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9 CEMETERY CONSERVATION: SPECIAL CASES
9.1 INTRODUCTION
Most cemeteries
in New South Wales are either traditional churchyard burial grounds,
or multi-denominational “general” cemeteries. General cemeteries were
usually established by the State and originally governed by one or more
Trusts. More recently, the “care, control and management” of many cemeteries
has reverted to the local Councils.
The following
sections deal with some of the less common forms of cemetery.
9.2 FAMILY
CEMETERIES
Many
rural properties throughout New South Wales include “family” cemeteries.
These are often called “private” cemeteries, but should not be confused
with privately run cemeteries providing a commercial service. Family
cemeteries are usually small and located on unconsecrated freehold land.
They often contain the graves of pioneer European settlers and their
descendants, commonly of a single settler but sometimes shared by several
local landholding families. In general these cemeteries are found to
be well maintained even though the ownership of the cemetery may have
changed.
Family
cemeteries provide an important record of early settlement and subsequent
history of many areas. Many include original rustic features crudely
constructed from local materials attesting to the simple tastes and
attitudes of early communities.
The National
Trust considers these family cemeteries to be important heritage items
that should be preserved. Maintenance procedures are no different from
other cemeteries. In particular unfenced private cemeteries located
in pasture land can be irreversibly damaged by grazing stock. Unobtrusive
protective fencing is recommended, of an appropriate style, design and
material.
9.3 LONE
GRAVES
New South
Wales has a large number of lone burials. Some are of very early European
settlers (1790-1856), others of individuals who died remote from communication
centres. The original markers of lone graves were often of wood or loose
stones, and many are long gone. Those that remain are of high significance.
The National
Trust encourages controlling authorities of lone graves to take an active
interest in their preservation, particularly in providing protection
from stock and other threats.
9.4 LAWN
CEMETERIES
Lawn
cemeteries were introduced in the 1950s and remain popular in various
forms. A small number have been Classified by the National Trust as
having high heritage significance. They are important social documents
testifying to the public attitudes of the latter half of the 20th century.
They may also represent the move away from a romantic perception of
death towards a rather more pragmatic and dispassionate position.
Monuments
in contemporary lawn cemeteries are usually of a standardised form.
They vary from plaques laid flush with the lawn to low monuments. One
variation has individually styled monuments, usually of a restricted
height, located on concrete beams. This type of lawn cemetery is known
as “Monumental lawn”.
The siting
and design of lawn areas within existing cemeteries needs very careful
consideration. As with any new element, poor implementation of a lawn
section within an historic cemetery landscape can mar the character
of both the lawn section and the existing cemetery. The visual relationship
between sections must be carefully determined before plans are executed.
(See also Section 7.8.)
Inadequate
attention to design may result in a featureless expanse causing loss
of interest and no special sense of place. Visitors become disoriented
and unable to locate the graves they wish to visit. Problems include:-
- poorly
sited lawn areas clashing with adjacent sections of different character;
- over-large,
featureless areas of uniform appearance;
- poorly
defined boundaries of the lawn area;
- a lack
of focus in internal design.
Carefully
designed landscape surrounds and features within the expanse of a lawn
cemetery can alleviate these problems. The National Trust recommends
that if new lawn cemeteries are to be developed, they should be located
so as not to be intrusive or visually incongruous with an existing cemetery
design. In particular, a modern lawn cemetery should not be established
within a 19th century cemetery unless they can be separated by appropriate
landscaping.
9.5
COLUMBARIA
The siting of columbaria within existing cemeteries is discussed in
Section 7.9. However sometimes columbaria are essentially a separate
development, especially where there is an unused area of a cemetery
site that can be adequately screened off by plantings or otherwise.
This option, if available, nearly always yields a better result than
siting adjacent to earlier monuments.
Questions
of design are largely a matter for the cemetery management to determine,
but there are certain general concepts which the National Trust would
encourage:
- The
design of the columbarium should take into account its setting (present
and future) and should not detract from other landscape elements.
- The opinions
of the potential user community should also be sought.
- The broader
aspects of good cemetery management also apply, eg the value of visibility
and lighting at night to deter vandalism. (For this and other reasons
visitation should be encouraged by providing nearby seating and avoiding
the starkness of a simple rectangular wall.)
- A “lowest-quote”
approach to construction should be avoided, as this will give very little
immediate saving and probably significant extra cost in the medium term.
- The wall
should not look “lost” on a wide slab of concrete, although a good foundation
is essential.
- Bricks
should be chosen for known durability and long-term appearance: light-coloured
bricks often do not last well and can show ugly staining in the long
term.
- Nearby
plantings should be planned with an eye to
-
their ultimate size and potential to overshadow or damage the structure,
- the seasonal variation in appearance, and
- a balance between privacy for contemplation and visibility to deter
vandals.
9.6 CONVERTED
CEMETERIES
9.6.1
INTRODUCTION
Cemeteries
do not always guarantee undisturbed resting places. The Conversion
of Cemeteries Act, 1974 was brought in expressly to assist local
Councils to turn cemeteries into “Rest Parks”. In some areas Councils
completely removed headstones and grassed over the cemetery. In other
districts a selection of headstones was retained and the site designated
a Pioneer Park. Most of these conversions destroyed the whole nature
and spirit of the cemetery.
Whether
cemeteries are destroyed or “converted” depends on their age, on public
sentiment, and on the geographical position of the cemetery especially
in relation to infrastructure such as roads and railways. There are
many closed cemeteries under the control of local Councils in NSW, more
than 24 in Sydney alone. They include church, family and public cemeteries.
Large portions or entire cemeteries have been converted to other public
purposes such as roads, railways, parks or building sites.
Examples
include Cathedral Close, now buried under Sydney Town Hall and surrounding
streets; Devonshire Street General Cemetery, demolished for railways
at Central; and smaller cemeteries such as the Society of Friends and
Raphael Family Cemeteries, Lidcombe. Other cemeteries have lost substantial
parts to road developments, including St Anne’s at Ryde, St Thomas’
at Crows Nest, Liverpool, Parramatta and Mays Hill.
9.6.2
THE CONVERSION OF CEMETERIES ACT, 1974
The Cemeteries
Committee of the National Trust has a number of specific objections
to the Conversion of Cemeteries Act (1974), particularly
9.6.3
CONSERVATION OF CONVERTED CEMETERIES
Although
the National Trust is fundamentally opposed to the 1974 Conversion
of Cemeteries Act, the Trust recognises that a number of important
cemeteries that have been converted continue to retain some significance.
Converted
cemeteries are not usually listed on the National Trust Register for
their heritage significance, except in cases where the surviving headstones
are considered to have exceptional value as artefacts.
If further
work is to be carried out at cemeteries which have been converted the
National Trust recommends that if possible the work should in part redress
any damage previously done to the cemetery. It should also attempt to
restore the original cemetery character by re-introduction of traditional
plantings, appropriate re-arrangement of monuments, and re-establishment
of other traditional features such as paths and grave surrounds. If
well planned, such improvements to converted cemeteries should neither
add to maintenance costs nor detract from the restful nature of the
area.
9.7 REUSE
OF GRAVES
In recent
years a number of leading cemetery authorities have canvassed the government
to introduce limited tenure of burial rights and reuse of burial areas.
These
practices extend the "life" of cemeteries, but implementation may necessitate
the removal or destruction of monuments and other cemetery features.
As all cemeteries have social and historic value, the Trust is opposed
to large scale rationalisation and reuse of historic cemetery sections,
either in operating cemeteries or in cemeteries now closed for burial.
The Trust
does not consider there is anything intrinsically wrong with limited
tenure of burial and reuse in areas of established low heritage significance,
provided that such development seeks to respect the existing character
of the cemetery.
In 2001
the NSW parliament passed the Cemeteries Legislation (Unused Burial
Rights) Act, which enables cemetery authorities to resume and resell
plots that have been unused for 60 years.
The Trust
strongly recommends that any proposal to reuse areas of a cemetery should
be preceded by a thorough conservation analysis (see Section 5) and
consideration of the social consequences, particularly the attitude
of the families of those interred.
Continuing
use of traditional family plots for interment is supported. Where cemeteries
are closed to burials the National Trust supports the interment of ashes
in family plots. The Trust considers that this form of reuse promotes
historic continuity and can provide a continuing source of funding for
cemetery maintenance.
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