Christ Church

For more than 50 years, the Rose Garden at Christ Church has been the final resting place for the ashes of more than 1,300 local people. Although it is now closed to new interments, it remains a centre for remembrance and consolation for many families. Many of the departed are remembered by small plaques but many more are unmarked, and it remains a key part to the local community.

The Revd Canon Simon Stevenette says “The garden is a place of peace and remembrance for the many visitors to our site and we are acutely aware of our privilege and responsibility for looking after it. Over the past year, a team of dedicated volunteers led by Ian Handy have been working to restore the first part of the garden to a more accessible, manageable, respectful, and dignified, final resting place. Importantly we have also made the garden safer and easier to visit”.

The majority of the church grounds are now managed for wildflowers and biodiversity.