Wimborne Road Cemetery, Bournemouth

Wimborne Road Cemetery is a Victorian burial ground in Bournemouth, Dorset, on the south coast of England. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II registered park and garden and a quiet place to learn how a small seaside town grew into a leading resort.

Where is Wimborne Road Cemetery?

The cemetery lies on Wimborne Road in Bournemouth, at roughly 50.734 N, 1.873 W. St Augustin's Church stands directly across the road, so the two together make an easy short stop on a walk through this part of town.

Who designed it and when did it open?

The cemetery opened in 1878. It was laid out by Christopher Crabb Creeke (1820-86), architect to the Bournemouth Board of Commissioners; some sources, including Historic England, spell his name "Crabbe". Creeke had earlier designed Poole Cemetery in 1854 and in 1859 succeeded Decimus Burton as Surveyor to the Town Commissioners of Bournemouth. The Burial Board commissioned him to plan the whole site: a chapel, an entrance lodge, a mortuary chapel and the landscaping around them.

What does the site look like?

The grounds form a diamond-shaped space of about 9.5 hectares. The layout combines landscaped planting with paths and buildings, in the manner of Victorian municipal cemeteries, which were meant to be dignified places as well as practical ones. The former mortuary, dated to around 1878 and attributed to Creeke, is a Gothic-style building and is listed separately at Grade II (listed in 2010).

Why is it protected?

The cemetery was first listed by Historic England on 19 December 1986 in the Park and Garden category (list entry 1000726), at Grade II. Its registered description highlights a good collection of funerary monuments. These reflect Bournemouth's role as an emerging, and later leading, seaside resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Walking among the headstones and memorials therefore tells a local story as well as a family one.

Is it worth a visit?

It suits anyone interested in Victorian landscape design, local history or Gothic architecture, and visitors who prefer calm corners to busy attractions. Allow enough time to walk the paths, look at the monuments and see the mortuary building from outside. As with any working burial ground, keep voices low and respect graves and anyone visiting them.

Frequently asked questions

When did Wimborne Road Cemetery open? In 1878.

Who laid it out? The architect Christopher Crabb (or Crabbe) Creeke.

Is it protected? Yes. The cemetery is Grade II listed as a park and garden, and its mortuary is separately Grade II listed.

How big is it? About 9.5 hectares, in a diamond shape.

What is nearby? St Augustin's Church, directly across Wimborne Road.