Case Study - Arnos Vale Cemetery

Programme: Heritage Grants
Applicant: Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust in partnership with Bristol City Council
Grant awarded: £4,820,000
Project length: June 2006 – April 2010

Arnos Vale cemetery - printable (MS Word, 301KB)

Summary

Arnos Vale is an important historic cemetery, included on the English Heritage register of parks and gardens at grade II*. The site was threatened by redevelopment and following a high-profile media campaign; Bristol City Council took ownership in 2003.

The Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust was given a licence to manage the site and undertook a major restoration programme, with grant aid from a range of funders and a major grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Key elements of the project included restoration of the site’s historic designed landscape, monuments and buildings, and transformation of the 45-acre site into a heritage, wildlife and visitor centre.

An education project was developed alongside site interpretation, talks and ticketed learning events. Income generated by events helps to contribute to the ongoing site management.

The aims of the project

The four year project had four main aims:

To conserve the key surviving elements of the historic designed landscape by selectively clearing and re-planting informed by the original design
To carefully conserve and re-use the main cemetery buildings
To conserve and repair the listed and most visually significant monuments and tombs, and boundary walls and gates
To manage and conserve all areas of the cemetery as a sanctuary for wildlife

Benefits for heritage

The project allowed the listed buildings, monuments and tombs to be removed from the English Heritage’s ‘At Risk’ register. Key infrastructure such as the cemetery boundaries, paths and roads have all been repaired
Buildings have been brought back in to use: the West Lodge was converted to provide a ‘Visitor Welcome’ facility, offices and meeting facilities and the East Lodge as a ‘Family History and Resource Centre’. Other buildings were converted for exhibitions and events, visitor facilities, and education spaces
The entire site has now been designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) and is managed as a sanctuary for wildlife

Benefits for people

The project represents the culmination of 17 years of campaigning by the local community to save the cemetery and make it publicly accessible
The project was almost entirely led by volunteer effort, with a volunteer base of 600. A Volunteer Coordinator supported volunteers in delivering project outcomes and in gaining conservation skills
The site has become a popular destination for local people and visitors
The cemetery was re-opened in spring 2010 and now offers venue hire, a full programme of education activities, open days and guided walks, and conservation activities, in addition to its revival as a working cemetery

Lessons learnt

As the grantee was not able to access the site to carry out full survey works, some elements of project planning were made more difficult
As a result, costs increased significantly, so despite uplift in grant of £1,644,000, the scope of works had to be reduced
The Project Executive role should be fulfilled by an organisation with sufficient organisational capacity and a direct interest in the future management and running of the site

Long term benefits

New facilities including a visitor reception, shop and permanent exhibition have transformed the visitor experience
An education service and full programme of activities is ongoing
The continuing work of the Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust can be viewed at the Arnos Vale website

The budget

Main Project Costs	£	Funding	£
Repair and conservation work	2,972,723	Other grants	4,695,962
Building work	1,575,147	HLF grant (51%)	4,820,000
Professional fees	1,287,592
Equipment	306,000
Other capital costs	3,373,500
		Total costs	9,515,962

People listening to a choir perform at the cemetery

Sector

Land and Biodiversity

Activity

Conservation