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1 Friends of Spital Cemetery (FoSC) e-newsletter April 2017 Number 5 Welcome to our April Newsletter. There are signs all around of new life and perhaps too for the chapels. It s about 60 years since were last used for their original purpose but is is now possible that they may have a rosy future. We are keeping our fingers crossed and invite our readers to support Ed in his efforts. join the campaign to create March Update Two A hub for Creative and Technical Industries TO BE LOCATED IN THE former SPITAL CEMETERY CHAPELS Just to let you all know that we have now submitted a detailed document to Chesterfield Borough Council asking for the opportunity to either purchase the site at a peppercorn price, or to have a fixed term lease to achieve the refurbishment or the opportunity to discuss purchase and refurbishment. In the meantime we are pressing ahead with events, activities and crucially with building the capacity of the Restoration Trust. This is where you can help. We are delighted to confirm that we have had a very successful meeting with representatives of the Friends of Spital Cemetery and are working together to pursue a positive future for the Chapels. The Trust and the friends will be independent of each other but worth in close partnership - sharing resources where possible and helpful. We are now constructing the Governance arrangements for the Trust and are looking for people who are willing to serve in the following capacities: - Members of the Restoration Trust Management Board - Appointing some high level Trustees to oversee the plan - Identifying people who can help with the crowd-sourcing, bid writing and fundraising as a matter of urgency - Helping with organising local events, activities and assisting with the profile of the campaign. HOW YOU CAN HELP? Can you join the Campaign Team? Share our facebook page: Spital Chapels Preservation Trust On Offer your skills and ideas to the team ed.fordham@gmail.com Make a cash pledge to the campaign - we will need to crowd-source considerable match funding for our grant bodies PLEASE GET IN TOUCH TODAY and can we take this opportunity to say JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TODAY

2 A detour through Spital Cemetery with Hasland Walking Group by Denise Barge (Walk Leader) Hasland Walking for Health Group caters for people who would like to walk to get fitter, gain confidence, meet people etc within led walks. We do short walks of 30 mins and a longer one of up to 60 mins at a quicker pace. Some of the Group requested longer walks so I started to do progression walks of up to 5 miles once a month last year. We usually walk from Hasland and enjoy exploring places we live near but have never been to. On our walk of we decided to use the new cycle path from near B+Q to Chesterfield Railway Station and back to Hasland via the River Rother which cuts through housing estate off Piccadilly. As a detour we cut through Spital Cemetery as most of us had never visited. One of our group Margaret Hersee who is Secretary of Friends of Spital Cemetery gave us a brief introduction to some of the interesting headstones and graves. Unfortunately this had to be cut short due to heavy rain which turned some of the grass paths to mud. The daffodils were flowering and despite the remnants of Storm Doris The Cemetery was looking great. We found the time in The Cemetery very enjoyable and intend to return soon as part of another walk. The paths are well laid out and easy to walk. I hadn t realised how big the site was and how old some of the graves were. It is really interesting reading the headstones as they give a good insight into peoples lives. I would recommend The Cemetery as a good place for a stroll or a part of a longer walk. Spital Garden Cemetery Layout Spital cemetery in 1876 showing the layout of the original garden Spital Cemetery dates from A public meeting was called on 19th July 1855 at which it was "Resolved, that the parish churchyard is overcrowded, and that a new burial ground is required. That a committee be appointed to consult on how a new burial ground can be provided." A Burial Board was formed for the ecclesiastical parish of Chesterfield and the Township of Tapton with the intention of purchasing and laying out the new burial ground. In May 1856 a competition was held for the design for the layout of the grounds which was won by Francis Calvert Gillett who was a mining

3 engineer consultant in Chesterfield. Later he moved to Derby where he became Consulting Mining Engineer to the Midland Railway. Spital Cemetery is a fine example of a Victorian Garden Cemetery, just out of the original parish boundary, over the river Rother, on a hillside so the land will have been cheap but with a view over Chesterfield and the twisted spire of the Church of St Mary and All Saints so connecting the cemetery with the town and vice versa. It has axial routes immediately in front of the chapels (conjoined Anglican and Nonconformist, Grade 11 listed) with a grand winding carriage route from the gate piers and arch in the fine high stone walls next to the lodge entrance (all Grade 11 listed) and winding pathways still as per the original design. Some of these are intact (if poorly maintained), a few have been partially buried over, others exist under grass or overgrown especially in the case of the roundabout feature. Work of the Cemetery Task Team The Cemetery Task Team meet monthly on the last Monday of the month at We have now had two meetings and have concentrated our efforts on clearing the roadways (cluttered with sticks from the limes after the stormy weather) and sweeping and raking the original paths immediately around the chapels. We plan to try to reestablish the roundabout feature mentioned above which is presently a collection of mature trees and overgrown shrubs and has become a dumping ground for waste over the years. But we will balance our work to reestablish the original feature as far as possible with the wish not to destroy a good habitat for wildlife. Please contact me for further details about the Cemetery Task Team and come and join us. lizcook80@icloud.com The next meeting will be April Meeting Monday 24 April at the Chapels Dates for your diary There are still places on our visit to Dronfield Hall Barn on Saturday 8th April. Meet at the Barn at Alan Powell, Chair of Dronfield Heritage Trust will tell us about the work they did to restore the building and give it a new life. A wander around the war graves in Spital Cemetery 9 April at 11am. Come and join Amanda Brassington (Chesterfield Museum Service) and Liz Cook (FoSC) as they explore and talk about the CWGC war graves. There are 35 WW1 CWGC graves and 8 from WW11 scattered all over the cemetery, most are easily recognisable because they are in Hopton Wood Stone but 5 are in family graves. Meet at the chapels. Free, but donations to support FoSC are always welcome.

4 May Day Market Stall 1May 2017 Come and help with the stall, or just call by to say hello. We hope to have some new promotional material on the stall to tell people what we are doing in the cemetery and what is happening to the chapels. Hopefully by then there will be some resolution there. For more information and to offer your help please contact Margaret Chesterfield Walking Festival 6-14 May 2017 There are so many fabulous walks planned during this week, but if you fancy a gentle stroll and a brief introduction to some of the significant events and burials in the cemetery why not join us on 9th from 11-13:00. We will meet beside the new bike stands outside the train station. Funding our activities We were pleased to receive information that we have received 1,000 from Derbyshire County Council Members' Community Leadership Scheme to promote our group, help with a website, leaflets and events and especially for work with local schools. Many thanks to Cllr Sharon Blank for her support. Two Chapels Joined as One And to round off this newsletter we will return to the subject of the chapels. Soon a crucial decision will be made about their future by the council which will be significant in the history of both the chapels and the cemetery for we are together in this. Ed Fordham who is leading a movement driving for them to remain open and available to people living and working in Chesterfield, held several events last month around the chapels and for one, he wrote this poem. Two chapels joined as one Fate introduced them, in town. The Vicar married them soon. Him, an accountant, established, Her, a mill worker, dissenting. Together they lived side by side Firm foundation that first meeting Chips on way home, up to Spital A place that was together theirs The solitude brought many blessings There were tears yes, but memories Tales to tell and to laugh. But no family, no next generation. And as the years passed they aged, They slowed, they greyed, they ached, But they never faltered. Side by side, together, clutched.

5 Now he sits empty and unmoving Unconscious of those who pass by. She stands proud still but ailing, Awaiting the final call or next step. About us. Friends of Spital Cemetery celebrate Spital Cemetery which is the oldest public cemetery in Derbyshire outside Derby. It is a fine example of a Victorian Garden Cemetery. We work to ensure that Spital Cemetery and the chapels remain for public benefit and enjoyment by encouraging biodiversity, recording and fostering its heritage of monuments and exploring ways to develop its use as an educational and community resource. For more details about our activities and how to get involved please contact the Secretary thefriendsofspitalcemetery@gmail.com or Acting Chair lizcook80@icloud.com