A WALK AMONGST THE TOMBSTONES

January 06, 2024

Liverpool has an extensive history and is replete with many fine examples of period architecture. Its backstory is visible on every corner and in some places, it remains almost unchanged from past centuries. A particular favourite spot for me is St James Cemetery, behind the Anglican Cathedral. Liverpool is blessed with two outstanding cathedrals an the older sandstone gothic monument overlooks the cemetery, providing a wonderful backdrop to the place.

The cemetery itself was begun in 1827, after a new public site was identified for the burgeoning population, after the Necropolis at Everton began to fill. An old quarry at Mount Zion, was chosen, which had been the source of the raw material used to build the old docks. Quarrying had been ongoing since the 16th century and the area had been one of three major sites, which provided building materials for the growing city.

1810 Map of the area

St James Cemetery 1896

In 1901, the site was identified as the location of the new Liverpool Cathedral and part of the land was sold off and allocated for the provision of the cathedral. The cemetery itself was remodelled to accommodate the cathedral and lined with tiers running along the sides of the vale, studded with mausoleums and accessed by long ramps.

Several tunnels were created, leading from street level, down into the cemetery to allow for the transport of funerary processions and burial parties. The cemetery fell into disuse in the early 20th century and became overgrown and rundown. Eventually, it was recovered and rescued by an action group and it has now been restored to something approaching its former beauty.

Huskisson Memorial

Although many of the original burials are now lost, or have been re-interred and many of the old mausoleums have been sealed, the site is wonderfully atmospheric and peaceful. At its centre stands a monument to William Huskisson, a famous Liverpool patron and the first man to be killed in a railway accident involving the new Stephenson's Rocket Engine. In one of the ramped walls, an ancient spring emerges from a rough pipe, which is said to offer life sustaining properties and issues a constant stream of cool, clear water. It was discovered in 1773 during construction of the quarry and was fenced in with a small plaque attached and provided with a ladle for the public to use.

Christian reader view in me,
An emblem of true charity,
Who freely what I have bestow,
Though neither heard nor seen to flow,
And I have full return from heaven,
For every cup of water given.

The cemetery is accessed by a walkway leading down a ramp lined with old gravestones, cut through the sandstone wall. The walls are sheer sandstone in places and the marks of early workings can clearly be seen.

One of the oldest inscriptions of 1797 is overlaid with a marker pen date from 2022

Due to years of neglect and disuse, many of the older monuments have become overgrown, or damaged and the original paths have disappeared, sunken into the soft ground.

The tunnels and catacombs at the base of the walls are now sealed or gated and the older mausoleums on the upper tiers have been removed.

Some of the catacombs were used as munitions storage during the second world war, due to their position deep beneath the rock beds.

Near base of the main entrance tunnel, a large area of sandstone wall bears the signs of graffiti and masons marks dating back to the early days of the quarry and all the decades following it. It provides an amazing window into the past seeing the ancient scribings,

In places the inscriptions are so densely packed that it is difficult to make out the individual letters and in other areas, they have clearly been marked with tools, with the intention of leaving a lasting impression.

Some of the graffiti is much higher up the wall, indicating that the land level has changed, or the marks have been left by mason's using scaffolding during excavations.