Press Releases by Brookwood Cemetery
or
visit our Blog for current
and older postings
1 December 2009: Funeral of
Warrant Officer Darren Chant
The
burial of Warrant Officer Darren Chant took place on Tuesday 1 December. His
burial followed a memorial service held in the Guards Chapel at Wellington
Barracks.
Warrant Officer Darren Chant,
Regimental Sergeant Major of the
Grenadier Guards,
was killed on 3 November in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was one of five
British soldiers shot by an Afghan policeman they had been training for several
weeks.
The official Ministry of Defence
communiqué reporting the death of Warrant Officer Chant may be
read here.
15 November
2009: Memorial Service at the Glades of Remembrance
On Sunday 15 November the Mayor of Woking led a
special service in memory of Ramadan Guney at
the entrance to the Glades of Remembrance. The Mayor
cut the ribbon over the memorial plaque and map of the Glades and made a
short speech. Afterwards, Archimandrite Alexis of the
St Edward Brotherhood
blessed the waters of the lake, which has been restored as part of the overall
improvements to this area of the Glades. The last part of the service saw the
release of fish into the lake, donated by Iain Welter of the
Welters Organisation, who have
undertaken the repairs to the lake.
For more photographs of
this special ceremony click here
|

|
The Mayor of Woking
unveiling the memorial plaque at the entrance to the Glades of Remembrance with Erkin Guney |
|
Archimandrite Alexis pouring holy water onto the
lake following the blessing of the waters |
 |
|
 |
The conclusion of the service: releasing fish into
the lake |
During her speech the
Mayor said "I am very pleased to be here to unveil this
memorial plaque in memory of Mr Ramadan Guney, owner of Brookwood Cemetery
between 1985 and 2006. Much restoration work has been carried out in recent
years on the Cemetery by Mr Ramadan Guney and his son, Erkin. This lake,
otherwise known as the Pool of Serenity, has been without water for almost 20
years now. When Mr Guney was alive he tried on several occasions to restore the
lake and waterfalls and this has now been achieved in his memory through
donations to the Brookwood Cemetery
Restoration Fund."
For more photographs of
this special ceremony click here
|
Iain Welter (Welters
Organisation) and Erkin Guney
Staff from Welters undertook the difficult and delicate
task of restoring the lake. |
 |
|
 |
The memorial plaque and map of the Glades |
For more photographs of
this special ceremony click here
All the above photographs are strictly copyright of
Louis Amore
October 2009:
Pilgrimage Against Poverty Visits Brookwood Cemetery
As part of the
UN International Day for the
Eradication of Poverty, local organiser Margaret Howells arranged for a
group to visit the pauper burial areas of Brookwood Cemetery on Saturday 17
October. The purpose of the
visit was to promote the dignity of and show solidarity with those who
experience extreme poverty, and to raise awareness about the eradication of
poverty. John Clarke, Brookwood Cemetery's Historical Consultant, explained to
the visitors about the many thousands of the poor who were buried on the
cemetery's boundaries. They included inmates from workhouses, infirmaries,
prisons (including Woking Prison), and asylums (including Brookwood Asylum). A
short service of remembrance for those in poverty was held in the
Cemetery Chapel. The
Brookwood Cemetery Society supported the event through its sales stand and
refreshments.
October 2009
Please note that all vegetables, fungi, fruit, flowers,
shrubs, trees, logs, etc, found on-site are privately owned and cannot be removed. Any
removals will be considered as theft and will result in prosecution.
October 2009:
Winter Opening Times
Please note that as of 1 October 2009 our opening hours are
daily from 7am to 5pm
(Glades of Remembrance (8am - 5pm).
October 2009:
Restoration of the Lake
Our current restoration project is the Lake
near the entrance to the Glades of Remembrance. Work
has just begun to make
the area watertight, and thus restore not only the lake but
also the pump that fed the waterfall feature nearby.The
anticipated cost of the work is expected to be in the region of £28,000. Work
has just begun on this project in conjunction with
Welters. We will post further
information as the restoration work proceeds.
July 2009: Funeral of
Lieutenant Mark Evison
The
burial of the ashes of Lieutenant Mark Evison took place on Wednesday 29 July.
His burial followed a memorial service held in the Guards Chapel at Wellington
Barracks in May.
Lieutenant Evison, of
the
1st Battalion
Welsh Guards,
was shot on 9 May
whilst on patrol outside Check Point Haji Alem in Helmand province, Afghanistan,
where he was serving as a Platoon Commander.
He later died of his wounds in Selly Oak Hospital on 12 May.
The official Ministry of Defence communiqué
reporting the death of Lieutenant Evison may be
read here.
Lieutenant Evison kept
a journal recording his experiences in the harsh fighting in Helmand. Published
in the Daily Telegraph on 14 July, you can read it here.
July 2009: Funeral of
Major Sean Birchall
 The
funeral of Major Sean Birchall took place on Wednesday 8 July with full military
honours. His burial followed a memorial service held in the Guards Chapel at
Wellington Barracks.
Major Birchall, of the 1st Battalion
Welsh Guards,
was killed in Afghanistan on 19 June. He was killed by an explosion whilst on
patrol in Basharan, near Lashkar Gah, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. One
other soldier was injured in the incident.
The official Ministry of Defence communiqué
reporting the death of Major Birchall may be
read here.
June 2009:
Brookwood Cemetery designated a
Grade I Historic Park & Garden by English Heritage
English
Heritage has upgraded Brookwood Cemetery from a Grade II to a Grade I historic
park & garden. This puts the massive 450 acre cemetery in the top 10% of
registered parks & gardens in the UK, and recognises that the cemetery is of
international significance. Erkin Guney, Managing Director of Brookwood
Cemetery, said he was very pleased with the news. “It reinforces what we have
been saying for some time, that Brookwood Cemetery deserves to be recognised as
a site of national and international importance. I hope this new status will be
a valuable staging post towards our target of making the cemetery a World
Heritage site.” He also wished to thank all those who had supported his vision
of making Brookwood “the Kew Gardens of cemeteries”, especially his wife
Melanie Guney, who is Senior Manager of the cemetery; the cemetery’s Historical
Consultant, John Clarke; other company employees; and members of the Brookwood
Cemetery Society.
The letter from
English Heritage explained the reasons for the significant upgrade in status
from Grade II to Grade I as follows:
“[English
Heritage] have recently undertaken a systematic review of the grading of the 106
cemeteries on the Register and the reasons for their designation, and are
writing to let you know that from the date of this letter [9 June 2009], English
Heritage, the Government’s statutory adviser, has decided to upgrade the
Register entry for Brookwood Cemetery from Grade II to Grade I for the following
principal reasons:”
“Extraordinary
scheme on an entirely different scale to other cemeteries
“Extent and
complexity of design
“One of the
finest nineteenth century designs in the country
“Quality of
design and layout on the ground
“Designers of
national renown
“Strong
international links
“Wide diversity
of social and religious aspects.”
English
Heritage developed its Register of Historic Parks and Gardens under the National
Heritage Act of 1983. During the 1980s the Register was developed and covered
1,065 sites, only 14 of which were cemeteries. The register is currently being
revised and Brookwood Cemetery is one of nearly 1,450 sites in the updated
register. Its upgrade means it is one of only 140 sites in the UK granted the
prestigious Grade I status.
May 2009:
Forthcoming Events
The following special
services are scheduled to take place in Brookwood Cemetery during May.
For older press releases and related
information, see our
Blog
|