£1m Revamp Bid For Wrexham Cemetery

A £1million bid to restore a historic cemetery in Wrexham could be given the go ahead.

The Wrexham Cemetery on Ruabon Road could receive a £1million grant from the The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to help restore and conserve the grounds of the chapel and Victorian Cemetery.

So far the HLF have awarded a development funding of £54,500 to support the restoration of its Victorian Cemetery.

The Chapel, is a Grade 11 listed building and was designed by borough surveyor William Turner. The grounds were landscaped by local horticulturalist and politician yeoman Strachan. The first burial took place in April 1876 of local girl Ethel Irene, aged just eleven years old.

The Chapel and Archway are currently closed to the public due to safety concerns as the masonry is deteriorating.

Cllr Bob Dutton, Lead Member for the Environment, said: “We are very pleased that the Heritage Lottery Fund has supported this project. Wrexham cemetery is one of the finest examples of a Victorian Cemetery in Wales and to restore it to its original condition would be excellent for heritage in Wrexham. There are also some very interesting graves whose history could be researched further including war graves from both world wars of people from Poland and Belgium which would add to the knowledge we already have of Wrexham during these historic years.”

Work will now continue to complete the bid, expected to exceed £1 million, and is expected to take 12 months.