Plymouth, the Cemetery 1889

Plymouth College

Whilst this is the best known photograph of Ford Park Cemetery in the late nineteenth century it is also one of the best of Plymouth College (seen in the top right), because it was taken at a time when the school still owned all the land down to the eastern cemetery wall and had continuing hopes of extending the first phase of the Oxbridge style complex to both sides and forward as well as further developing the prominent site into impressive gardens and playing fields. Regretably expensive civil proceedings arising from a sporting accident left the school almost bankrupt and all but the small residual cricket pitch had to be sold to speculative residential developers who quickly filled the huge site with dense terraces right down to the edge of the burial grounds.

Ford Park Cemetery

The Cemetery, popularly known as Ford Park Cemetery, and owned by the Plymouth, Devonport & Stonehouse Cemetery Company finally went into liquidation in 1999 owing to the decline in burials following the opening of the two Council run cemeteries at Weston Mill and Efford and also in part due to the increasing popularity of cremation. At that time there had been upwards of 250,000 pesons interred in the Cemetery but there was still room for some 10,000 more.
A charity - The Ford Park Cemetery Trust - was formed in 2000 to run the over-grown and vandal damaged cemetery and has now, with the help of a very willing team of volunteers and a dedicated ground staff, completely cleared the grounds, replanted trees, restored many of the graves and turned this once ailing eyesore into a fully functioning cemetery with annual burials numbering some 50. There is also a fund-raising drive underway to restore the old Victorian Chapel and turn the new chapel into a heritage centre.

Bubbles up your bum!

Just look closely at the picture, sitting on top of the fountain was half the fun & excitement of coming to the pool. Water wings under my arms and the supervision of Granddad Russell I made my first attempt at learning to swim. Getting really daring swimming to the back of the pool, climbing out would lead to the open sea where only the brave would swim. The pool was accessed by steps from the road at the front of the Hoe. Walking down the damp steps we then divided into boys and girls changing rooms from where we emerged into the circular concrete pool. There were 2 four layer fountains to climb and sit on and a central taller fountain where the 'teenagers' hung out.  Without the luxury of an indoor swimming pool we went from Sailsbury Road, Primary School, I can only think by pd2 Bristol bus, for our swimming lessons. After the time in the pool we dressed and walked through the passage way by the pool to the kiosk. After using up the calories by swimming the need for food was urgent and getting the warm, crusty, meaty pasty from the kiosk was the only thing on our minds and devouring it before climbing back on the bus for lunch at school. Plymouth has no beach and had to devise an entertaining means of satisfying the tourist who came to Plymouth. On the rocky shore line was a male only pool carved into the landscape which held no joy for the family. When the pool was built in the beginning of the 20th Century it truly was state of the art. The straight lines of the Art Deco period and made of the modern material concrete. A few years ago when I visited the pool was in a shabby delapidated state but I now believe it is returned to its former glory. I'll have to remake the trip and check it out.        

BENJAMIN SIDDLE RM

My great-grandfather served on this ship between 1875/1876 as a Royal Marine marksman, having joined the RM's at 13 years old in 1870. He also served on HMS's 'Agincourt', 'London', 'Simoom', 'Thetis', 'Lion' and finally 'Mercury'. I have a very fine etching of HMS 'Agincourt', aground on the Pearl Rock, Gibralta and am hoping to locate prints/photos of his other ships noted above. I served with the RN, from 1952, to 1961, with immense pride and pleasure as an L/SA (v).