In 1845 Joseph Paxton was commissioned by the local authority in Coventry (west Midlands) to design (a lay-out plan) for their London Road Cemetery. Initially (presumably) a commercial venture, most public cemeteries post-dating the initial Burial Acts of the 1850s, this early example of a burial site beyond local churchyards remains reasonably well maintained unlike many disused burial sites elsewhere which suffer the neglect which follows declining local authority budgets. One reason this Cemetery is important (or more important) is that it is a classic example of Victorian public investment in cemeteries on a par with the investment in municipal parks. Here exotic and native young trees were planted, carriageways, to the chapels of rest, and footpaths were hard-surfaced and various structures commissioned to further add interest and diversity. After Paxton’s death in 1865 the Paxton memorial was erected (see picture above), commemorating his service to the town both in the Cemetery and as its M.P. in the 1850s. Other structures included the Prospect Tower, a raised turret giving a viewing point around and accessed by stone steps, and the two large chapels of rest, one for Nonconformist services and one for Anglican.
The importance here then is that in the 19th century and beyond cemeteries were perceived as places of resort, places for perambulation, this not just on the occasion of a burial but generally as a place to visit and to appreciate, but in a respectful manner. Also given the 19th century fashion for large headstones or memorials with considerable biographical information inscribed cemeteries were places where local information could be studied.
The public cemetery at Barrow Road, Barton on Humber is also a good example of the above points, albeit on a more modest scale. Barton Cemetery (of which more to follow) shows ‘at a glance’ the result of declining local authority investment in civil cemeteries during the 20th century.