Manchester General Cemetery On Winter Break until 2013

[Cancan]

Hi All,

Whilst on a recent visit to the Manchester General Cemetery, the condition of it was very bad!!

Vandals have caused lots of damage, youths & yobs leave you feeling very intimidated!!(I know, first hand experience) Damage seems to be on a regular basis. 

The Cemetery must have been lovely at one time, Manchester Council do not have the facilities or funds to maintain this Cemetery, and are concentrating on the Cemeteries in use!!

So, An idea has sprung to mind and we have now approached the Cemeteries and Manchester Council about Photographing, transcribing and mapping the cemetery.  Before the details and Gravestones are gone forever!!

What is needed is VOLUNTEERS!! LOTS & LOTS!!!!!!

A proposal has been put together and relevant parties have been contacted.
We are hopefully going to show that there is lots interest in doing this, If consent is given, we name a day, preferably a weekend, you would need a camera, SD card, spare batteries, and a walking stick/stick. 

Working in two’s, one photographs and one maps and records.  When all data is collected it is transcribed.

Various ideas for access are being looked into i.e. Family History Society, Library, and Website. (Our aim is to make this  free to the public, as it is done by volunteers)  Emails have been sent and we have spoken to a couple of interested parties.

Whilst I appreciate that lots would like to help but cannot, (distance, health etc) we are trying to get a rough guide to how many would be there on the day and helping out, obviously the more the better,  Hopefully with a list of  volunteers it will be taken as a serious proposal

If you are interested in volunteering, reply below!!!!

Many Thanks Cancan & Luzzu
                                   

[mosiefish]

Hi Cancan and Luzzu,

What a great idea!  I would love to help, so count me in.  It is so sad when gravestones are removed with no record of what was written on them.   They are a mine of information.

We could class it as a Rootschat meet with a purpose! 

Regards,
Mo

[gortonboy]

great idea,,,if i am available on the day,i will certainly help out 

[Barbara.H]

I'd love to help if I can make it on the day - or hopefully, days. One good day's set of results would encourage return visits I'm sure. Well done Cancan & Luzzu 

Can it be fixed up before the (boo) clocks go back?

  Barbara

[millymcb]

There's a thread here http://www.rootschat.com/links/09r8/   about a project they are trying to get going to sort out Southern Cemetery in Manchester which is also in a terrible state


Milly

[Cancan]

Hi All,

Thank you!!!

It's great to know that there are more of us!!!

We know it is a major job!! but we believe it can be done!!!

We would love for it to be done as soon as, but the replies to our proposal have been a little slow, it always seems to take a week for others to reply to emails.  Hopefully at the meeting I have next week with the Man who is in charge of The General Cemetery, I can push our cause and have a lovely list of volunteers!!!!!  I will be explaining that I also think it is a good idea to do as soon as, due to the change of season and weather!!

Southern Cem is well maintained, it is one Cemetery that the Council maintains.  I visit almost every week and they have made great improvements.  There is one thing I have noticed though, where there is a bench to sit on, the Gravestones around it have been vandalised. The bench is usually surrounded by waste, take way food wrappers, cigarette butts, used condoms, empty cans and bottles, I'm usually picking some of this up and putting in the bin. Whilst some do want somewhere to sit,  is it worth inviting the vandals??  My family grave has had more vases, pots, flowers and plants stolen than I can count and have now had to re-think what I can take. 

We would love all the cemeteries to be maintained, but it just isn't affordable??? 

Hopefully with the response we are getting, this is proving to be a great idea and will be worth doing!!!

Thank you!!!!!  Thank you!!!!!!

Cancan & Luzzu
            

[Luzzu]

Hi,

 

Just thought I would post a few links to show an existing plan of the cemetery , a brief history and also the Genuki link which has a couple of pictures on.

http://www.twbaird.co.uk/cemplans/harpurhey.html

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LAN/Harpurhey/ManchesterGeneral.shtml

http://www.parksandgardens.ac.uk/component/option,com_parksandgardens/task,site/id,2207/tab,history/Itemid,293/

Although we can do nothing about the maintenance of the cemetery and probably it will never be restored to its former glory, before long all the information in there will be lost forever to family historians.  The burial registers are in poor condition and are incomplete and that is why there are many entries missing from the Manchester Online Burials website.  I think but am not sure that this cemetery's use became less and less once Southern Cemetery opened in 1879 and now it is only used occasionally for owners of existing graves.

At the moment we are looking for interest and appreciate that a firm commitment isn't possible until more detailed arrangements are made.  Obviously volunteers are needed for the actual photographing on the day but also there will be other volunteers needed - maybe if someone has experience in mapping, health and safety, etc., etc.,  It may be necessary to do a trial area at first or may be do the project in phases.

Luzzu

[Barbara.H]

Well Ive never done anything like this before, but am very enthusiastic (these two things might be connected!  ). I'm an hour's train ride away from Manchester, but on the other hand I have very few commitments for the next few weekends (apart from one on Saturday 20th November). So could manage a good few hours on any chosen day.

I think a trial run on a small section of cemetery is a very good idea to get an idea of exactly what will be involved and how long realistically it might take.

Any chance this post could be stickied?

[Luzzu]

Hi Barbara.

How do you get a post "stickied"? 

Cancan and I have wondered if sharing an ancestor who ended his days in an asylum  has anything to do with us coming up with a mad project like this.

Anyway, if we don't try, we will never know.

Luzzu