Identification and description | |||||||
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Name | ST BARTHOLOMEW'S CEMETERY, EXETER | ||||||
Location |
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Localisation | Latitude: 50.722522 Longitude: -3.5369581 National Grid Reference: SX 91606 92560 Map: Download a full scale map (PDF) |
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Overview | Heritage Category: Park and Garden Grade: II* List Entry Number: 1001582 Date first listed: 16-Jan-2002 |
An early C19 cemetery laid out to the designs of Thomas Whitaker, Surveyor to the
Exeter Improvement Commissioners.
HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT
By the early C17 the burial ground in the Cathedral Yard at Exeter had become overcrowded,
and in August 1637 a new cemetery, known originally as Bartholomew Yard, was consecrated
by Bishop Hall (Hoskins 1960). This burial ground was situated at the south-west corner
of the city, between Bartholomew Street West and the Roman and medieval city walls.
In the late C18 properties on Bartholomew Street were rebuilt, reflecting the affluence
of the area, and in the early C19 a church, All Hallows on the Walls, was constructed
in the burial ground.
By the early C19 the new burial ground was in turn becoming over-used, a situation
exacerbated by a serious cholera outbreak in 1832. This encouraged the Exeter Improvement
Commissioners to investigate the provision of a new inter-denominational cemetery
for the city. In 1835 therefore the Commissioners invited their Surveyor, Thomas Whitaker,
to provide designs for laying out a steeply sloping site immediately north-west of
the city walls and the early C17 burial ground. The site was shown as open ground
with trees planted parallel to the north-west and south-east boundaries on J Roper's
plan of Exeter published in 1805. Whitaker's designs, which included a range of catacombs
in the novel Egyptian style, were accepted, and the site was laid out in 1836-37.
As opened in 1837, the consecrated and unconsecrated sections of the cemetery were
divided by a wall running down the slope from east to west; this division is similarly
reflected in the design of the catacombs which were intended to receive up to 22,000
bodies (Brooks 1994).
The cemetery remained in use until 1874 when it was closed for new burials. Most interments
were made in common graves, reflecting the changed social standing of the neighbourhood,
while much of the space within the catacombs remained unused as fashions in burial
changed. After the closure of the cemetery, many monuments were removed and the site
was landscaped for use as a place of public recreation, with sloping gravel walks
and ornamental tree and shrub planting. Today (2001) the site remains in municipal
ownership as a public open space. Some funerary monuments survive on the terraces
immediately below the catacombs.
In the mid C20 All Hallows' church was demolished and the early C17 Bartholomew Yard
or Frierenhay Burial Ground cleared of monuments. It retains some specimen trees and
earthwork traces of walks corresponding to those shown on the late C19 OS map. Frierenhay
Burial Ground is not included in the site here registered.
St Bartholomew's Cemetery appears to have been the first cemetery in England to be
funded from public money (ibid), while the Egyptian-style catacombs and obelisk gate
piers are the earliest known example of cemetery structures (other than monuments)
designed in this style in England (ibid). The use of monumental ramps, viewing terraces,
and catacombs set into the hillside may be related to similar features at the Anglican
St James' Cemetery, Liverpool (qv), designed by John Foster in 1829.
DESCRIPTION
LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING St Bartholomew's Cemetery is situated
c 0.5km west of Exeter Cathedral, to the north-west of Bartholomew Street. The c 2.25ha
site is bounded on each side by stone or brick walls which separate it from public
roads and footpaths, while to the south-east it adjoins the C17 Frierenhay Burial
Ground, formerly known as Bartholomew Yard (outside the site here registered), from
which it is separated by the City Wall. To the north-east it is bounded by a brick
wall separating it from Napier Terrace, a C19 terrace of artisan dwellings which overlooks
the cemetery (Cherry and Pevsner 1989), while to the east it adjoins Bartholomew Street
East. The southern boundary adjoins Barbican Steps, and to the west it is bounded
by a low stone wall formerly supporting early C19 iron railings which separates it
from Exe Street, where late C20 terraced houses overlook the site. The cemetery occupies
a steep north-west-facing slope which descends from the Roman and medieval city wall
(scheduled ancient monument) which forms the east and south-east boundary wall of
the site; this slope is partly terraced to allow for burials. There are extensive
views north, north-west, and west from both the viewing terrace above the catacombs
and from the terraced walks within the cemetery. To the north the mid C19 church of
St Michael and All Angels with its dramatic spire is prominent in views, while late
C20 domestic properties on Exe Street and Dinham Crescent on the south-east-facing
slope opposite the cemetery are seen to the north-west. There are views of the River
Exe and open ground beyond to the west.
ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES The principal entrance to the cemetery is situated on Bartholomew
Street East, adjacent to its junction with Bartholomew Street West at the northern
tip of the Frierenhay Burial Ground. The entrance comprises a pair of double gates,
each supported by monumental granite piers in the form of obelisks; the gates are
separated by a high stone wall. Stone steps descend from each entrance to a viewing
terrace above the catacombs. As constructed, each entrance led respectively to the
consecrated and unconsecrated sections of the cemetery, while the viewing terrace
was divided by iron railings which extended from the boundary wall to a granite obelisk
set at the centre of the terrace parapet railings. From the terrace a ramped walk,
flanked to the north-west by a grass verge and early C19 spear-headed iron railings
which terminate in a massive battered stone pier, and to the south-east by a rubble-stone
wall (scheduled ancient monument) and a single row of late C20 limes, descends c 130m
south-west to reach the upper terrace walk.
Three further entrances lead into the site from Exe Street to the north-west. Each
entrance is of similar design and comprises a pair of early C19 spear-headed railed
iron gates supported by a pair of monumental granite piers of obelisk form.
PRINCIPAL BUILDING St Bartholomew's Cemetery was designed without chapels, and none
was constructed during its period of use. The principal structure to which the design
relates is the range of catacombs (listed grade II) which abut the Roman and medieval
city wall forming the eastern boundary of the site. The catacombs are symmetrical
in plan with a pair of wide projecting bays being flanked on the outer sides by further
narrower projecting bays. Each bay has battered walls and has on its north-west facade
a monumental portal surmounted by an Egyptian-style entablature. The portals are closed
by massive C20 metal gates, and formerly gave access to the burial chambers which
are arranged on several levels within the structure. The interior of the structure
is also reached by a pair of stone staircases which descend from the viewing terrace,
each staircase giving access to either the consecrated or unconsecrated burial spaces.
The recesses between each projecting bay shelter substantial early and mid C19 monuments,
while at the mid-point of the north-west facade a short length of stone wall extending
across the terrace wall is the remnant of the wall which formerly divided the Anglican
and Nonconformist sections of the site.
OTHER LAND The steeply sloping site is laid out with a grass terrace walk which extends
c 190m north-north-east from the south-west end of the ramped approach descending
from the viewing terrace, to the north-east boundary of the site. This walk extends
immediately below the catacombs, which are situated towards its central point, and
provides access to the portals leading into the structure. A further grass terrace
extends below, and parallel to, the upper terrace. From each end of this terrace walk,
ramped grass walks descend north-north-east and south-south-west to reach the lower
areas of the site adjacent to Exe Street. The ramped walks converge approximately
below the central point of the catacomb range, adjacent to a narrow stone staircase
which ascends from this point to reach the upper terrace walk. Several C19 monuments
of various forms survive beneath the mixed mature specimen trees, yews, Irish yews,
and evergreen shrubs which are planted quite densely adjacent to the formal walks
and terraces. Below the terraces and ramped walks the north-west-facing slope levels
out to form a wide lawn extending parallel to the Exe Street boundary of the site.
This lawn is planted with scattered mature specimen trees, with further late C20 specimen
trees adjacent to the north-west and north-east boundaries. A few C19 monuments remain
set horizontally in the grass.
The OS survey of 1888 (published 1890) indicates that the lower level of the cemetery
had not then been entirely cleared and relandscaped. A central straight walk extended
from south-west to north-east with further walks giving access to burial areas on
the lower section of the sloping site. Faint traces of these walks remain in the grass
(2001), but no evidence of a structure shown on the south-west side of a path junction
c 120m north-east of the south-west entrance survives above ground. The layout of
the ramped walks, terraces, catacombs, and ornamental planting remains substantially
unchanged since the late C19 (OS).
REFERENCES
W G Hoskins, Two Thousand Years in Exeter (1960, reprinted 1974), p 140 C Brooks,
Mortal Remains (1989), pp 62, 132-4 B Cherry and N Pevsner, The Buildings of England:
Devon (2nd edn 1989), pp 422-3 C Brooks, English Historic Cemeteries, (English Heritage
theme study 1994), p 74
Maps J Roper, Exeter, 1805 R Brown, The City of Exeter, 1835 OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st
edition surveyed 1876-78, published 1890 2nd edition published 1906 OS 25" to 1 mile:
1st edition surveyed 1888, published 1890 2nd edition published 1905
Archival items Exeter Improvement Commissioners Minutes, 1834-38 (31/600), (Devon
County Record Office, Exeter) Exeter Improvement Commissioners Day Book for Builders,
1835 (31/598), (Devon County Record Office, Exeter) Exeter Improvement Commissioners
Maps and Plans (G1), (Devon County Record Office, Exeter) Exeter Improvement Commissioners
General Proceedings, 1836-43 (31/581), (Devon County Record Office, Exeter)
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION St Bartholomew's Cemetery is designated at Grade II* for the
following principal reasons:
* St Bartholomew's Cemetery is an early, perhaps the earliest, example of a cemetery
laid out by the municipal authority (1835-7). * The cemetery is a good example of
an early 19th century cemetery. * The cemetery contains important Egyptian-style catacombs
which are an early example of the use of this architectural style in an English cemetery,
particularly in a provincial city. * The cemetery contains a good collection of funerary
monuments which reflect the development and character of Exeter in the 19th century
Description written: October 2001 Register Inspector: JML Edited: April 2002 Upgraded:
November 2009
This garden or other land is registered under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 within the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by Historic England for its special historic interest.