There are times when traversing cemeteries that you feel somehow inspired, somehow in awe and then.... there are sometimes you feel complete and utter sadness at the state of things.
As I have mentioned before my business partner slash best friend, Ward, lives in England, Netherton to be exact. These pictures are ones she took this morning and I converted to a video to share with you all. You see, it isn't just in the US that there are problems with the state of cemeteries being left in a shambles. This seems to be an international issue, one that could so easily be remedied.
This particular cemetery is at St. Andrews Church in Netherton, it is a church cemetery. "Netherton's parish church, St Andrew's, consecrated in 1830, is situated on Netherton Hill at the highest point in Netherton. It was originally just a chapel-at-ease to St Thomas's of Dudley, only becoming Netherton's parish church in 1844. The church is surrounded by the gravestones of many of the former residents of the area. The churchyard also contains the mass unmarked graves of the victims of cholera that struck Dudley in 1831 and 1832." (Wikipedia)A As you can see there are MANY fallen marble tablet headstones, brick undercarriages that are falling and breaking under the headstones, weeds that are the size of trees, just all around disrepair.
There is so much history in that cemetery, there are so many people there who I am sure thought they would be taken care of, watched over and remembered. It seems they have been forgotten, or life is too busy or maybe it is in the churches responsibility and it has failed its parishioners? All I know is that whether in America, or England, or Timbuktu, these precious souls need looking over, their graves cleaned up and at the least some semblance of respect shown to them and the lives they had here. How sad for these people, for their memories, for their passing.
I have come across only a few, so far, that have been in disrepair, or completely forgotten. Generally what I come across are individual stones that have been let go, grown over or just all together fallen apart. This is the first time seeing another countries cemetery and the state in which it is being left. Ward says there are a few thousand people buried here, aside from the mass cholera grave no one seems to know the exact location of there on the grounds.
All I know is that the dead as well as the living should be treated with a much greater respect than this. I am absolutely starting to join the side of the "clean these precious places". As opposed to the
people who believe they should be left to age. To me, there is nothing gracious or respectful about letting these last resting places go to ruin.
Thank you to Ward for supplying us with these images.....
Happy Hunting,
~Alisha
great job with the video, its a sad topic but one of my favourite pieces of classic music, so bravo bestie..yes im on the side of sorting and preserving these graves, the times ive walked around that church yard at least a thousand or more, i always thought the biggger family graves would be around for another 2-300 hundred years but alas even those are now falling apart, its such ashame, but the video a big thumbs up
ReplyDeleteThank you my dearest, thanks again for the pics to make the video. I Luv Bocelli!!! HA!
DeleteIt is such a shame indeed, it is heartbreaking, I want to go fix them!
Great post and a great blog. Some of the stones won't have simply fallen down, they would have been pushed down by the parish council as unsteady stones are considered a danger to others.
ReplyDeleteBeneath Thy Feet
This cemetery has been like this for over 20 years, I can clearly remember it being like this when I went to Netherton C of E School next door. Add another 20 years of neglect to it and its in pretty good shape come to think of it, The Cholera grave is at the bottom of Netherton Hill and no not Lodge Farm, between the Church and the Canal. But yes I feel a lot more should be done but at who's expense I would gladly volunteer to help if a group was in place to tend the graves weeds etc but I do not know if that is the case I live the wrong side of Dudley now
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