Octagon Graveyard Open Day


The Octagon Church Wisbech



The Octagon Church of Wisbech was built in 1827 as a chapel of ease, opening it's doors in 1831 and complimenting the existing churches of St Peter & St. Paul and St. Augustine. Note the similarity in shape to the famous Ely Cathedral lantern! It was closed in 1946, and was subsequently demolished in 1952 as the building was deemed to be unsafe (probably as a result of wartime damage and neglect). It was sited proudly overlooking the Old Market (where the vet's surgery is today). No Heritage Lottery support for it sadly. All that was left behind was an overgrown and forgotten graveyard that was a mess of tangled brambles, stinging nettles and self-sown trees that had overtaken the space.


Until and couple of year ago, when a dedicated band of Friends, started to take it in hand. Last weekend saw the site open to the public for the first time, to witness the incredible restoration that has been taking place behind the high walls. The work has included clearing away all the scrub to reveal the graves, many of whose inscriptions are still legible, and thus a source of interest to local people tracing their family histories. There are 520 burials on the site, a third of which are for young children; testament to the appallingly high infant mortality rate in Victorian England.







The future plans are to have a Geophysical survey (like an ultrasound scan) done to map the burials, to ensure that all are recorded. The work has also started to de-consecrate the site and change the ownership from Church of England to Fenland District Council. The first stage of this is to close it for burials. Eventually the Friends hope that the site will become a pocket park and a haven for wildlife in the centre of the town. A huge amount of tree surgery is required to make safe the self-seeded trees, and that is in hand. 

The St. Peter & St. Paul's Restoration team wish them all the very best in their amazing work.





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