Author: JW

Last month, we looked at the lovely Winslade Rose – since discovered to be a Queen Elizabeth variety. It was given that name by Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries volunteers because this gem had been discovered when working on the entrance from Winslade Road. Since then, the council’s horticultural […]

We probably associate Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, with the famous souls who rest in its grounds.  If we look a little deeper, at The Secret Life of a Cemetery, in a new book “from the head curator of the most famous cemetery in the world – we see a […]

One of the aims of the EDDC Management Plan 2021-25 for Sidmouth Cemetery has been to encourage wildlife – but in a ‘managed’ way, balancing the needs and uses of this special site. Even though the plan isn’t working in every detail, it’s still very […]

A lot of what the volunteers from the Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries get up to is to clear those areas which they can – and to then use some of those materials to add to the growing compost heap. And a good compost heap is not […]

There are some fabulous trees up at the Cemetery on Temple Street/Winslade Road in Sidmouth, adding to the character of this charming space. And by appreciating the trees of Sidmouth Cemetery, we can really appreciate the variety and diversity of both formal and natural ‘greenery’ […]

The Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries working party have been busy over the months up at Sidmouth Cemetery – not only hefting huge amounts of bramble and turf to reveal hidden graves, but also delicately cutting back both wild and ornamental flowering shrubs to reveal some hidden […]

It has been promised for some time that new signage for Sidmouth Cemetery would be ‘coming soon’ – as per a recent post: “There are now considerable efforts underway to bring in clear and helpful replacement signs at the entrances to the Cemetery, which will […]

These pages often return to Arnos Vale Cemetery: an inspiration lying in the heart of Bristol. As a recent piece says, it is the South West’s oldest garden cemetery – and demonstrates that cemeteries can be beautiful outdoor spaces. As the piece goes on to say, this wonderful place is also a […]

The volunteer members of the Cherishing Sidmouth working party Cemeteries are a very active group indeed. One of their number, Liz Dicker, has penned a piece for the Sid Vale Associations’ spring 2025 magazine on “How Sidmouth got its cemetery” – which is now lodged, […]

May is a lovely time of year as colour erupts out of the fresh green – and so it’s happening at the Cemetery. Here are some splendid photos taken over the weekend by one of the members of the Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries project working party. […]