April 2019 (alt)

by | Mar 7, 2021 | Uncategorized

I am very pleased to be able to write for this newsletter which includes contributions from both Dean Road Chapel Ltd and the Friends of Dean Road and Manor Road Cemetery. In our last newsletter I reported that we were not successful with our grant aid application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the complete restoration of the Chapel. This was disappointing but we were not to be deterred and since then we have spent a considerable amount of time researching other opportunities for grant aid. This has been successful and we have been offered funding from Stronger Communities and Coast and Vale Community Action.

This will allow us to continue to run Dean Road Chapel Ltd for a further 12 months in order to review the Project and ensure that it offers the best for community engagement and subsequent action. When this is complete it will give us another opportunity to apply for a much larger grant in order to restore the Chapel The Chapel has endured another winter and we were concerned particularly about the condition of the roof. I am very grateful that Scarborough Borough Council has carried out some temporary repairs to the roof to prevent further deterioration. The Autumn Fair last year was a tremendous success and I am sure we are all looking forward to the Spring Fair that will take place on May 5th this year. Further details can be found in this newsletter.

Every time I visit the Cemetery I am always so impressed in the way that is kept so clean and tidy. I know this is due to the care and effort of the Friends, Volunteers and the Community Payback Team, who constantly improve the Cemetery for the benefit of the community as a whole. In closing I would to thank everyone for their continuing support for the Cemetery and the Chapel. Yours Sincerely Paul Espin – Chair, Dean Road Chapel Ltd

 

THE HISTORY OF DEAN ROAD AND MANOR ROAD CEMETERY

When St Mary’s Churchyard and other burial grounds in Scarborough became overcrowded the Council bought a piece of land known as Chapman’s Field and Dean Road Cemetery was opened with the first interment on 28 July 1857. The Cemetery then expanded into an area in Manor Road in July 1872.

Where Dean Road has a simple layout; in the Manor Road section the vista changes into a beautiful informal arrangement of winding paths, heritage trees, an iron bridge, a Secret Garden, colourful shrubs and headstones on many levels; it is a delightful place of discovery. This was the creation of Leonard Thompson, the Cemetery Superintendent, who designed this section, his memorial is the first you see as you start your journey through the underpass.

Many people enjoy this cemetery parkland, meandering through the various sections admiring the stone masonry, fauna and flora. The Friends of Dean Road and Manor Road Cemetery started up in 2008 and have been responsible for many improvements to the Cemetery including –

  • The extensively restored Mortuary Chapel (Dead house)
  • The laying out of new flower beds and planting of thousands of spring bulbs
  • The restoration and improvements to the Secret Garden
  • Building a cairn in memory of the Scarborough Bombardment

Pruning, litter picking, and gardening tasks are carried out monthly by volunteers. Research work is ongoing, all the headstones have been recorded and various projects have been undertaken, particularly work on all WW1 casualties laid to rest, or remembered, in the cemetery. The Dead House, behind the Chapel is open every Sunday morning (weather permitting) where second hand books, bric-a-brac and plants can be purchased. A good selection of leaflets are also available on various aspects of the cemetery.