Uttoxeter New Road Cemetery

Uttoxeter New Road Cemetery is one of the oldest burial grounds in Derby, in the English Midlands. It is also known as the Old Cemetery, Uttoxeter Road Cemetery and, originally, the General Cemetery. For anyone interested in local history, Victorian design and quiet walks, it offers a clear picture of how the town handled burial in the 1840s.

How did Derby's first cemetery come about?

The cemetery opened in March 1843 and was the first one established in the town. A private firm, the Derby General Cemetery Company, created it, which is why it was first called the General Cemetery. About 4.5 acres were laid out and fenced, at a cost of roughly £3,400.

In 1853 Derby formed a Burial Board, and in 1854 it bought the cemetery from the company for £4,400. From then on the site was under public management, and the name Old Cemetery gradually took hold.

What is there to see?

The entrance lodge survives and dates from 1842. It is a Grade II listed building. The grounds originally also held a Gothic stone chapel to the west of the main entrance and a sexton's cottage to the east, both designed by J. Hadfield. The chapel has gone. Sources disagree on when it was demolished: some point to the mid or late twentieth century, and one to the late 1940s, when the cemetery was full and the chapel was no longer needed.

The main walks follow a simple rectilinear grid around a central axis. Among the monuments are listed memorials, including those to Thomas Skevington and John Gregory Pike. Local stonemason Joseph Barlow Robinson (1821-83) made some of the monuments here.

Who is a visit for?

• People interested in Derby's history and the growth of industrial towns in the nineteenth century.
• Photographers and admirers of Victorian funerary sculpture.
• Family historians tracing relatives from the area.

This is a place of burial and remembrance, so keep noise down, stay off graves and avoid touching fragile monuments.

Frequently asked questions

When did Uttoxeter New Road Cemetery open? In March 1843, as the first cemetery established in Derby.

Is it the same place as the Old Cemetery? Yes. Old Cemetery, Uttoxeter Road Cemetery and the original General Cemetery are names for the same site.

Who owns the cemetery? The Derby Burial Board bought it in 1854 for £4,400, so since the mid-nineteenth century it has been a public rather than a private cemetery.

Is the lodge a listed building? Yes, the 1842 lodge is Grade II listed.

Is the chapel still standing? No, it was demolished in the twentieth century. The exact date varies by source.

Where is it? In Derby, Derbyshire, on Uttoxeter New Road, west of the town centre.