This is a Halloween special. A walk through Arnos vale cemetery the largest in Bristol. There are over 45,000 graves and monuments spread over 45 acres and over 300,000 people are remembered here.

This week our history walk took us to Brislington close to the ITV west television studio. We had come to celebrate the end of October by visiting a necropolis.

First some background, Bristol was expanding rapidly in the 19th century. For centuries the city’s population was between 10,000 and 20,000 people but by the 1830’s it had risen to over 100,000. The dead were usually buried in the graveyard of the local parish church. However, these were running out of space and in 1832 there was a crisis when there was a large cholera epidemic.

In 1836 the newly formed Bristol general cemetery company proposed buying a site well away from the centre of the city.  At that time the most fashionable cemetery in Europe was Pere-Lachaise in Paris. Garden cemeteries had also opened in Kensal Green and Highgate in London. 

Arnos Vale Cemetery

The site chosen at Arnos Vale was 45 acres of green fields which formed a natural Amphitheatre. It was close to both the river and the road so that building material could be brought in easily.

Bristol architect Charles Underwood designed the main buildings using classical themes. The cemetery was divided into two sections each with its own chapel. The Anglican chapel is on higher ground and more lavish and the Anglican section is on consecrated ground. The section for Baptists, Methodists and other dissenters is unconsecrated and their chapel is elegant but simpler.

It has been a working cemetery since 1839. Many of the important Victorians who shaped our city such as Mary Carpenter and George Muller are buried at Arnos vale.

Monuments

A major attraction for rich Victorians was that there was plenty of space for elaborate monuments. Until the 18th century graves were usually marked with a simple stone or cross.  The 19th century saw a fashion for all things classical particularly among protestants who rejected crosses as being too catholic. We had fun spotting:

obelisks, reflecting the craze for all things Egyptian after the Napoleonic wars,

Celtic crosses the circle symbolises eternal life

Urns Romans used urns to store the ashes of their loved ones

Broken Columns a life cut short

as well as anchors, books, butterflies, flowers, birds and angels.

This unusual tomb was erected to the memory of Rajah Rammohun Roy one of the founders of modern Hinduism. He is best remembered for his efforts to ban “sati” – the tradition of Indian widows being burned on their husband’s funeral pyre. He died during a visit to Bristol in 1833.

Although much of the cemetery is overgrown the commonwealth war grave commission maintains several sections of the cemetery and these are immaculate. This section is for casualties who died of injuries after returning to Bristol.

The landscape

The designers of Arnos vale wanted to provide an arcadian landscape. The site has a dramatic amphitheatre shape with views over the city.  Originally, they planted evergreen trees such as cedars, pine and cypress to signify eternal life. However, over the years the original cemetery has become overgrown lending it a sort of gothic charm.  It is also an important wildlife corridor for a variety of animals. A colony of horseshoe bats has even taken up residence in one of the service tunnels.

Cremation

The first cremation took place at Arnos vale in 1928 and visitors to the café might be startled when going downstairs to use the toilet to find one of the original furnaces on display but thankfully no longer in use.

Visitor information

Although it might seem to be a strange place to go for a snack Arnos vale cemetery has a very good café serving homemade cakes and light lunches. If you want to wander around the graveyard or spot unusual wildlife, I advise wearing a good pair of walking shoes as paths can be steep and slippery. There is limited parking but good public transport. When we visited it was half term, but I was still surprised at the number of families with children who were spending the afternoon in the graveyard. Local schools had also contributed to a day of the dead exhibition.

It is also used as a unique wedding venue and a place to stage theatrical events. The next production being Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. To find out more visit the cemetery website.  Arnos vale

Update

We visited again for a Halloween special in 2022. Volunteers have been working hard to maintain the cemetery. Many of the invasive ash trees have suffered from ash die back and have been felled to reveal more of the original evergreens. The staff were setting up the venue for a Halloween themed wedding with black candles and napkins.

This October Arnos Vale cemetery are running nighttime morbid curiosity tours for the brave. See website for details. You might want to bring a torch.

Click here if you want to find some more Halloween scare events for adults.