Christ Church Graveyard, Accrington

Atarah · 05-04-2007, 20:31

In the mid 60's the headstones were taken down and the area landscaped. As a kid I played in this churchyard, hiding amongst the gravestones. Everything has been ticking along fine for years, until this week when it appears that permission must have been given to take up some of the turf and lay TARMACADAM to create a play area for the childrens nursery which now uses part of the church building (Surestart)

Is this acceptable that consecrated ground is tarmacadamed? What when people come to trace their ancestors and find they are under 3 ins of tarmac.

The area in a conservation area. Maybe the Church has more say than the councils in matters like this.

i am sorry, but I do not agree with it.

grego · 05-04-2007, 21:03

This was mentioned in another thread Atarah and most people disagree with it, it just doesn't seem right regardless of how long ago the grave stones were removed.

flashy · 05-04-2007, 21:04

i dont even know where christ church is

Doug · 05-04-2007, 21:59

Hi Atarah, I’m in agreement with you it’s disrespectful to the memory of those laid to rest and possibly distressing to those who have family interred. I don’t have a problem with kids playing in church yards in anyway, in fact St James Church yard at church was an area of play not only for us as kids but for several generations of my extended family including Douglas’s, Taylor’s & Birtwistle’s who have lived, played and died in sight of that place, but always with regard and respect to the occupants.

I think we have to encourage and allow kids to explore these places in order for them to develop an understanding of the importance of dignity in life and death, but we must also encourage them to respect consecrated ground and have regard to the feelings of those who have family laid to rest within them.

The situation at Christ Church is no different some of my own family where baptised, married and past on to heaven from there and to lay anything on there other than our feet is distressing and offensive to the memory of those within, of course you will have sincere promises that this is a necessary evil and that no other development will take place, that is until they need an extension or a covered area or car park on the site. This is consecrated ground and it will always remain so as long as a Christian burial remains. My opinion is that it’s for the people of Accrington to demand a halt to this activity and a public enquiry should be formally requested.

WillowTheWhisp · 06-04-2007, 10:31

I thought that before they could tarmac over a church yard the graves had to be exhumed and the bodies reinterred in sacred ground elsewhere. I don't even like the idea of gravestones being laid flat as a paving area, like around St James. When you think how people must have paid good money for a memorial to their loved ones it seems awful to walk on them and wear the away faster.