Witton Cemetery (grid reference SP082921), which opened in Witton in 1863 as Birmingham City Cemetery, is the largest cemetery in Birmingham, England. Covering an area of 103 acres (0.42 km2), it once had three chapels, however, two of these were demolished in 1980. The cemetery would perform up to 20 burials a day, however, it now carries out just four burials a day. The cemetery office was opened in 1999.
Started in May 1860 and consecrated by the Bishop of Worcester on 23 May 1863, it was the only cemetery owned by the Corporation of Birmingham until 1911, when an expansion of the city boundary brought in others. Key Hill and Warstone Lane Cemetery were private concerns. It opened in 1863 with an area of 106 acres (0.43 km2). In 1869, 2 acres (8,100 m2) were bought by the Jewish community for their own interments.
The surrounding brick walls are 2 miles (3.2 km) long, the longest in the Midlands..
Read more about Witton Cemetery: War Graves, Notable Individual Graves
Famous quotes containing the word cemetery:
“The cemetery isn’t really a place to make a statement.”
—Mary Elizabeth Baker, U.S. cemetery committee head. As quoted in Newsweek magazine, p. 15 (June 13, 1988)