Press Releases by Brookwood Cemetery
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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.
Saturday 23 May: Spring visit to the burial ground of St Alban the Martyr Holborn
Sunday 24 May: American Battle Monument Commission Memorial Day (3pm)
October 2008: Revised Opening Times
We have revised our opening times as follows:
Daily from 7am to 5pm (Winter: October to March)
from 7am to 7pm
(Summer: April to September)
Glades of Remembrance (8am - 5pm)
Access can be gained through other gates
out of these hours.
This brings us in line to the traditional opening hours of the cemetery and is consistent with opening hours in other local cemeteries and crematoria.
September 2008: The Council's proposed new burial ground
The Woking Informer (12 September) reports on plans by Woking Borough Council to build a multi-faith burial ground on a 10 acre site which is not part of the main cemetery.
"The area has previously been used for pauper burials and will cost £600,000 to buy whilst a further £1m will be spent to develop the site as a burial ground. It will help meet the needs of the Muslim community, which has sought its own burial ground for some years, as well of those of other faiths. The price for a plot and interment in the historic Brookwood Cemetery was £1,600 which the [council's] executive said last week was too high."
"Negotiations over price had been held with the management of the privately-owned Brookwood Cemetery, but did not lead to a conclusion. However, council chief executive Ray Morgan said there was still a possibility that an amicable partnership for the use and heritage of Brookwood Cemetery could be achieved. ... The committee approved the purchase of land but authorised officers to continue negotiations with Brookwood Cemetery."
"Melanie Guney, Manager of Brookwood Cemetery, said that she was surprised Woking Council needed to buy land for burials when there were ample spaces in the cemetery for the next 300 years. She said an all-inclusive £1,600 is charged for people living in Woking and £1,700 for people within the borough, but higher charges are made in council cemeteries in other areas."
"Mrs Guney said there was a need to move forward and forget past disputes with the council. Under new management there had been extensive work and clearance to improve the appearance of the cemetery. She said "At Brookwood we bury everybody, regardless of faith or creed. Because we are a private cemetery, people have this idea that we charge thousands of pounds, which is not true. If the council goes ahead with this site, the final fee could be more than we charge. The Muslim community also needs to be aware the land is not virgin burial land, but that there are 4,000 paupers buried there."
September 2008: Access from Brookwood Station
Following a number of complaints and incidents of vandalism in the cemetery (see for instance, June 2008 below), it has been agreed with South West Trains, the local Community Police, and the Councillor for Brookwood (Glynis Preshaw) that the entrance into the cemetery from Brookwood Station will be locked each night from 9pm through to 7am from 15 September 2008. Access to the cemetery will not be possible between these times.
July 2008: "100 Miles for 9 Smiles" Charity Walk
The "100 Miles for 9 Smiles" Charity Walk started from Brookwood Military Cemetery on the morning of 7 July 2008. The 100 mile charity walk has been organised by mothers of soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment killed in Afghanistan. Money raised by the walk will go towards the Regiment's Afghanistan Memorial Fund. Originally aimed at raising £100,000, the Fund now stands at over £300,000.
The walk started from near the grave of Captain David Hicks who was killed in Afghanistan last August and who is buried in the military "annexe" at Brookwood (see our press release below under August 2007). The charity walk finishes on 13 July 2008 at the Regimental Museum in Duxford. The Royal Anglian Regiment's website includes a section commemorating its fallen Vikings. The official Ministry of Defence communiqué reporting the death of Captain Hicks may be read here.
June 2008: Vandalism in the Cemetery
We regret to report that vandals struck in the Ahmadiyya section of the cemetery over the weekend of 7-8 June. The vandals appear to have targeted this area sometime between 4.30pm on Saturday and 1.05pm on Sunday. Two headstones were broken and ten further graves were damaged; in addition decorative stones were kicked about and the prayer room nearby was sprayed with graffiti.
Erkin Guney, owner of Brookwood Cemetery, is convinced the attack was racist and says he may have to close the gates to prevent this type of thing happening again. “People seem to be coming in from the entrance near Brookwood station. We will have to move quickly, putting up fences and security gates. The minority are going to make it worse for the genuine people visiting the cemetery."
“I will have to consider blocking off the entrance for the station because South West Trains doesn’t take responsibility for locking the gate in the evening, We have written to South West Trains on several occasions but the gate is not locked. Therefore we may have to take drastic measures that may be unpopular with the majority.”
A spokesman for South West Trains confirmed that there was a notice saying its gate would close at 9pm, but said: “It would not be fair to close the gate without consulting everyone, such as the council and residents." Things are unlikely to improve since Brookwood is one of many stations in Surrey facing reduced opening hours of its ticket office as part of cost-saving measures being implemented by South West Trains.
Woking Borough Council’s Muslim councillors responded more positively by hoping the council will help to improve security at the site. Maybury and Sheerwater councillor Mohammed Bashir said: “I condemn this sort of action. It is really hurtful to the community for this to happen. We, at the council, should look into what is happening at the cemetery and see if we can help to improve its security."
You can read the full report from the Woking News & Mail here.
May 2008: Saving the Colquhoun family Mausoleum
The
Woking News & Mail reports on the recent clearance surrounding this family
mausoleum which is in a neglected state. The entrance has been secured but to
date English Heritage has shown no interest in the future of this elegant
structure. Despite its "experts" undertaking a survey of the cemetery in 2002/3
which resulted in 15 monuments being listed, the Colquhoun mausoleum, along with
other memorials, were not included.
English Heritage declares it "exists to protect and promote England's spectacular historic environment" but these aspirations seem to fall short when it comes to cemeteries, treated as the Cinderellas of the heritage movement.
You can read the full article by using this link to the Woking News & Mail.
The Colquhoun family mausoleum
(Photo courtesy of the Woking News & Mail)
May 2008: St Alban the Martyr Holborn, Spring Visit
Low Mass was celebrated in the
St Alban's plot on Saturday 17 May during the
church's spring visit to their plot. The service was led by Fr Howard in front
of the central cross within the plot. Following the Mass, the congregation
followed Fr Howard around the burial ground as holy water was sprinkled over the
ground and the memorials. This was followed by a picnic lunch before everyone
returned to London. The church hold services in the grounds twice a year. The
autumn visit will take place on Saturday 20 September from noon.
Our photograph shows Melanie and Erkin Guney, Father Howard and John Clarke standing beside the recently restored memorial to Father Stanton (died 1913) following Low Mass in the St Alban's plot.
(Photo courtesy of Brian Parsons)
May 2008: Security in the Cemetery
The Woking News & Mail reports on security in the cemetery. Managing Director Erkin Guney said: “We have increased security and have more covert guys and pick-up trucks patrolling the area. We’ve put up height restriction bars on the gates and will be increasing CCTV surveillance in the area."
"We are also installing turnstiles at the station entrance of the cemetery so that if people steal anything, they will have difficulty taking it out that way. We are looking after people’s loved ones so we need people to respect what Brookwood Cemetery represents. It is a big part of British history and we feel that many people don’t care. I am upset that someone should come to the cemetery to consider committing a crime. It should be a solemn, tranquil place, where people can say a prayer and pay their respects, not cause trouble."
April 2008: Thanking Mary Cockram
Managing
Director Erkin Guney was pleased to meet up with Mary Cockram at the end of
April.
Mary worked for the Company from 1980 through to 1997 as Company Secretary.
For most of this period she worked alongside his father, Ramadan Guney, who passed away in November 2006.
April 2008: New Permanent Exhibition at the St Edward Brotherhood
The
official opening of the St Edward Brotherhood's new permanent exhibition took
place on the evening of 27 April.
Assisted by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the exhibition interprets the story of the site along with the life of St Edward the Martyr and how the brotherhood came to be based in the cemetery.
The exhibition is usually open to visitors on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons and at other times by appointment. It is located in the old mortuary building, next to the St Edward the Martyr church.
(Above) Part of the new permanent exhibition in the old mortuary building, St Edward Brotherhood.
(Right) Father Niphon, Mike Stonelake (designer of the exhibition), Archimandrite Alexis, Erkin Guney and John Clarke at the official opening of the new exhibition.
April 2008: Necropolis Railway Station
The Guardian Weekend magazine of 5 April included an article called "Pretty Vacant". It featured London buildings as reminders of bygone days. One of these was the entrance to the old London Necropolis terminus at 121 Westminster Bridge Road which was illustrated and described.
April 2008: "Tales From the Country"
ITV1
broadcast a 10 minute documentary on Brookwood Cemetery on the evening of 3 April. Hosted by Tony
Francis it was part of the series called "Tales from the Country".
The complete series lasts 10 weeks, during which Tony Francis and Selina Scott discover some of the weirdest and wonderful stories which surround our daily lives - "the stories others overlook".
The series is shown across three of the ITV1 regions – London, Anglia and Central. It is produced by Kingsfisher Television Productions Ltd.
A Factsheet of the programme on Brookwood Cemetery may be viewed here.
March 2008: Commemorating the Turkish Airmen
On
18 March the Turkish Ambassador, the Interior Minister, and other eminent guests
visited the Turkish Airmen's plot in Brookwood Cemetery.
They were accompanied by Erkin Guney and Onder Guney, Directors of Brookwood Cemetery Ltd.
A short service of remembrance was held there. It was held not only for the Turkish airmen commemorated in the plot but also the 27 members of the Turkish Army who have lost their lives in Iraq.
The plot contains the bodies of 14 members of the Turkish Air Force who were killed during the Second World War.
The allotment also contains the mortal remains of
Arif Bey (1816-1836)
who died at Woolwich, and a commemorative plaque to the victims of the
1959 Gatwick air crash.
February 2008: Celebrating 16 years of the Brookwood Cemetery Society
Cemetery
owner Erkin Guney presented Brookwood Society founders Mary Lucas and John
Clarke with birthday bouquets to celebrate the 16th birthday of the Society.
He said "I'm pleased to publicly thank Mary and John for setting up the society 16 years ago. They have done so much to promote the cemetery over the years and I'm keen to work with them and the society to make further improvements across the site."
The flowers were presented at the grave of Ann Cross, which was Mary's first project in the cemetery back in 1991. Her work clearing rhododendrons from the memorial fired a fascination for the extensive grounds and the society was born the following spring.
John described his colleague as the driving force behind the society in the early years and added that the group was looking forward to its new season of guided walks.
For older press releases and related information, see our Blog
Glades House, Cemetery Pales, Brookwood, Woking, Surrey
GU24 0BL
Tel: (01483) 472222
Fax: (01483) 472223
Email:
enquiries@brookwoodcemetery.com