Scartho Road Cemetery in Grimsby undergoes restoration

Scartho Road Cemetery’s derelict buildings are undergoing a huge, sympathetic scheme of restoration, managed by Gavin Duffy, senior architectural technologist at North East Lincolnshire Council’s partner Equans. Duffy has seen the project from its infancy through to the rapidly developing stages of restoration seen in the buildings today. The two chapels, situated at the centre of a roundabout, have had extensive work completed since 2018. The colourful windows have been restored, repointing has taken place on the brickwork, and new doors have been installed. In time, one chapel will be used for storage while the other will be used to hold funeral services. The former waiting room, with its seating area resembling that of a Victorian railway station, will become an area for viewing and purchasing headstones, while a nearby, much smaller building would be ideal for a floristry business. This building was added to the site in the 1950s. All the building work has benefited from suitable, environmentally friendly materials, such as sheep wool for the insulation, and hemp for the plaster. The ceilings in the lodge are undergoing the restoration of the 135-year-old lath and plaster. According to Scartho Road Cemetery, all materials used have “longevity, reducing the risk of replacement or fixing in the short-term future”. The lodge will be a further home for bereavement services and a single-story extension is planned for the rear of the building, although this will not be completed until late 2024. Duffy said:“It has taken 14 years to get to this point, so it is exciting to see it develop each day. We had to apply for funding, decide what the buildings were going to be used for, and create a schedule of works for the project. “During the last half century, there has been a lot of poor workmanship across the site and much of this has had to be stripped right back. Some of the materials used were retaining water and we are having to dry a lot of the brickwork out, particularly in the chapels. The buildings were last used in the Nineties.” He added: “Our contractors, UK Restoration Services, are specialists in this type of restoration, and complete historic projects, such as this, across the country. The work is progressing well, although there are always some surprises, but we are on target to start the second phase of work by autumn, 2023.” Cllr Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for Environment and Transport at North East Lincolnshire Council, concluded: “These buildings are a real asset for the area. It is wonderful to be able to put them back into use and preserve them for future generations.Using sustainable products and materials ensures that the chapels, former waiting room, and lodge are restored to the highest standard, and they are much kinder to our environment.”