Saturday 23rd July 2005
A project to transform the neglected, overgrown Victorian churchyard of St Mary & John Church, Cowley Road, East Oxford, has received a major grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
The churchyard was designated a Jubilee Wildlife Space in 2003 and volunteers have been working hard to develop it as an attractive urban green space. The £49,000 grant will enable the development of an educational trail through the churchyard that also highlights the links with local history.
Commenting on the award of the grant, Tessa Spiers, Regional Manager for HLF in South East England, said: "We're delighted to be able to support the local community with this fantastic project. The cemetery is a vital link to the heritage of the area and this funding will ensure that it's safeguarded for future generations to enjoy and, as a result, learn more about the history of the area and its past inhabitants.
The churchyard is one of the legacies of Father Richard Benson (1824-1915), founder of the Society of St John the Evangelist (the 'Cowley Fathers'), who was at the forefront of providing education and community facilities for the largely working class population of East Oxford during the Victorian eastward expansion of Oxford.
The aim is to develop educational leaflets for different age groups, providing a guide to the churchyard, starting with the central memorial to Father Benson. Other memorials commemorate members of religious orders he brought to the area to be pastors, teachers and carers, while yet others commemorate soldiers killed in action, traders, and people well-known in the neighbourhood. There are significant sculptures and inscriptions, and a story too in how the wildlife habitats have developed from the churchyard's beginnings as a landscaped cemetery.
Many of the gravestones are in disarray. So a major proportion of the grant will be used to repair the memorials highlighted in the trail, ensuring unstable stones are made safe, and to improve the boundary fencing and pathways.
Initially the grant will cover the historical research for the educational material. This will include the gathering of oral history from residents of East Oxford with memories of the churchyard 'as it once was."
Dr Malcolm Graham, Head of Oxfordshire Studies with Oxfordshire County Council, first encouraged people to
explore the churchyard in a walks leaflet published in the 1970s and he has welcomed the recent voluntary efforts to turn "what had become a threatening environment for many local people into what is once again an accessible and
welcoming spot in the tightly-packed streets of East Oxford."
"The work now being supported by HLF will further improve the appearance of the place and will help to restore significant memorials for future enjoyment and appreciation. Through research into the past lives of local people and the preparation of educational resource material, the project will encourage wider community use across the generations and will give local people a greater sense of shared ownership of this fascinating area."
A celebration of the on-going work in the churchyard will take place on Sunday, 18 September: 10.30 Eucharist with sermon by the Archdeacon of Oxford, followed (11.30) by the blessing of new churchyard seats and display boards, followed by (12.30) a simple but festive locally produced lunch. This will be an occasion when the plans for the educational trail can be shared and discussed with many local people and community leaders.