The lodge at the main entrance on Temple St to Sidmouth Cemetery is quite imposing – as photographed here by Jaggery back in June 2013:
Cemetery Lodge, Sidmouth © Jaggery cc-by-sa/2.0 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland
The history of the building is also something – which is to be found on the More History pages of the CSC project, as compiled by Liz Dicker of the Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries group, from the Sidmouth Museum archives, with a couple of excerpts here:
DECEMBER 1877 The meeting decided that 2 chapels were a necessity together with a lodge to be sited at the gate. The cost of chapels and the lodge to be no more than £1500.
JANUARY 1878 A Works Committee had the ground staked out and tenders were invited for the road and drains. The Finance committee received £500 from the poor’s rate and the requirement of a loan was advertised. Ten architects forwarded plans for the chapels and lodge, ‘some of them very elaborate and beautiful.’
FEBRUARY 1878 1st February. Sets of designs and costings are displayed and voted on by Board members. Those submitted by C F Edwards of Pinhoe and Exeter at an estimated cost of £1456 was selected by everyone. There will be no vestry but a tool house and mortuary instead.
APRIL 1878 Tender for the erection of buildings by Mr Commins, a builder of Exeter, for £1520 was accepted with all completed and the site cleared from the ground by 31st December. The builder, Mr Commins, stated that the chapels would be completed by 14th November, the lodge by 1 February.
For an excellent history and some splendid photographs, there is the page Past Remains in South-West Britain: Cemetery Lodge, Sidmouth, Devon, where Eileen Wright of Seaton gives a wonderful personal view of this “quirky, gothic building”, together with a lot of solid research.
Do have a look!
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