Arnos Vale Cemetery

Bishop · Jun 9, 2006

If you're in Bristol and have a bit of time to kill Arnos Vale Cemetery
is well worth a look, I'm not usually one for graveyards but this
huge place really is something special.

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=51.4425&lon=-2.5644&scale=10000&icon=x

Bristol and Avon family history page.
http://www.bafhs.org.uk/arnos/arnomain1.htm

Friends of Arnos Vale Cemetery page. Listed monument
pages are good but could do with a bit more history imo.
http://www.favc.freeserve.co.uk/

Pics from krela, myself and (soon) Norman in the Religious sites gallery.

Bishop

Lone Explorer · Jun 10, 2006

40,000 graves

How old are some of the graves?

funkymonkey · Jun 10, 2006

first burial there was 1839, so not that old really, but it is a 40 acre site!

Jondoe_264 · Jun 13, 2006

I had Arnos Vale on my list of places for my buildings trip while Stoop and Silo were exploring the Motherload. But as is usually the case once I was into one place (Courage brewey in this case) I just stayed there all day and didn't have time to get around anywhere else!! Looks awesome, could spend days wandering around in there!!!!!!! That third pic with the casket and the greenery is grrrrrreat!

JD

Bishop · Jun 14, 2006

Thanks JD, you should check out Arnos Vale next time
you're in this neck of the woods, like Courage it takes
a lot of time to get around though, I don't think I've
seen half of it yet.

Page on Icons & Symbols in Arnos Vale Cemetery, good stuff.
http://www.favc.freeserve.co.uk/symbols.htm

There are three recipients of the Victoria Cross in Arnos Vale,
the VC is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry
in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and
Commonwealth forces. Only seen H.B Wood's grave I've yet
to see the other two.

Harry Blanshard Wood
http://www.answers.com/topic/harry-blanshard-wood

Major General Gronow Davis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gronow_Davis

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Burges
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Burges

B

smileysal · Jun 29, 2006

WOW, that place looks amazing. i love looking round graveyards. mates think im morbid, but just love em, dunno why. That 3rd pic down, looks like someone very important was buried there, with the size of the tomb part of it and just the size of the whole grave. Did you see who it was who was buried in that grave?

Great pics.

Sal

Bishop · Jun 29, 2006

SmileySal wrote.

That 3rd pic down, looks like someone very important was buried there, with the size of the tomb part of it and just the size of the whole grave. Did you see who it was who was buried in that grave?

Thomas Gadd Matthews (- Grade II*)

No idea who he was but I'd like to know, funky final resting place like
that must have cost a few pennies, I'm guessing he was a merchant
or landowner?

Friends of Arnos vale Cemetery listed monuments page, I think Thomas
Gadd Matthews is on the third page?
http://www.avctrust.freeserve.co.uk/listed_monuments1.htm

Great pics.

Ta, Krela got a good pic of a butterfly and a Robin when we were there,
think they're in his user gallery bit not the AV gallery?

B

Bishop · Jun 29, 2006

Ok I Googled Thomas Gadd Matthews and my first guess as to
his career is spot on

, according to the page below he was
a merchant (bottom of page). Merchant in what though?
http://homepage.virgin.net/allen.gittens/arnosvale.html

Amongst other tombs are Thomas Gadd Matthews, 1859.
Lavish marble sarcophagus on table, by Tyley

Above is from the Pevsner Architectural Guides website.
http://www.lookingatbuildings.org.uk/default.asp?document=3.C.8

Highly recommend the Pevsner books though they are far from easy to
use, and in the case of Arnos Vale Cemetery he only really mentions the
lodge or gatehouses which is criminal. If he likes a place he'll really go to
town on it and write shedloads, and on the flip side if a building offends
him then he'll not pull his punches in slagging it off, normally in a very
amusing manner.

Worth buying just for the glossary alone heres an example.

Entasis:
Very slight convex deviation from a straight line; used on Greek
columns and sometimes on spires to prevent an optical illusion
of concavity.

B

Bishop · Jul 16, 2006

Rammohun Roy (c.1772-September 27, 1833) The Father of Modern India.

Rammohun Roy (c.1772-September 27, 1833), a Hindu monotheist, who made early translations of Vedic scriptures into English, co-founded the Calcutta Unitarian Society, and later founded Brahmo Samaj. He successfully campaigned against sati, the practice of burning widows. He sought to integrate Western culture with the best features of his own country's traditions. He promoted a rational, ethical, non-authoritarian, this-worldly, and social-reform Hinduism. Thus he has been called the "Father of Modern India." His writings sparked interest among British and American Unitarians, inspired Unitarian missionary work in India, and influenced the Transcendentalists.

Couple of links about this very interesting chap.
http://www.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/rajarammohunroy.html
http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/R_0232.HTM

It comes as no surprise to find that Arnos Vale has suffered over the
years, BBC link below about vandalism from september last year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4203568.stm

Noticed a few cctv cameras in Arnos Vale the other day, they could
do with a lot more though.

B

Crisp Monster · Jul 17, 2006

Nice thread, well researched, great pics; good work Mr B.

I take it the whole place is derelict, or are there parts still in use?

Bishop · Jul 17, 2006

Cheers Crisp Monster. Arnos Vale is tidy and in fairly good order
by the entrance lodges, once you start walking up the hill it
becomes very overgrown, I'd estimate that roughly a third of
the site (45 acres) is clear and easy to walk through?

Bit more info.

January 2006: Arnos Vale Awarded £4.8 Million Heritage Lottery Funding

Bristol’s Arnos Vale Cemetery has been awarded a landmark £4.8 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Victorian cemetery featured in the BBC's "Restoration" series and includes a grade II listed park and garden with listed tombs and chapels within a conservation area. The money will be used to restore the remainder of the historic buildings, monuments and parkland, along with the creation of educational, family history and community facilities. The first phase of the restoration programme to restore The West Lodge, one of two Grade 2* listed buildings at the main entrance to the site is now complete and it will officially reopen as a visitor reception centre in the spring. The cemetery is also to be part of a pilot for a new scheme from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport which involves:

• the creation of a single unified list, called the "List of Historic Sites and Buildings of England", that gives equal statutory recognition to all its components

• the establishment of statutory management agreements that allow for strategic management over the medium to long term

Nicholas Pearson Associates was responsible for the preparation of the Stage II Heritage Lottery Fund report, restoration plans and is the landscape architect for the detail design.

Above taken from here. http://www.npaconsult.co.uk/news.asp

LocalLive aerial shot link, birds eye views are impressive.
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=51.440594~-2.565884&style=h&lvl=16&scene=4248967

Bishop

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