Cemeteries and Churchyards
Habitat Audit
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Summary
Churchyards are burial grounds encompassed within the walled
boundary of a church. During the latter half of the eighteenth
century some churches, especially in central London, established
extramural burial grounds due to the shortage of space within
their churchyards. Many of these `church gardens' have since
been turned into public gardens. Where information exists
these sites are included within the churchyard element of
this audit.
Cemeteries are burial grounds outside the confines of a
church. These include private burial grounds (mostly constructed
during the Victorian era) and more recently established
local authority burial grounds.
Cemeteries in London cover approximately 1300 hectares,
just under 1% of Greater London's land cover. Cemeteries
are predominately situated in outer London boroughs with
the largest areas of cemetery land being in Newham and Barnet.
Churchyards represent a relatively minor resource in terms
of the land which they encompass, but they are a significant
potential resource with respect to their distribution.
Cemeteries
and churchyards make a significant contribution to the provision
of urban green space in London, sometimes providing a sanctuary
for wildlife in urban areas devoid of greenspace. Although
many have restricted access they still provide a useful
resource for the local community, particularly within inner
London Boroughs.
A wide variety
of habitats can be found in Greater London’s cemeteries.
This is demonstrated by St Pancras and Islington Cemetery
in Barnet, which supports areas of neutral grassland, wetland,
scrub and secondary woodland. Due to the antiquity of many
churchyards and cemeteries they can support habitats which
are relics of former countryside and may, therefore, support
a range of rare or uncommon plant species. The only known
London site for green-winged orchid Orchis morio,
for example, is Morden Cemetery in Merton. Other more
commonly occurring plants, which are indicative of the countryside
within which many of these cemeteries were formerly located,
include cuckoo-flower Cardamine pratense, harebell
Campanula rotundifolia and crested dog’s-tail
Cynosorus cristatus.
While churchyard/cemetery
status confers protection from certain forms of development,
loss of existing habitat may occur as a result of increasing
pressure for burial space. Twenty one of the thirty eight
cemeteries with recognised nature conservation value in
London have been identified as sites for potential re-use
(Bailey 1998). The notable nature conservation value of
these sites is often due to their antiquity and the current
laws preventing the disturbance of human remains. Re-use
could result in the loss of the tree and scrub cover that
has developed over many of these older cemetery sites.
The responsibility
for management of many cemetery sites has been given to
various local authority departments who are often ill-equipped
to advise on ecological management, or are reluctant to
accept nature conservation value. In an attempt to avoid
affronting the perceived sensitivities of relatives of the
interred, most land management in operational cemeteries
is aimed at maintaining a well-ordered, ‘tidy’
appearance which limits the opportunities for biodiversity
conservation and enhancement.
In London,
there is considerable potential for increasing the nature
conservation value of many of the extensive cemetery sites.
Simple measures such as a reduction in mowing frequency
where the sward is species-rich, or tree and shrub planting
where existing habitat is of low value would do much to
increase their ecological value. Placing bird and bat boxes
in sites with trees would provide a very public indication
of support for biodiversity conservation. The growing interest
in ‘green burials’ may also create an opportunity
to incorporate enhancement or creation of wildlife habitat
within existing or newly created cemeteries.
By recognising
the existing and potential value of cemeteries and churchyards
these sites can provide an educational resource which encompasses
biodiversity, history and other disciplines. For example,
the relic flora of the site, in addition to dates on headstones,
can provide evidence as to the history of the site. Lichens
on walls and monuments can be related to air quality.
Although
perceived as a threat to existing habitats within cemeteries,
re-use could provide an opportunity to create new habitats
or restore open habitats which have been lost to scrub or
secondary woodland. Indeed a London Planning Advisory Committee
report, ‘Burial Space Needs in London’,
specifically refers to the need to conserve biodiversity
within any re-use strategy. Sites such Tower Hamlets, Abney
Park and Highgate Cemeteries demonstrate the potential for
incorporating biodiversity objectives into the management
of cemeteries and churchyards.
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full Audit - this is only a summary
Churchyards and Cemeteries Habitat Action Plan - coming
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