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Overleigh Cemetery is a large municipal burial ground adjacent to the approaches to
.
Since 2009, it has been owned and managed by the
The cemetery was laid out between 1848 and 1850 by T. M. Penson. This original part of the cemetery to the north of Overleigh Road is described by the authors of the ''
The Overleigh Cemetery database lists details of over 60,000 burials.
Photographs of some of the more notable memorials are given on the Chester Walls website.
The cemetery contains the graves of 197 Commonwealth service personnel, 127 from the First World War (about half of them burials from local hospitals,) and 69 from the
Overleigh Cemetery is a large municipal burial ground adjacent to the approaches to Grosvenor Bridge
Grosvenor Bridge, originally known as, and alternatively called Victoria Railway Bridge, is a railway bridge over the River Thames in London, between Vauxhall Bridge and Chelsea Bridge. Originally constructed in 1860, and widened in 1865 and ...
on the south side of the River Dee in Chester
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
, Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, England. The cemetery was created in the mid-19th century by a private company but was taken into public ownership in the 1930s. The original part of the cemetery is listed at Grade II in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
{{R from move ...
{{R from move ...unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to l ...
.
History
The cemetery was laid out between 1848 and 1850 by T. M. Penson. This original part of the cemetery to the north of Overleigh Road is described by the authors of the ''Buildings of England
The ''Pevsner Architectural Guides'' are four series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. ''The Buildings of England'' series was begun in 1945 by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, with its forty-six original volumes pub ...
'' series as having been "highly romantic", and as still being "eminently picturesque".
Overleigh Cemetery was a private development by the Chester General Cemetery Company; it was consecrated
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
on 12 November 1850 by the Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.
The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the ...
; in 1875 it contained a lake with three islands, two chapels, two lodges, paths and trees, and a house for the chaplain. It was extended to the south in 1879 (this part is not included in the listing). The south part of the cemetery is described as being "prosaic". In 1930 the cemetery came into the ownership of Chester City Council
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West and Chester. It is ...
, and it was further extended to the south during the 20th century. Penson's lake, lodges and chapels are no longer present. The West Chapel in the south part of the cemetery was built in 1904 and is Grade II listed.
It fell into disuse and is now the Greek Orthodox Church of St Barbara the Great Martyr.
Notable structures
The gates and gatepiers Piers may refer to:
* Pier, a raised structure over a body of water
* Pier (architecture), an architectural support
* Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name)
* Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
designed by Penson at the original entrance to the cemetery are still present, and are recorded in the National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...
as a designated Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. Also listed at Grade II is a bridge over the drive in the north section of the cemetery, which was designed by Penson. In the north part of the cemetery, and listed at Grade II, are the following monuments: to John Graham, Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.
The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the ...
who died in 1865, to William Makepeace Thackeray (1769–1849), uncle of the novelist of same name, to U Larsing, a missionary to Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
, who died in 1863, to Revd Richard Knill, who died in 1857, and his wife, who died in 1870, to Samuel Venables, master of Chester Bluecoat School, who died in 1848, to William Brown of Browns of Chester
Browns was a department store in Chester established in 1780 by Susannah Brown. The store traded from its site on Chester's Eastgate Street from 1791 until 2021. Once regarded as the "Harrods of the North", the building interior contains many orn ...
, who died in 1852, and to Henry Raikes, Chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
of the diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York covering the pre-1974 county of Cheshire and therefore including the Wirral and parts of Stockport, Trafford and Tameside.
History
Ancient diocese
Before the si ...
(designed by Penson, with an effigy
An effigy is a sculptural representation, often life-size, of a specific person or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain ...
by Thomas Earp). In the south part of the cemetery is a monument to Frederick Coplestone who died in 1932. It dates from 1934, was designed and carved by Eric Gill
Arthur Eric Rowton Gill (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as "the greatest artist-craftsma ...
, and is listed at Grade II*. Also in the south part of the cemetery, and listed at Grade II, are the west chapel, and a cenotaph, in form of a Cross of Sacrifice, to those who died in the First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and are buried in the cemetery.
The chapel is currently used by the Greek Orthodox Community of St. Barbara.
Another notable gravestone in the cemetery, although not listed, exists to Edward Langtry, (estranged first husband of actress Lily Langtry
Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer.
Born on the isla ...
), who died in a local lunatic asylum in 1897. Also buried in the cemetery and without listed gravestone is the writer Georgina Frederica Jackson
Georgina Frederica Jackson (31 March 1824–16 October 1895) was an English writer and schoolteacher who compiled a glossary of Shropshire dialect.
Early life
Georgina Frederica Jackson was born on 31 March 1824 in Everton, Liverpool. She wa ...
, a writer and teacher who compiled a glossary of Shropshire
Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
dialect, who died in 1895.
Another notable gravestone in the cemetery, with an epitaph "Far From The Bones Of His Ancestors" in both English and Japanese, is that of the Japanese actor Ishiao Ishimura, one of the acting team "The Mikado Family", who died on stage in December 1915 in the Royalty Theatre in Chester when he fell and broke his neck.
Graves
The Overleigh Cemetery database lists details of over 60,000 burials.
Photographs of some of the more notable memorials are given on the Chester Walls website.
The cemetery contains the graves of 197 Commonwealth service personnel, 127 from the First World War (about half of them burials from local hospitals,) and 69 from the Second
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
. Apart from a small war graves plot containing 32 graves from both wars, the graves are dispersed throughout the cemetery.
References
External links
* {{Cemeteries in England Buildings and structures in Chester Cemeteries in Cheshire 1850 establishments in England