, especially by the catacombs.
Key Hill is lovely too and so peaceful. My family think it's a bit strange visiting graveyards though!
rosie.
 
rosie said:
When we first visited Warstone Cemetery some years ago, Eliza's Grave was only reachable by crouching under fallen trees, paths were overgrown and everything looked neglected. The Friends have made such a difference, paths have been cleared, ivy removed, trees felled and burned and as Wendy said, graves have been restored. I wish I could do more there, but health does not permit!!
I think it is a beautiful restful place, especially by the catacombs.
Key Hill is lovely too and so peaceful. My family think it's a bit strange visiting graveyards though!
rosie.
Click to expand...
I only discovered them a few years ago and then found i had family members buried there and became really drawn to the place...
[video=youtube;ddgOl4qPcnw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddgOl4qPcnw[/video]

This also may be of interest to some...
[video=youtube;orVzvSYzncc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orVzvSYzncc[/video]
 
I've always thought that Key Hill Cem was a little oasis in the centre of the Jewellery Quarter, workers from the area are often to be seen eating sandwiches in their lunchtimes (as I used to myself in Warstone Lane Cemetery).
Warstone Lane had become very neglected but, thanks to the efforts of the Friends and other volunteers, it's now a much cleaner and tidier place - I know Brian has put hours of work into both cemeteries and they're loads better for it!
My personal thanks to everyone who's made these two historic graveyards look lovely, sadly I don't think anyone or any organisation can be there 24/7 for security purposes. Let's just hope the idiots who desecrate graves get their come-uppance in the next world (or preferably before)!!
 
The cemeteries are little gems of the city's history. I have done a few clear up days, the biggest problem are the paths flooding and the trees. The branches that fall are massive sometimes. The funniest time was when we were burning some branches and the fire brigade arrived. We always tell them now if we have to burn branches.
 
Whilst I was away, they copied me into an email saying they were going for a "Green Flag" award for KH/WL Cemeteries and were looking for active volunteers from Friends, Residents and local History/Research groups.
Doubt if they ever git any physical help from any of the but it's possible some one has volunteered to help clean the place up.
 
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That sounds interesting Brian - what do you have to achieve to get a Green Flag award?

Lovely to see you are back from your break and posting on the forum :adoration: the cemetery threads haven't been the same without you.
 
Hi Pol - Not a clue! I though it was for beaches that had no Dog mess or floating sewage!
There is plenty of both in the JQ area! Maybe members of the Friends/JQRG may be able to answer - if they responded, that is!
Too busy at present to visit cemeteries - need to hunt down my missing Rellie's after doing other people's for some time.
 
I think you deserve a break Brian. Enjoy your break and research can't be bad you are even linked to my tree..ha ha.

I hate to hear graves in cemeteries and churchyards being vandalised and can never understand why it happens. It maybe best to alert local police. It's a pity we don't have the organised clear up days now it was great exercise for me and a good laugh and banter with like minded people.
 
Hi Brian, enjoy your break you deserve it!. I didn't know about "Green Flag" for cemeteries (or for Warstone in particular). As you know we can't do much but we did pull all the mares-tail weed off "Eliza" the other day, and took up some little seeded trees nearby also a broken branch which "attacked" me! I did have a look for Renee's tributes but there was nothing nearby, maybe they were thrown over the Mint Wall? The flowers etc. on another grave further up the row were OK though.
I hope you find your "Rellies" after helping so many people find theirs!
rosie.
 
irene
pleased to hear at last you have sorted it out and that now you have peace of mind and that you sister can rest in peace
josie
 
Josie.Im so happy everything has been sorted and our sister can rest in peace our parents would be so proud of us i bet they are looking down on us.God Bless Them All x
 
I am so pleased it is all sorted well done Irene. So nice to hear the grave will be tended for all the people interred there.
 
So glad you have made contact wit the other family - with 2 lots looking after it now it should stay in good condition - Always remember though that there are many hundreds of others in there - could become crowded one day when they all finally come looking.

Brin
 
Been to Warstone Lane today and we have planted a minature rose at our sister Renee's resting place.We raked some of the leaves away and watered the ****** familys plants.Im glad to say that all is ok there.Irene x
 
This thread will be closed to allow the Admin team to discuss what direction it should take in the future.

Many thanks and if anyone has any concerns please feel free to contact one of us directly by Instant Message (IM) or email.



BernardR
 
Following discussion the thread will now re-open but we would like to request that members please use it in line with the original Topic - that is, primarily but not wholly, for the History of the cemetery and the history of those interred therein.

Requests for help will always be welcome.

Many thanks



BernardR - Admin
 
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interesting to see that william chance of chances glass is buried at warstone lane...my grandad worked for them..

lyn
 
Thanks Bernard, how lovely to see St. Michael's Chapel. My Gt. Gt. Grandmother is buried near the old Warstone, by the Druid's grave.
rosie.
 
hi wendy you have helped me before please will you try again
unfortunatly i have found that my nans sister died at less than a month old and then have found that she is buried in warstone lane her parents at the time lived in moreton street
the register number is 58124 name elsie alma may smith
can you tell me where she is buried please
hopefully
thank you zena
 
Hi Zena, do you know what year your nan's sister died?

There is an Elsie May Smith [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]in Warstone Lane buried 1939 in grave number S 1035 [/FONT]

 
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