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Restoration of former mortuary in Dean Road Cemetery now complete
17 April 2012
The restoration of the former mortuary, commonly known as the
‘Dead House’ in Dean Road Cemetery, has recently been completed.
This forms part of a project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
which also included improvements to the Secret Garden in Manor Road
Cemetery and interpretation and education materials for the
cemetery as a whole.
The contractor for the project was Ian Harrison Ltd who
specialises in building restoration. The work to the former
mortuary included rebuilding large sections of the walls and
stripping and reconstructing the roof with new purlins, rafters and
reclaimed Welsh slates to match the originals. All work has been
carried out to conservation standards using reclaimed materials
wherever possible and where required, West Yorkshire sandstone has
been sourced to match the original stone and lime mortar has been
used throughout.
Both the Friends of Dean Road and Manor Road Cemetery and
Scarborough Borough Council are very pleased with the results. Jan
Cleary, Chair of the Friends of Dean Road and Manor Road Cemetery
said:
“The Friends group is delighted with the restoration work on the
mortuary chapel. The workmanship is first class and all the
original design features such as the fish tail roof slates and
unique buttresses have been restored using a mixture of reclaimed
and new materials. The chapel will be the starting point for a
children’s cemetery trail which people will be able to try out on
Sunday 9 September, when we will be celebrating the completion of
the whole Heritage Lottery funded project.”
Paul Thompson, Environmental Services Operations Manager for
Scarborough Borough Council added:
“We are proud to support the work of the Friends of Dean Road
and Manor Road Cemetery in this project to restore the Mortuary
Chapel and Secret Garden. The borough’s cemeteries contain a vast
array of history and by working together on projects such as these
we are able to preserve and restore Scarborough’s valuable
heritage.”
If you are interested in this project and would like to get
involved, why not take part in one of the working party events
taking place at the weekends. For more information about events and
activities visit the Friends of Dean Road and Manor Road Cemeteries
website www.scarboroughcemeteries.co.uk or
ring 01723 381867.