Sandgate Cemetery, Newcastle

Ecotone topic: Cemeteries And Place

The earliest inhabitants of what is now Newcastle buried their dead in a burial ground which is now under the CBD shopping mall. The arrival of European culture brought Christian burial customs and church-ground cemeteries. Until 1881 Anglicans were buried in the grounds of Christ Church (now the cathedral) beautifully situated on the hill above the city. This site has magnificent views across the Hunter Estuary, to Nobby’s Island and of the Pacific Ocean. However it was not a wise choice for a cemetery as many local people obtained their drinking water from wells in the lower lying areas beneath the hill. After several outbreaks of disease it was realised that the drinking water was being contaminated by groundwater seeping through the graveyard. A search was made for a more suitable site and Sandgate was chosen. Newcastle Council declared that no burials should take place within the city, so there was no alternative to the new Sandgate Cemetery. A rail link was established and each religious grouping was allocated a segregated area. The expanding population of Newcastle and the lack of alternatives (a crematorium was established in 1937) meant the Cemetery had to be extended in the early 1900s. Areas that had been set aside for landscaping were reallocated and many groves of mature trees were removed to make room for more grave sites. The result is a barren lifeless landscape. Too hot in summer, too cold in winter, desolate all year round.
Yet a cemetery is more than just a place to dispose of corpses, it is a place where lives can be remembered and celebrated, where histories are recorded:

"Every grave stone has a story to tell, and each would be a vignette of this region's history. Many themes of society's activities are represented in the cemetery: the world of home life, the spiritual, the world of work, the city's industries, public life, the mines, the entrepreneurs, the professions, war, sport, music, conflict ......"
from Sandgate Cemetery,'The History and the Restoration'

Nevertheless, I’d prefer to avoid Sandgate Cemetery. You can scatter my ashes in a place that lifts the spirit. The grounds of Newcastle Christ Church Cathedral will do nicely.

Comments

[beth]

Jenny, thanks for this illuminating entry and the picture of the cemetery. Since you prefer it (and I bet I would too) would you post a pic of the cathedral exterior and grounds sometime? Loved the fireworks picture too!

[Beth W.]

What a foreboding place. I would rather my ashes be scattered, too, but a bit closer to my home, at Christ Episcopal Church, Pensacola, Florida. Like Beth, I would love to see a photo of the cathedral.