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Newsletters |
| Occasional
Newsletter No.7 September 2005 In this issue: |
Bolton
Street Memorial Park Wellington
Christchurch Marlborough Charleston, West Coast Dunedin Roxburgh Cemetery Tours Conservation Tip Of The Month Bolton Street Memorial Park Wellington A gift of land to the Bolton Street Memorial Park, Wellington’s historic cemetery, was officially handed over on 17 July. Morva Williams, a well-known environmentalist, gifted almost half of her garden (238sq metres) shortly before her death. The garden contains some interesting trees including a magnolia and a nikau palm. In order to open access to the garden, a new path has been created alongside the adjacent graves. The area leading to the garden was cleared by the staff of the Botanic Gardens and the graves were cleaned by the Friends of the Memorial Park. One very attractive gravestone which had been totally buried was found and others are now visible which had been covered in undergrowth. In this area and now able to be seen clearly is one of the most beautiful memorials in the Park, the Stafford-Tucker grave which features two classical columns topped by spheres. Supplied by Priscilla Williams, Chair, Friends of Bolton Street Memorial Park.top of page Christchurch Greenspace and Heritage staff from the Council are working together to ensure the future management of our cemeteries results in their being safe and enjoyable places, whilst retaining their original character. To enable this, conservation plans for the Addington and Linwood Cemeteries have recently been commissioned by the Greenspace Unit. The plans will both go out for public consultation - Addington has already gone out, and Linwood will go out for public consultation before the end of the year. People will be able to access the plans via the CCC website www.ccc.govt.nz A conservation plan is a practical tool which documents the history of the cemetery and assesses its heritage significance. Next, policies, implementation strategies and conservation guidelines are developed to guide future works. A conservation plan does not mean that the cemeteries are ‘set in stone’ and cannot be touched, but rather gives guidance for their appropriate future development and use to ensure their survival and relevance for future generations. Community
input has been a major component of the conservation plans. The
Linwood Cemetery Working Party (a voluntary community group) have
a long history of involvement in Linwood Cemetery through research
and working bees, and have made a major contribution to the plan.
A public workshop was held in September to allow the Linwood community
to have its say, and further community During
Heritage Week (7-14 October) there will be plenty of opportunities
for you to explore your local community cemetery, such as the Linwood
Cemetery Open Day, 8th October and Spirited Cemetery Tours throughout
the week with Richard Greenaway |
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In
the older, more historically important, cemeteries of Omaka, Picton,
Havelock and Tuamarina, management will aim to offer a range of interment
services while still protecting the heritage values and encouraging
their use for passive recreational purposes.
To assist in meeting these objectives, the Council requested the services of Stewart Harvey of the HCCTNZ. In his 2005 Report on the Historic Cemeteries of Marlborough, Stewart identifies the importance of understanding a cemetery’s historical and cultural value, and summarises the necessary restoration, conservation and education required to protect these special places. Stewart stresses the importance of the community recognising and valuing the natural aging process of cemeteries and resisting the temptation to restore structures back to their original condition. Instead, all conservation works should aim to respect the signs of age that give the cemetery its distinctive historical character. Taking pride in our cemeteries and promoting them as historical, cultural assets will encourage greater recognition and community support for them while avoiding the significant costs involved in the “restore it back to original” approach as previously contemplated in response to public concern about their deterioration. The Council will work towards incorporating a cemetery restoration and conservation plan in the cemetery review document and take ownership of the task of rectifying headstone and structure deterioration where appropriate. The review will also address the issue of private repairs or restoration of plots and the introduction of inappropriate modern headstone designs and materials which may detract from the historical values. The Council has introduced a Memorial Warrant form as a method of educating and regulating memorial instalment, particularly by private individuals. Given the sensitivity over cemetery issues, the enforcement of desired standards is recognised as being fraught with difficulties and may require some resolve on the part of Council. The bottom line is that while we must ensure that our cemeteries remain safe, efficient and functional this should be achieved without any loss of their historical and cultural importance for future generations. Contributed by: Lynly Selby-Neal and Russell Montgomerytop of page Reserves and Amenities, MDC. Charleston,
West Coast Registration
by New Zealand Historic Places Trust Warrington 3.
Christchurch - Heritage
Week 7 to 14 October 2005 During
the open day you can: See conservation work in action - City Care staff will be carrying out cemetery maintenance and conservation work on site. 10-2 View a display about the history of the cemetery, which the Linwood Cemetery Working Party has collated. 10-2 Find out where your ancestors are buried with the help of Council staff and the Christchurch cemeteries database on-line. 10-2 Get involved in Hands on Heritage with the Grave Restoration Workshop – how to maintain your ancestor’s headstone and iron work with Stewart Harvey, Chairman of the Historic Cemeteries Conservation Trust of New Zealand. 11-12 pm Sausage-sizzle on site 11-2 Richard
Greenaway will conduct a walking tour of the cemetery Detail
supplied by Christchurch City Council |