ONE of Belfast’s most important cemeteries has been awarded a £165,000 development grant.
City Cemetery on the Falls Road dates back to 1869 and features the graves and tombs of a host of prominent names, among them Sir Edward Harland, co-founder of the Harland & Wolff shipbuilding company; Margaret Byers, founder of Victoria College, Sir William Whitla, former Pro-Vice Chancellor of Queen's University; boxer Rinty Monaghan, playwright Sam Thompson and CS Lewis’s mother Florence.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) will award the £165,000 grant through its Parks for People programme to Belfast City Council. The money will be used to draw up plans to conserve the historic features and raise awareness of the hidden heritage of the cemetery, in order to secure the full £1.85 million requested.
The City Cemetery was intended to be used for both Catholic and Protestant burials and a sunken wall was built to separate one from the other. The cemetery doubled in size in 1915 with the addition of the Glenalina section, becoming the largest green space in west Belfast.
Amongst the fountains, columns and angels are the unmarked and lesser-known features such as the Jewish Cemetery, which was added in 1871, and the Poor Ground - where around 63,000 people are buried.
The restoration project sets out "to reconnect people to the heritage of the cemetery and its monuments, memorials and the prominent figures laid to rest within its walls."
New signage, boards and maps will be created and there will be repairs to boundary walls and gates, while social media and online resources will also be developed to promote the cemetery.
"The City Cemetery is one of Belfast's greatest hidden heritage assets," said Paul Mullan of Heritage Lottery Fund NI. "It is so exciting to see these ambitious plans take shape into a project that has the potential to be truly transformational. The local community will be able to enjoy using this space and learn more about the history and heritage that is on their doorstep."
