Milton Road Cemetery History

With the increasing number of residents, 4033 in the 1851 census, doubling to over 8000 by 1862, the old burial ground at St John’s Church had been filled and a new site was required. The Town Commissioners chose the new site on the southern side of Bristol Road (this was then the outskirts of Weston) and the project was put out to tender. The design was won by Charles E Davis, who designed the cemetery to included two mortuary Chapels, one Church of England the other non-conformist, and an arboretum. The Diocese of Bath and Wells, on seeing the plans, insisted on the two separate chapels with at least a 6″ gap and the bell tower to be central to the gate and path as most cemeteries of the time were arranged. Designed in 1856 by Mr Charles Davies, the Cemetery was designed as a Victorian Garden Cemetery, with a vast array of native and exotic trees and pathways to lead you round grounds to enjoy the spectacular views the Cemetery has to offer. At the time of construction, the Cemetery was built on the outskirts of the town, on a site which was previously used as a Bronze Age burial site.

Both chapels were built in the English gothic style from 1300-1350, with the stone quarried from site. The limestone used is known as pink limestone, or Bed 21. The stone running along the bases of the chapel and around the edges is the harder and more durable Bath Stone. There is a vein of Pink Limestone which runs from Milton under the cemetery and crops out at Anchor Head Cove. The stone became this colour during the carboniferous period, a time of low sea level and mountain building, through the iron components which oxidised and turned the mud red.