Cemeteries in grave danger

Published on Thursday 8 October 2009 10:06

THEY provide the final resting place for some of the city's most famous historical figures, and attract thousands of tourists every year.

But Edinburgh's crumbling graveyards have also been revealed as among the world most endangered heritage sites.

The World Monuments Fund, which works to preserve fading architectural treasures, has announced that a group of city cemeteries are to be included in its 2010 "watch list" of 100 neglected sites.

The burial grounds are all within the city's World Heritage Site and include Greyfriars, Canongate, Old Calton, New Calton, and St Cuthbert's graveyards.

Among those buried at the various sites are economist Adam Smith, philosopher David Hume and poet Robert Fergusson.

The inclusion of the sites came after the city council put them forward for consideration, admitting many had been neglected and had become home to drug users and antisocial behaviour.

The local authority said the question of ownership was "complex," with headstones, tombs and memorials owned by the families of the deceased, and the council and the adjoining church responsible for maintenance.

The graveyards will now benefit from an increased global profile, as well as the expertise of those working for the World Monuments Fund, and join high-profile sites from across the globe on this year's list including Barcelona's Sagrada Familia cathedral and the historic centre of Argentinean capital Buenos Aires.

Adam Wilkinson, director of Edinburgh World Heritage, said: "Edinburgh's historic graveyards are an incredible resource. Their continued decay would be tantamount to a loss of part of our cultural memory, as well as the loss of green oases in the heart of the city.

"We welcome the city's positive move of putting the five graveyards in the World Heritage Site forward for inclusion on the World Monuments Fund's list of most endangered sites as a means of raising awareness about their plight."

Michael Turnbull, author of the Edinburgh Graveyard Guide, said the historic nature of the graveyards in question meant visitors no longer tended the graves of deceased relatives.

He said: "Getting the graveyards on the list is an important first step. The council are doing the right thing and deserve to be congratulated."

Mr Turnbull said a previous graveyard renewal project had been ditched after running out of money, leaving the Capital's kirkyards as a haunt for drug users, prostitutes and Satan worshippers.

Councillor Deidre Brock, the city's culture leader, said: "There is huge public interest in graveyards.

"We welcomed over 1,000 visitors to these five historic graveyards at the recent Doors Open Day. I am delighted with this announcement and look forward to working with the World Monuments Fund."

GRAVEYARDS UNDER THREAT

Greyfriars: Perhaps the city's most well-known graveyard, Greyfriars is famous for its association with Bobby, the Skye Terrier who is reputed to have guarded his owner's grave for 14 years after the man's death. Bobby himself died in 1872 and is buried just outside the graveyard. The area surrounding Greyfriars had been used as a burial ground since 1562, when Mary Queen of Scots granted the land to the town council.

Canongate: Close to the foot of the Royal Mile, Canongate Kirk, pictured left, is notable for its links with Robert Burns. Poet Robert Fergusson, an influence on the Bard, is buried in the kirkyard – it was Burns himself who supplied the gravestone, and a statue of Fergusson stands on the street outside.

St Cuthbert's:There has been a burial ground on the the corner of Lothian Road and Princes Street since 1595. Famous residents include Thomas de Quincey, who wrote Confessions of an English Opium Eater.

Old Calton: In the shadow of Calton Hill, the burial ground is the final resting place of philosopher David Hume, who died in 1776. Old Calton is dominated by the black obelisk of the Political Martyrs' Monument, which commemorates those who suffered in the fight for electoral reform in the 1790s.

New Calton: Situated on the south of Regent Road, the New Calton burial ground opened in 1820 to re-inter the remains excavated from Old Calton during the building of Waterloo Place.

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