Category: News

Meeting with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

by Pete Lowdenin Events, General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife

Follow up meeting

On the 17th February Andrew Gibson of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust met with the more active volunteers of the FOHGC. These included Bill Longbone, Karen Towner, Russell Moore, George and Chris Wilson.

The meeting was called by Andrew to follow up on the items discussed at the recent Zoom meeting. It was felt by both sides that clarification was needed and that an actual site visit would provide that.

Here are the minutes of that site visit.

Minutes

Meeting in Hull General Cemetery with Andrew Gibson YWT 17 Feb 2021

 

Reason for meeting: Follow up meeting from ‘Zoom’ meeting, as suggested by AG

Those Present:     Karen Towner, WL  (Russell Moore, Geoge and Chris Wilson part time)

Meeting:

The group took an anti clockwise, circular walk around the cemetery to identify any conflicts of interest between FoHGC and YWT, and obtain guidance.

The area behind the Princes Ave shops to be allowed to rest, establish bramble/thicket area around fox den. Maintain clearance around immediate areas of monuments as features. Possibly plant 3 or 4 of the saplings from the Woodland Trust to conceal shop area, not too close to premises. AG noted the HCC proposal to fell the 2 ash trees and will pursue separately.

Cut back some of the dense laurel ‘drug den’ area to expose the south frontage and block off access from the western side.

Keep ground ivy in the majority of the central areas, with no cutting back.

Keep the area wild where the white poplar tree was pollarded by the council, let trunk decay naturally, trim laurel around base of poplar, as trunk is also probably decayed.

Possibly plant ivy on rear breeze block wall near old chapel to cover unsightly graffiti covered wall.

Leave Dixon & other ‘soldiers’ area at rear of cemetery ‘as is’ allowing access.

Cut the green dogwood back at rear adjacent to path.

Generally leave ivy on the trees unless it is new growth on ‘specimen’ trees.

Contact council to cut back 4 or 5 established ash saplings to rear of bungalows on Welbeck St, as they could become a problem to the building fabric.

Wildflower meadow

Maintain wildflower meadow in centre, add some butterfly loving plants, as this is one of the few sunny areas in the cemetery. Extend the cutting of the brambles at the NE side and stack cuttings behind to decay naturally.

Cut back brambles near Thompson, Sahlgreen and Kemp monuments to form feature (in autumn). Stack cuttings at rear for wilding.

Dahlgreen and Thompson

Possibly adopt the ‘old original path to the west side which is currently a walkway but could be kept as a ‘soft’ winding path.

Plant a few shrubs such as buddleia in eastern side of Butterfly area, and let nettles re-establish, as this area is still shady and mossy. Plant up butterfly loving plants with plug plants and seeds as proposed by Friends. Possibly plant ivy to grow up wall.

Workhouse area

Keep workhouse area as is, ensure the recently planted buckthorn, hawthorn and blackthorn are kept in check when they grow. Possibly plant holly/yew tree on hillock in workhouse area. Ensure that the brambles are not cut back too much, and place any cuttings to infill gaps as we are currently doing

Trim the raised bank on the pathway leading past workhouse section from Western Cemetery.

Clear area around specimen graves near the old horse chestnut tree, but create wild areas at rear to compensate.

Advise HCC of diseased horse chestnut near roadside near Quakers. Possible potential hazard of falling branches.

Clear area around Wilson’s/Rollits grave to form feature, but create wild area around.

Remove cuttings from around main gate area, maintain recent plantings. Keep watchful eye on recently planted Staghorn tree.

Create soft ‘grave interest’ sections along paths, but keep wild to rear.

Clear around Thos Stratten monument, request permission from HCC to remove tree that is damaging monument and has no ecological merit. Keep wild to rear.

Request permission to remove tree nr Kelly’s grave, cut back holly and soften area,

Plant established ‘defensive’ planting on SBW entrances to reduce number of access points.

Trim pyracanths ‘hard’ where over-growing pathways.

Remove rhododendrons near Gow grave.

Cut back brambles around Blundell monument and soften/wild area behind. Ensure ‘red’ dogwood and snowberry bushes are retained.

General Overview

Although Andrew stated that the only way to have a ‘true’ wildlife area is to keep humans out of the cemetery, he accepts that this is not an option. However, it is essential that there has to be a balance with the needs of historical and recreational groups.

AG used the analogy of a ‘swingometer’, whereby whenever the Friends are planning to carry out work in the cemetery we should question if we are doing it for wildlife or humans. If we find we are doing too much in either direction it can be redressed. The object is to ensure that we do things in a balanced manner.

It was agreed that we are now entering the nesting season, and the disturbing of nesting sites is not allowed. However, we can still work in the cemetery doing localized grave tending etc, with a constant concern for the wildlife implications

AG to chase chippings for paths, he also requested that we should ask HCC not to cut up logs when removing trees, leave as full trunk.

Subsequent to the meeting AG sent WL a link for plant sourcing.

Summary

It is accepted that there has to be a balance of wildlife requirements with the needs of historical and recreational groups.

We should always consider wildlife implications when carrying out any work, it is acknowledged that we can clear around graves to make ‘focus’ areas, but we should balance this by allowing the surrounding area to become a natural woodland.

Some areas can have further clearance, but it must be compensated elsewhere. Ground cover ivy and tree ivy is an important part of the woodland habitat, and should not be cleared, the majority of the monuments are now ivy free, and we can carry out maintenance of this work.

All pruning’s and cuttings should be put in large piles out of sight rather then leave them in smaller piles along the path.

WL agreed that he would prepare small ‘activity’ plan when working in specific areas, these maps would be correlated with the large ‘tree location/compartment’ map to provide overall plan.

WL 18 Feb 2021

Site Visit 14th December 2020

by Pete Lowdenin Events, News

I posted about this site visit last year. Here’s the minutes of that meeting as agreed by both the Council officers and the FOHGC.

Summary of Meeting at HGC 14th December 2020

 

Present: Bill Longbone, George Matkin, Helen Bovill (Volunteers), Jennifer Woollin – HCC Open Spaces Development Officer, Adam Sivel-Thompson – Arboriculture Officer

 

Meeting:

 

JW & AST attended site un-announced, in response from a complaint by a member of the public who thought that we were cutting trees down in the cemetery.

 

As both Adam and Jennifer had not been in the cemetery for over a year, they were initially taken aback at the scale of clearance and how much work had been undertaken in the area behind the shops, and thought that we had removed several trees. We confirmed that we had cut back elder behind the shops near Prim Corner, but most of the clearing was the removal of brambles. Adam advised that we shouldn’t cut back any branches of trees that exceed 75mm without Planning Permission, we accepted this. HCC would lead and advise where tree removal was required.

 

They were aware that the lime tree had fallen in August 2018, and where happy that we had constructed a hibernacula from the fallen branches. We showed them the area in the far corner behind Welbeck St, and advised that we proposed to leave this wild and overgrown. They were both pleased with this, but advised that in response to a subsidence claim, the Council were required to remove the two mature ash trees in this area. The trunk and branches would be left in situ to decay naturally.

 

The subject of the INCA Report was discussed. WL mentioned that we would like to construct a wildlife pond and JW mention this was a recommendation within the INCA Report. WL had been informally advised by HCC that it was probably a health and safety concern. JW thought that it was a good idea to progress, and suggested that we should formally submit our proposals.

 

FOGC gave HCC representatives a guided walk around the cemetery, and we discussed works that had been undertaken and the vision for the different areas. FOGC identified the problems with the muddy paths and that they were continually spreading chippings to keep the paths passable. AS-T stated that he would arrange for the council to deliver chippings to the site so that the volunteers could spread them. This would save the volunteers time in chipping and dead wood habitat could be retained on site.

 

HCC were shown the ‘butterfly area and plaque as well as the hawthorm/buckthorn plantings, plaque and owl boxes.

 

JW and AS-T suggested that we should remove ivy from headstones and ‘specimen’ trees was acceptable, but should generally leave it on other trees. Similarly, it was recommended that we cut back select areas ivy on the ground and remove sycamore saplings to encourage light and increase the diversity of ground flora. Selective removal of non-native shrubs should be undertaken and replaced with native shrubs layer. The use of non-native species is supported in part in line with the original planting and to increase diversity of species to make the woodland resilient to the impacts of climate change.

 

HCC supported the management of areas as open glades and rides. FOGC advised that they had undertaken a provisional tree survey in the cemetery, and of our ambition to plot these on a GPS digital map. AST confirmed that he had such a map, and would undertake a detailed survey of the trees. HCC offered their guidance and assistance in habitat management and working together to take advantage of various grants that would help to improve the value of the woodland. HCC said they would look at options to improve the ground and shrub layers in the cleared areas and would ensure they visit the site in order to provide positive outcomes for the site.

 

WL said that he would submit pond proposal.

National Federation of Cemetery Friends

by Pete Lowdenin News, Volunteers1 Comment on National Federation of Cemetery Friends

Here’s the latest newsletter from the National Federation of Cemetery Friends. It has a piece about the recent work that the volunteers have been doing in the cemetery. It also shows a selection of other similar groups around the country who are attempting the same things that the FOHGC are doing.

It’s a long uphill struggle as we all know but I’m sure you’ll feel happier knowing that we are part of a bigger movement. the National Federation of Cemetery Friends are the umbrella groups for such groups and of course the FOHGC is a member of it.

For too long our cemetery heritage has been allowed to be cast aside. The history of the site in terms of the city’s heritage goes without saying. The monuments are some of the best artwork that you can see outside of an art gallery. Resting in what is probably the closest you can probably get to an urban woodland it is an enchanting place to spend some time

Why don’t you do that?

And when you’ve finished here’s the link to the NFCF.

https://mailchi.mp/042a7c399f5b/newsletter46a?e=2becb6632a

Rear of the Princes Ave shops' path

Visit to the site

by Pete Lowdenin General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife

Visit to the site

On the 14th December Council officers paid a visit to the site. Jennifer Woollin, a City Council Ecologist and Adam McArthur, an Open Spaces Development Officer. They said that they were responding to a complaint. Both of them were initially taken aback at how clear the area behind the shops on Princes Avenue was now. They said they had not visited the site for over a year and, it is beginning to look a little different in there now.

Rear of the Princes Ave shops' path

The volunteers were advised by Adam about the planning permission needed to cutback within a conservation area. He was satisfied that the volunteers were working within those restrictions.

The wild corner

They were informed that no work was to be undertaken in the far north corner of the site. This is, at present, a large area of blackberry bushes. Below is an photograph of it in 1996. The officers were pleased with this decision. Two ash trees close by are to be felled by the Council after Xmas they said. This was due to resident complaints.

The INCA report of 2010 was discussed.

Bill Longbone said that the volunteers would like to place a wildlife pond but the idea had been discouraged. This was due to the potential health and safety issues. Jennifer thought it was a good idea and advised that a formal application should be made.

North Corner HGC 1996

Guided walk

The volunteers gave the representatives a guided walk around the cemetery, and they were genuinely impressed with the improvements that the volunteers had undertaken. We identified the problems with the muddy paths, and that we were continually spreading chippings to keep the paths passable. Andy stated that he would arrange for the council to deliver chippings to the site. This would allow the volunteers to spread them. This would save the volunteers time in chipping.

The officers were shown the ‘butterfly area and plaque, the hawthorn/buckthorn plantings, plaque and owl boxes. All of which were well received by the officers.

Agree with YWT

Both Jenny & Adam suggested that we should remove ivy from headstones and ‘specimen’ trees, but should generally leave it on other trees. They also recommended that much of the ground ivy, and sycamore saplings be cut back. This would encourage light and the diversity of plants and wildlife. They were in agreement with the recommendation of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust that we should create open glade areas to let in light.

We advised that the Friends had done a provisional tree survey in the cemetery, and of our ambition to plot these on a GPS digital map. Adam confirmed that he had such a map, and would undertake a detailed survey of the trees.

Summary

In summary, what could have been a tense meeting turned out very well. The officers were pleased with what the Friends were doing. They were satisfied that we were ‘environmentally and ecologically aware’. The officers offered their help and assistance in obtaining advice on planting and encouraged us to apply for ‘planting grants’ from the council. They also said to submit the proposal for the pond with their support.

In conclusion, Jennifer Woollin said, “One of the visions for the management plan and this city is the designation of additional Local Nature Reserves. General Cemetery has always been on my radar and the FOGC are clearly establishing well and community involvement is essential.”

FOHGC Successful

by Pete Lowdenin General, News, Volunteers

FOHGC Successful

Once again the work that the Friends of Hull General Cemetery are doing in the cemetery has been recognised locally. KCOM hold a competition every year. They allocate an amount of money for good causes. KCOM ask the causes to send them a description of what work they are doing. They also ask  what they would use the money for if they won. After that, just like Strictly, it goes to the public vote.

I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that the FOHGC was successful and was one of the winners this year. The grant, for £540, was given for, ‘Transforming the cemetery into a welcoming space for visitors and a haven for nature.’

The Brief

The brief, provided by Bill Longbone to the judges at KCOM, was,

‘We are a local group of volunteers who have taken the challenge to reclaim the disused and overgrown Victorian Cemetery which, over the years, had become a place for fly-tipping and rubbish dumping and has attracted much anti-social behaviour, including drug dealing, prostitution and drinking dens.

It is our aim to turn the cemetery into an area that will benefit the local community, improve the neighbourhood and create a unique asset for our city. This is to be achieved by clearing the cemetery of rubbish, fallen tree branches and invasive ground cover thus encouraging a diversity of plants, insects and wildlife.

We wish to promote educational research, a healthy relaxing environment and encourage leisure activities such as painting, photography, mindfulness classes in the cemetery and engage with local people and businesses.

To date we have created a circular pathway around the cemetery, installed over 20 litter bins along the pathways, created a Workhouse Memorial Area, a wildflower meadow, a butterfly walk, made and installed over 40 bird boxes, two owl boxes, several bat boxes and six hedgehog boxes to encourage wildlife. We have also planted over a 1000 daffodil bulbs along the Spring Bank West frontage. We also clean and maintain graves, including the Commonwealth War Graves and headstones, and research the people buried in the cemetery.

We are currently reclaiming the two acre section of the cemetery that backs onto the Princes Avenue shops, which over recent areas had become badly overgrown. It is our intention to create a wildlife pond in this area which will attract many species, such as toads, frogs, newts as well as many water-loving insects that do not currently inhabit the cemetery because of the lack of water.’

Thanks

Once again, its much appreciated that the work the dedicated, small team of volunteers are doing should be recognised more widely in the city. We thank KCOM for their support, and of course the general public who voted for us. That the FOHGC were successful in this just boosts the confidence of all of us connected with this project.

 

FOHGC? Who the hell do they think they are?

by Pete Lowdenin General, History, News, Volunteers

FOHGC? Who the hell do they think they are?

Perhaps a little over the top as a headline, but what with the recent furore on the Facebook site, it’s probably time to clear the mystique around this shadowy group and their intentions.This is a short account of how the FOHGC arrived at this point. I hope it proves informative.

Firstly, let’s go back in time a little. The FOHGC is not the first group that wants to protect the cemetery from the various problems that it suffers from. By my reckoning it’s at least the third incarnation, and there may well have been a fourth in the early 1990’s but I have had difficulty tracing anything about that grouping.

I intend to write a fuller history of the original grouping for the site in the future. This grouping was known as The Spring Bank Cemetery Action Group. Full of interesting characters it deserves a chapter in itself.

2007

The middle group was a short run affair. It was begun in November 2007 from a general meeting attended by councillors and council officers. At the meeting 18 residents of the area turned up. Unlike today, after a decade of austerity induced cuts to council funding, the proposals were quite generous. Big plans were formulated. A gravel company was approached for costings to gravel the paths. Litter bins were to be installed, bulbs were to be planted, trees cut back and new tree species were to be introduced. The group produced a constitution and a membership scheme. A representative of the Brownies said that their group, as well as the Girl Guides, would maintain the site! 

And then, just as suddenly as it appeared, it just quietly disappeared. There’s no record of it having done anything. This example shows how fragile such groups are. It had Council support and great plans. Sadly, none of this helped. Now what factor is different this time? The FOHGC has the ‘troops on the ground’; work, both physical and mental, has been carried out over the past few years, and not just talked about. The results becoming evident to the general public, this has resulted in more people becoming involved. The FOHGC hopes to build an organisation that will maintain the site when some of us are no longer able to do the ‘heavy-lifting’. 

Small beginnings

The present group was begun in 2015. However the reason why the FOHGC started was quite simple really. John Scotney, the chair of the Hull Civic Society, was approached by his son, who often walked his dog in the cemetery. John’s son said that the cemetery was a disgrace with all of the litter and fly-tipping on the site. John went along to have a look. Here’s a sample of what he found.

Hull General Cemetery, near the gates, summer 2014

As you can see in the photograph he took, it wasn’t a pretty sight. This experience prompted him to contact Sonja Boemer-Christiansen, a fellow Hull Civic Society member. She had also shown an interest in reviving the cemetery and lived locally, so visited the site on a regular basis. She also offered her home to be the site of the first informal meetings of the fledgling Friends group.

Within a short space of time the Ward councillors became involved. Eva La Pensee was recruited to be the secretary. Other people involved around this time were Alan Deighton, who wrote the introductory leaflet that served the group well at the beginning. He was also the driving force behind the leaflet that described a guided walk through the cemetery. Lisa Hewson was also heavily involved at this time taking on the role of communications and Andrew Palfreman represented the Quaker burial ground with Chris Coulson. 

Dipping my toe in

That autumn of 2015, responding to seeing a contact number in the Hull Civic Society newsletter, I spoke to John Scotney. I told him I had written an article on how the Hull General Cemetery began. I asked him did he want to publish it in the newsletter with the hope it could recruit more people to the cause. He said yes. So I sent it along to him and he still said yes after reading it.

We met up in the October of that year at Planet Coffee. John said he’d publish the article as soon as he could find the space in the newsletter, as it was a long piece. It was published in June 2016 This intervention on my part led me to be enlisted on the FOHGC mailing list. So my involvement with the FOHGC began in July 2016 but admittedly from a distance. Being someone who shuns ‘clubs’ or ‘groups’ on the Groucho Marx basis that any group that would have me as a member was something I should avoid, I didn’t dash to become involved.

Raising the profile: First steps

Another reason for my tardiness was that the FOHGC‘s aims appeared confused to me at that time. It devoted considerable time and effort to restoring the Edward Booth headstone that lies in Western Cemetery. A worthwhile project, and successfully completed, but not in Hull General Cemetery.

Of more importance to my mind was that the first guided walk of the cemetery took place. This was the first  since Chris Ketchell’s famous one in 2000, illustrated below. It was led by John Scotney as part of the Heritage Open Days of that year. The cemetery had begun to have its profile raised. It was returning to life.

Chris Ketchell walk July 2000

Another important event took place the next month. Hull City Council made £1600 available to the group to pay for two display boards and the production of the guided walk leaflet mentioned above. Effectively Hull City Council, the landowners, were showing support. It could only augur well for the future.

The display boards may yet turn up, who knows? Their original settings were the infamous ‘Blue Container’ and the old laundry wall leading through to the all-weather pitch near Thoresby Street. Neither of those sites exist any more so a rethink on that issue is probably necessary.

Depart

A more pertinent issue was on the horizon. Hull’s City of Culture programme included Hull General Cemetery but for all the wrong reasons. The theatre group Circa performed a production entitled ‘Depart’ in the cemetery. This involved some aerial ballet in the trees overlooking parts of the cemetery. On the whole it was well attended, and as Martin Green, the Chief Executive of the Hull City of Culture told the BBC, in response to some criticisms from members of the public,

“That might be the impression but this is contemporary circus, which is best described as beautiful, aerial dance. No-one is going to be standing on any graves but it is a piece that responds to cemeteries and what they are for.”

Most of the audience were indeed standing on people’s graves. The heavy equipment, needed for the theatre group to complete its performance safely, caused considerable damage to the paths and yes, people’s graves. So that reply from Martin was a little disingenuous. The cemetery was not celebrated; it was simply used as a backdrop. The headstones and the people buried there were used as part of a Hammer Horror-like setting for the artists to perform. Would this have been allowed in the Western or Northern Cemeteries? 

The Council approved this event. However, in defence of the Council, it wanted the cultural events during that year to be spread across the city rather than be concentrated into the city centre. I would suggest that this was the reason why the Council approved it. If the theatre troupe approached them now I believe there would be a different response.

Social media and the Internet

A Facebook site was set up, as well as a website. The Facebook site attracted a lot of interest whilst the website languished. A plan to attract volunteers via a series of Activity Days was put into practice. However four days a year to remove the rubbish that constantly appeared was never going to do more than scrape the surface of the problem.

By September 2017, a bank account had been set up and the trail guide had been published. It was also the first meeting I attended. It was also the last by Alan Deighton who delivered the Guided Walk leaflet to the meeting and left. Was it something I said? No, it was nothing to do with me, thank heavens. He wanted to devote more time to the Carnegie Heritage Trust. You can, if you’re not very careful, spread yourself mightily thin. He’d recognised this and walked away.

Guided walk leaflet

Revolving door

This is a recurrent theme of the FOHGC. People come and people go. As Arthur Lee of Love sang back in 1967, ‘And for every happy hello, there will be goodbye’ and that sums it up really. People join for whatever reason, attend, give their all, and then move on. Sometimes these people re-appear. Sometimes they don’t, having found another project that takes up their time.

Although this may appear, on the face of it, quite chaotic, what it does do is keep the FOHGC fresh, bubbling with ideas and enthusiastic to tackle the tasks ahead. That is why the FOHGC have always allowed an open forum aspect to the group membership. People aren’t elected and then sit there, seat blocking for years, without contributing anything. We don’t exist for the pleasure of being important and going to meetings. Far from it. We exist to help the cemetery.

The downside to that is that meetings, as meetings can do, may last for a long while if everyone who attends wants to have their say.  So, although there is no restriction to who becomes members, it is also beholden upon them to realise when their time is up, and vacate their chairs. There’s always someone else who wants to attend, armed with a good idea and a bagful of enthusiasm.

Be warned though, many good ideas have failed in that cockpit of the meeting. Floundering on the twin rocks of scant resources and common sense. And that’s without taking into account that the FOHGC is simply an interest group that the landowner, Hull City Council, favours. Some ‘good ideas’ can rapidly lose us that patronage. So, bring them into the ‘kitchen’ but don’t be disappointed if they don’t make it to the table.

Over the years many members have moved on, Here are just some of them in no particular order; Stephen Hackett, Jan Fillinger, Chris Coulson, Andrew Palfreman, John Robinson, Lisa Hewson, Sonja Boemer-Christiansen and, of course, myself twice! I’m sure there will be others in the future. The only constant is the cemetery and that’s how it should be. The cemetery is why we are there and it is, of course, the star of the show.

The future

I’m sure all of you can appreciate that I’m reluctant to forecast much about the future. I’m writing this at the tail end of another lockdown due to the Covid 19 pandemic. ‘Nuff said. Where the FOHGC, and more importantly, the Hull General Cemetery will be in a year’s time, never mind a longer period is open to question. In what has been a remarkable last couple of years the FOHGC has been the recipient of grants from local charities, as well as all of the proceeds from a few books written about the cemetery. In essence, with little to no overheads, its finances are in good shape. And this is without a regular income stream that a membership scheme could provide.

That idea could indeed be the next step. However, to undertake that, the FOHGC would need to be established on a much more professional footing. It would need a constitution, and from that premise would stem elections, to provide its committee members. Those elections would need to be undertaken every year at an Annual General Meeting attended by the membership. If we explored becoming a charity other things would have to happen. The accounts would need to be verified by the Charity Commission and a firm of auditors. However, by becoming a charity it could enhance our income and provide other benefits.

That’s just the start but it’s a possibility. Other Cemetery Friends groups have done so and thrived. Here’s a couple of shots of Nunhead Cemetery’s Open Day 2019. Now imagine that in Hull General Cemetery. Nunhead, of course, is one of the Magnificent Seven in London. They have been holding open days, complete with stalls, since the late 1980’s so we’ve got some ground to make up. But there’s no reason why we can’t be ambitious and think ahead.

Nunhead open day 2019

Nunhead open day 2019

However, my opinion is that more groundwork needs to be done first before that jump takes place. Links to local schools should be strengthened so that kids are in there as part of their education and grow up respecting the site. Local businesses such as bars and cafes on Princes Avenue should have the guided walks and other information leaflets made available to them. This could encourage some of the public to saunter along to the cemetery on a summer’s afternoon after a late lunch and enjoy its attractions.

More organised guided walks should take place, not just on the subject of the dead inhabitants of the cemetery, but on the living ones too. Bats, owls, birds of all kinds, butterflies, foxes and even rats should all have their place in the sun. Metaphorically speaking of course, especially in the case of bats and owls! The display boards (remember them!) should be installed to enhance the visitor’s knowledge of the cemetery’s history and ecology. And that’s just for starters.

But the FOHGC is now established. The cemetery has had its profile raised. Guided walks attract a good crowd of interested people. The new Facebook site already has over 900 members and at least a 100 of them want to comment, add or dispute something which is a good sign. No one likes a moribund social media site. This website you are visiting now will hopefully archive and maintain the research undertaken by contributors. Such valuable material quickly gets lost on the Facebook site. The books are now all out of print but there is the distinct possibility that one or two more new ones are in the pipeline.

And that is without mentioning the considerable hard, physical work done by the volunteers of all kinds. They have, in bringing the cemetery back from the dead, made the site more welcoming than it has been for years. With all of this effort it is unlikely that the cemetery will ever become unloved again. To that end FOHGC will continue to oversee this project. When all of its current members have put their secateurs and keyboards away, they will be replaced by other, ardent lovers of Hull General Cemetery. And long may that continue.

National Federation of Cemetery Friends

by Pete Lowdenin General, News, Volunteers

The NFCF

The National Federation of Cemetery Friends (NFCF) is a national grouping. It was set up in 1986 to ‘promote the understanding and appreciation of cemeteries and actively to encourage their preservation and conservation.’ The FOHGC joined the National Federation of Cemetery Friends in 2018 as an associate member.

The NFCF sent an email in which it wondered how such groups as ours were responding to the Covid-19 crisis. They requested any information that could be shared within their national newsletter. So we decided to share with them how the Friends of Hull General Cemetery were and are dealing with the pandemic.

The core of volunteers working in Hull General Cemetery is small, and the area to be reclaimed is large, so social distancing was never a problem. We’re sure the same is true for all groups similar to ours.

The Shops

An area that had been earmarked for reclamation from the neglect of the last 30 years or so was sited at the back of a line of shops. These shops front onto a popular shopping district called Princes Avenue. The land that the shops occupied had originally been part of the Cemetery. The Cemetery Company had sold it off in 1907. It had realised that, with the expansion of Hull, the rural lane of Newland Tofts Lane had now become a much more salubrious area including the Avenues. As such this land could be sold to help with the Company’s cash flow problems.

The shops have had numerous occupants over the years.  Now the area is second only to the city centre for its bars, cafes and restaurants. A boon for the café culture but such enterprises often come with a surfeit of rubbish. Unfortunately, some of that ends up in the cemetery by design or accident.

The other problem issue with this area is the sycamore seedlings that have occupied any vacant space over the last 20 years or so. That coupled with rampant ivy growth and the ubiquitous blackberry bushes gives the reader a flavour of the area. The piled-up rubbish is just the icing on the cake.

The Friends knew that they could only take on this area during the period when birds were not nesting and laying their eggs. Effectively, at least in our area, this period is the middle of October to the beginning of February.

The Task in Hand

To gain an appreciation of the work to be done here’s a ‘Before’ photograph taken in 1993 and a ‘During’ one taken last week. The same building is in the background to both of these photographs. As you can see the theory of ‘managed neglect’, espoused by some, was not a success.

The Rear of the Princes Avenue Shops in 1996

The Same View Today

 

During the period of the first lock down, the volunteers continued with their efforts to reclaim the paths of the cemetery. This was achieved mainly through the use of the chipping machine. This machine was bought through the aid of a grant from a local charity. The copious wood cuttings are now turned into chippings. These could be spread onto the paths and allow more access to the site by the public including enhancing disabled access.

Turning Dead Wood into Chippings

A bulb planting exercise in August and September took place. This appeared to attract more volunteers as the task was undertaken by the side of a very busy roadside.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Upon the advice of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, two areas were earmarked for the creation of wild flower meadows to attract invertebrates, especially moths and butterflies. These areas were cleared in early October. Part of the cemetery ground that contained over 10,000 workhouse burials was also cleared  A granite memorial was purchased. Inscribed with a suitable inscription, it commemorates the unfortunate people buried there. These people were buried there and were denied any token of remembrance at their burials. Further planting of native trees and shrubs was also undertaken in this area.

By the time Hull had achieved (?) Tier Two level, and just prior to the second national lockdown, the work outlined above to the area behind the Princes Avenue began in earnest. It still continues and will until it has to halt for the birds beginning their nesting again. 

Here are two images that show what can be done. They are a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ of the burial place of John Gravill, a listed monument with Historic England. John Gravill, died on December 26th 1866, whilst his whaler was entombed in ice in the Davis strait.

The Gravill Tomb 2015

His body was brought back for burial in Hull. His funeral was attended by over 20,000 people. This figure was probably about a third of the entire population of the town at that time.

Gravill cleared 2020

Now, I sent some of these photographs along to the National Federation of Cemetery Friends, along with some text and they replied saying that this was ideal and that it would be included in their next national newsletter. So, the work that the volunteers are doing will be seen on a much wider platform. In a sense it’s putting Hull General Cemetery on the national map, and for that all of us who care about the cemetery should be extremely grateful. Thank you Bill and all of his merry helpers.

 

 

The Hull Hub

by Pete Lowdenin Events, General, News, Volunteers

The Hull Hub

Some of you may remember that a local periodical (The Hull Hub)published an article about the work that the FOHGC were doing last year in its September 2019 edition. They also bravely put a photograph of Bill Longbone, Russ Moor and myself in their pages. I have no idea how that affected their advertisers but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t positive! What on earth were they thinking?

Bill, Russ and Pete at the Gates in 2019
Bill, Russ and Pete at the Gates in 2019

Suffice to say that they haven’t learnt from that. I contacted them last week and sent them some images and text about the activities that the FOHGC were carrying out now and what they had done during the last year. I titled the piece, ‘Pandemic? What Pandemic’. I received an email back almost immediately saying, ‘great’ and that they would definitely use it for their next edition.

So, the activities of the FOHGC will once again grace their pages. And quite rightly too. The work that the volunteers have produced this year has been phenomenal and it should be widely celebrated. From path restoration to bulb planting; from creating areas that will become wild flower meadows to erecting a memorial to the people buried in the workhouse section of the Cemetery, the work has been excellent, and in the teeth of a pandemic. Well done all of you, and you know who you are.

I’m reliably informed that the Hull Hub article will be going to print next week. Not being familiar with the print schedules of the Hull Hub I’m guessing that  it may be in the December or January edition. Look out for it but try to keep it away from people of a delicate or sensitive nature. The image above should be testament to that advice. You have been warned!

The Council Applauds the Work of the Volunteers

by Pete Lowdenin General, News, Volunteers

The Council And The Volunteers

Its always nice when your efforts are recognised. Even better when its unexpected. Here’s the draft of an email sent on the 17/11/2020 from the Neighbourhood Co-ordinator of the area in which the cemetery sits, Mike Tindall.

“You have all really done a magnificent job, this sort of work was highly unlikely to have been undertaken anytime soon by HCC for a host of reasons but the work you volunteers have undertaken has been great, the improvement in the Cemetery has been significant and we cant thank you enough really for the help you have provided.”

To add to the delight that such an effusive comment brings, it actually did get better. Mike’s boss, Andrew Wilson, followed up Mike’s email with this,

“Totally agree with Mike’s comments, well done it is very much appreciated. I will contact our cleansing team to have the bags picked up later in
the week. Regards Andrew”

In the thick of it.

So, perhaps, it can be finally said what we, at the FOHGC, always believed. Working in cooperation with the local authority can achieve much more than constantly moaning to the council about what they haven’t done and creating bad feeling between the groups.  It’s a much more positive attitude to work together, to know what the Council can do with a bit of help from community groups. It creates a trust and a belief in both sides that together we can overcome the problems in reclaiming  the cemetery for the community.

As an ex-Prime Minister once said about his imposed austerity programme, “We’re all in this together”. Well, here’s some solid evidence of that idea being put into practice and how it can bear fruit.

Just remind me again, how did that austerity programme go, Mr Cameron?

Bill finds something nasty in the woodland.

Bill finds something nasty in the woodland.