Oxford’s Historic Holywell Cemetery Receives Restoration Award

Hey, listen to this cool story. Volunteers restored Holywell Cemetery, which is on St Cross Road. They worked on it for several years. The Oxford Preservation Trust gave them an award, recognizing excellent conservation and new designs in the city. The trust started this program back in 1977.

The project started in 2017, when Reverend Will Lamb arrived as the Vicar of the University Church. Holywell Cemetery was neglected at that time. The graves were overgrown with ivy and brambles.

Volunteers had regular gardening sessions to clear paths and maintain graves. He described it as being like a jungle. In 1850, a lodge was built for the keeper, who created a beautiful garden and tended to the graves well.

However, things changed after 1931, when the last caretaker retired and parish funds decreased. Fewer burials then took place. Soon after, Friends of Holywell Cemetery formed, with the goal to restore the cemetery and protect the wildlife living there.

A survey in 2023 found over 100 species there. They added birdhouses and owl boxes, attracting even more birds. Butterflies, foxes, and deer visit regularly. The cemetery opened in 1847.

They needed burial sites due to a cholera outbreak, as public health was a big concern then. Kenneth Grahame, the author of “The Wind in the Willows,” is buried there. Sir Hugh Cairns, a famous brain surgeon, also rests there.

Benjamin Henry Blackwell, who founded Blackwell’s bookshops, is also buried there. Many famous Oxford people, including writers, scientists, and politicians, are present. A member of Friends of Holywell said it’s a balance; they preserve graves and wildlife, wanting to protect both equally.

Volunteers cleared paths and restored graves, protecting those that were falling apart. It’s an overlooked and special place. Although the entrance is dark and hard to find, not very inviting at first, inside, its beauty is easily seen.