York Cemetery chapel reopens after £70,000 refurbishment

9:06am Tuesday 11th September 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

The restored chapel’s exterior in the cemetery The restored chapel’s exterior in the cemetery

THE historic chapel at York Cemetery has reopened after a £70,000 refurbishment, including the installation of a new marble and granite floor and underfloor heating.

The building hosted a photoshoot to promote the Northern College of Costume’s seventh annual exhibition in York, featuring models in flamboyant 18th century frock-coats and breeches, bustle gowns and wartime daywear.

An underfloor heating system, provided through an air source heat pump – which uses air drawn through the catacombs underneath the chapel – means the building can finally be used comfortably throughout the winter for events ranging from concerts and religious services to exhibitions.

Dr Richard Keesing, chairman of York Cemetery Trust, said the chapel had been derelict, and the cemetery was overgrown, when the trust took it over in 1987 and had been restored with a wooden former gymnasium floor.

He said the building had proved almost impossible to keep warm in the winter months because the heat had all risen into the ceiling, which was 25 feet high, but underfloor heating had not been appropriate with a wooden floor.

The heat pump means the heating will be almost free and very carbon friendly, with only a little electricity needed to work the pump.

The cost was raised through grants from various charities and an £18,000 donation from the waste management company Yorwaste.

He said the chapel was suitable for a range of “sensible” activities, which needed to be appropriate for a chapel in the centre of a cemetery where 126,000 people were buried and burials were still regularly carried out.

The first event after the reopening will be a literary day from 10am until 4pm on Saturday, when local writers, including The Press journalist Julian Cole and the Ryedale author of All Teachers Great and Small, Andy Seed, will be speaking about their work.

The college of costume’s exhibition will take place between 2pm and 8pm on Friday, and 11am and 5pm on Saturday, at the college, situated on the top floor of 26, Market Street, York.

Eight students have been learning the art of theatre costume making there over the past 15 weeks, taught by experienced costumiers.

Comments(17)

luv2rant says...
11:28am Tue 11 Sep 12

If you read the front page of the press they say its fulford cemetery!!!!!!
Bad mistake for front page news huh?

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1936 says...
11:52am Tue 11 Sep 12

This cemetery is a disgrace, the graves are overgrown with grass and ivy every time we visit the grave we take tools to clear away the undergroth, the headstone's should be re aligned and grass cut, the governers claim it is a wild life sanctury, that is just an excuse to do nothing!!!

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sheps lad says...
1:25pm Tue 11 Sep 12

Forgive my ignorance but marble floors and underfloor heating do not seem compatible?

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Yorkie-Clifton says...
1:57pm Tue 11 Sep 12

1936 wrote:
This cemetery is a disgrace, the graves are overgrown with grass and ivy every time we visit the grave we take tools to clear away the undergroth, the headstone's should be re aligned and grass cut, the governers claim it is a wild life sanctury, that is just an excuse to do nothing!!!
This is a very selfish and ignorant statement to make . I do not know a great deal about The Friends of York Cemetery or The Cemetery Trust but what i do know is that the Cemetery Company went into Liquidation many years ago and the place went into a sad decay . The Friends where formed and have worked marvels in restoring the Chapel and the grounds which are extensive . They give their time for free and without this group breathing new life into the place the place may have been lost to York . They provide walks etc and make grave space available in order to provide vital funds to keep this place for The Dead , alive .
Please 1936 bother yourself to find out more about these Voluntary Helpers in order to make useful and understanding comments .

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Oncebitten says...
3:29pm Tue 11 Sep 12

Seems a waste to have underfloor heating..

A) With marble
B) With the dead

Just saying.......

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Woody G Mellor says...
5:21pm Tue 11 Sep 12

It's a monument to the dead of York, so I can understand the use of marble. But as for the underfloor heating. Well, I can't really understand why that's needed.

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kaye 30 says...
6:30pm Tue 11 Sep 12

would just like to say yes the chapel needed doing but to spend £70,000 on it is just a disgrace as half of that money could have been used to pay for people to cut the grass do new paths and make it alot more tidy as you cant see half the graves. the paths are a disgrace we have to try push a wheelchair over them which gets stuck and also half the paths covered in grass we got told this was getting done but so far nothing has been done.

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nearlyman says...
6:42pm Tue 11 Sep 12

1936 wrote:
This cemetery is a disgrace, the graves are overgrown with grass and ivy every time we visit the grave we take tools to clear away the undergroth, the headstone's should be re aligned and grass cut, the governers claim it is a wild life sanctury, that is just an excuse to do nothing!!!
Oh the ignorance of it..................
.the very reason my father wished to buried there was because it was a more natural habitat than other types of cemetery. If you wish to be interred in a military style, closely mown and manicured cemetery then that is fine, but, self evidently there are more people than you think who prefer the natural beauty of this wonderful cemetery.

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nearlyman says...
6:47pm Tue 11 Sep 12

Woody G Mellor wrote:
It's a monument to the dead of York, so I can understand the use of marble. But as for the underfloor heating. Well, I can't really understand why that's needed.
Because it doesn't half get cold in there during the winter months........ Strangely enough !!!
And it makes it a lot easier for the living to honour the dead at their funeral ceremony............
......

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the butler says...
6:49pm Tue 11 Sep 12

Yes the chapel was in a derelict state, It is good to know that there are people who still care and are willing to work at refurbishing the one important place, ones relatives have gone to their final resting place.

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Kelvar says...
6:54pm Tue 11 Sep 12

1936 wrote:
This cemetery is a disgrace, the graves are overgrown with grass and ivy every time we visit the grave we take tools to clear away the undergroth, the headstone's should be re aligned and grass cut, the governers claim it is a wild life sanctury, that is just an excuse to do nothing!!!
Please don't 'slag off' York Cemetery. I've spent some wonderful Sundays in there, just wandering around, taking photos. Parts of it are 'military & clipped' but other parts are 'wonderfully wild' and left to nature. I've spent many happy hours having a 'picnic' at the bottom of the Chapel steps watching the birds. Even pheasants like York Cemetery..........

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bjdyke says...
6:59pm Tue 11 Sep 12

Some people are very ignorant as mentioned previously. The site is not profitable, and is vast, so volunteers tend to certain areas whilst leaving other areas as they are. I for one chose this cemetery to bury the ashes of my late wife who died at 36 from cancer, because of the natural space and vegetation and the natural beauty within which me and my young kids can wander whilst remembering their mum.

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Woody G Mellor says...
7:45pm Tue 11 Sep 12

nearlyman wrote:
Woody G Mellor wrote:
It's a monument to the dead of York, so I can understand the use of marble. But as for the underfloor heating. Well, I can't really understand why that's needed.
Because it doesn't half get cold in there during the winter months........ Strangely enough !!!
And it makes it a lot easier for the living to honour the dead at their funeral ceremony............

......
Ok ok calm down dear! I wasn't knocking the idea, just asking.

As for your reason for the underfloor heating. "Makes it easier for the living to honor their dead" you say? Nice idea but why does York cemetery chapel need it when thousands of other such buildings don't?

And again, before you kick off. It's just a question.

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nearlyman says...
9:07pm Tue 11 Sep 12

Just an answer then................
.....It happens to be extremely expensive to install heating systems into such buildings (whilst not destroying their character)! Its an achievement that the Trust have managed it along with everything else they have accomplished since they took it over.

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Woody G Mellor says...
9:21pm Tue 11 Sep 12

nearlyman wrote:
Just an answer then................

.....It happens to be extremely expensive to install heating systems into such buildings (whilst not destroying their character)! Its an achievement that the Trust have managed it along with everything else they have accomplished since they took it over.
Ok. Thanks for that.

Ps. I think your 'full stop' key is sticking.

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nearlyman says...
10:16pm Tue 11 Sep 12

I noticed that too.................
................!

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Yorkfootprint says...
11:42am Fri 21 Sep 12

It is a shame the cemetery chapel building is no longer available for community groups that have been happily hiring it for more than 15 years (and put up with its lack of heating) now it has its new expensive floor.

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