# Rosary Cemetery, Norwich



## hamishsfriend (Mar 1, 2011)

This is the first ever non-denominational cemetery in the UK, established in 1819 by Thomas Drummond, a nonconformist minister. The land was formerly in use as a market garden. The cemetery chapel was constructed in 1879 and is believed to be the finest work of architect Edward Boardman. Tragically, the first interment at the Rosary was Drummond's wife Ann who died in childbirth aged 41. The 13 acres (53,000 square metres) site came under the control of the Norwich Corporation in 1954 and it is estimated that about 18,500 people have been buried there since 1821. In January 2010 the cemetery was granted Grade II listed status.





































Steam locomotive and tender carved into the gravestone for Charles Martin Collenso.






The Colman family plot.






The Tillyard family plot. The Tillyards had a leather curing business in Norwich.






The graves of John Prior (left), engine driver, and the fireman James Light are side by side. Both died on 10th September 1874 in the Thorpe railway disaster that killed 25 people and injured another 73 in a head-on collision between the Great Yarmouth to Norwich mail train and the London to Great Yarmouth express, on the single track line close to the Rushcutter's public house.






John Barker died in in 1897 in an accident at the old Cattle Market in Norwich when he was trapped between two wagons whilst setting up his steam roundabout for the forthcoming fair.






T Drummond's grave. The Reverend Thomas Drummond (d 1852) was the Presbyterian minister who founded the Rosary cemetery in 1819 as the first cemetery established in the UK upon the broad principle of Christian equality. His wife Ann was the first person to be buried here in 1821.











The heavy iron door leading into the mausoleum of Emanuel Cooper, an eye surgeon in Norwich.





















The monument for Jeremiah Cozens (d 1849) consists of a cast iron coffin with lion heads and feet. It was cast by the Dixon Foundry of Norwich and bears the works' signature.


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## AJW1977 (Mar 1, 2011)

Amazing, great photos and comments.

I love cemetery threads and explores, great work


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## night crawler (Mar 1, 2011)

What a great report, I like cemetery's and would love to visit one like that. Superb.


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## manof2worlds (Mar 1, 2011)

Anotehr great set Evelyn - makes me want to go back when the weather has little sun about it


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## sidsabbath (Mar 1, 2011)

What a fantastic cemetary


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## podman (Mar 1, 2011)

excellent stuff, not just the cemetary and photos but the research/comments as well

thanks liked this a lot


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## hamishsfriend (Mar 1, 2011)

podman said:


> excellent stuff, not just the cemetary and photos but the research/comments as well
> 
> thanks liked this a lot



Thank you kindly.


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## Foxylady (Mar 5, 2011)

What an amazing cemetary. Fab photos and write up, Evelyn...and such a lot of interesting history too.


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