Cemetery closures twice foil Australian's UK trip

Laura Horwill twice travelled from Australia to visit family graves, only to be disappointed

A woman says she flew to Nottingham from Australia twice to visit the graves of her distant relatives - only to find the cemetery had closed on both occasions.

Concerns have been raised over the future of Rock Cemetery in Nottingham after two extended closures and complaints over its upkeep.

Laura Horwill decided to travel from Brisbane in August 2024 and again in July to visit the cemetery to trace her ancestors' graves, but both attempts to visit their graves failed.

"The first time I was really upset," she said. "The second time, it felt like a weird joke."

The site, on the corner of Mansfield Road and Forest Road East, was opened in 1856 and contains about 14,000 graves and vaults holding about 44,000 interments.

It remains shut after it was closed at short notice over concerns that some memorials were unsafe.

Nottingham City Council, which has not given a reopening date, said it was "working as quickly as possible" to address the issues.

The cemetery shut earlier this year for a second time and has not yet reopened

Ms Horwill's first visit came after research into her family tree led her to a previously unknown living relative and both agreed to travel to Nottingham to see the graves of their great-great grandparents, Alfred and Blanche Ferguson.

Upon arrival, they found the cemetery had closed after a small encampment of people, who were believed to be homeless, moved into the grounds.

Ms Horwill said: "We flew over to London, then drove up and got to the gates to find it was closed, due to anti-social behaviour, I was so upset.

"The genesis of the whole trip was to see the graves, we had printed out maps of their location."

Undeterred, Ms Horwill decided to try again and flew over again the following summer.

"I kept checking to make sure the cemetery was open but we got to the gates and, yes, they were locked, this time due to health and safety issues," she said.

"I'd done so much research, I could find the graves in five minutes but it wasn't happening."

The Grade II listed cemetery holds 14,000 graves and vaults with 44,000 people interred

Refusing to be put off, Ms Horwill intends to try again a third time next year, but even when open, the condition of the cemetery has been causing concern.

Peter Sampson has several generations of his family interred at the cemetery and still has an active plot, meaning he has the option of being buried there himself.

He said: "It is deteriorating year-on-year and the paths are nigh-on impossible to get past.

"I get there isn't much money but it is only going to get worse and more expensive to put right."

Mr Sampson felt there had been a "knee jerk" reaction to close the cemetery and the council's attitude had been "shut the gates and keep everyone in the dark".

He said the condition of the area had him "seriously considering whether I want to be put in it because it's not going to be a great place to visit when I'm long gone."

Yvonne Wright has researched the cemetery and would lead informal walks around it

Local historian Yvonne Wright, set up the Friends of Rock Cemetery group and used to run informal walks around the site.

She said: "When I first started coming here five or so years ago there was always one or two groundskeepers, they were always busy, cleaning and tidying.

"But latterly it has got really bad. The last two [walks] I came on there were some paths I couldn't get down.

"I'd like to see it open again, I can do my [walks], the council can restart their tours, people can come and see family graves or just enjoy the peace."

The city council said the appearance of some areas was the result of encouraging wildlife - which it says is balanced with maintaining access and respecting the graves.

A spokesperson added: "We understand and acknowledge the concerns raised by members of the public regarding Rock (Church) Cemetery.

"We recognise the emotional importance of visiting the graves of loved ones and apologise for any distress or inconvenience caused.

"We are working as quickly as possible to address the health and safety issues at the site and will update the public as soon as it is safe to reopen."

Some visitors said the grass and undergrowth was so long it was hard to use walkways