A Garden Cemetery
Queen Victoria was new to the throne when Arnos Vale opened in 1839.
Arnos Vale was to be a garden cemetery, inspired by the Père-Lachaise in Paris and later, London's Kensal Green. By then, Bristol's old parish graveyards were overcrowded, and a health hazard. The Bristol General Cemetery Company was set up to provide a stylish yet spacious alternative.
It bought land in the outlying and picturesque village of Brislington. Putting forward plans for a cemetery that would be filled with sunlight, fresh air, trees and shrubs, with its architecture and landscaping designed to echo classical Greece.
To Wilderness then Restoration
In 1987 locals formed the Association for the Preservation of Arnos Vale Cemetery.
Alarmed by news that the private owner of the Cemetery had announced plans to clear and commercially develop a large section of the Cemetery, they campaigned to secure a safe future for Arnos Vale, supported by the Bristol council, Bristol citizens and many people worldwide.
The group later became known as the Friends of Arnos Vale. The Friends have authored a fascinating overview of the cemeteries history from the cirumstances which led to its creation to their invaluable work to secure it's future.
Notable People
A list of those buried at Arnos Vale is a who's who of Victorian Bristol. The Cemetery accommodated both Anglicans and Nonconformists.
From the wealthiest families to paupers who died in the city's immense parish workhouses.
Here you will find powerful industrial families alongside social reformers and campaigners.
Monuments & Epitaphs
The chapels and gate lodges at Arnos Vale appear on the UK's register of places of special architectural merit &/or heritage value.
In addition, the site contains 25 listed monuments, as well as many others of great historic interest.
The Rajah Rammohun Roy Chattri is listed Grade II* and is a Bristol landmark.
Sculpture & Symbolism
The inscriptions on some of the monuments in Arnos Vale Cemetery simply record the details of who lies beneath.
Many tell a more detailed story, containing personal symbolic imagery.
There are some recurring themes of loss and resurrection.
War Graves
More than 600 British and Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen from both World Wars and older conflicts are remembered at Arnos Vale Cemetery.
These include three recipients of Britain’s highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross, and veterans who survived the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo.
Family Record Searches
In excess of 100,000 burials took place at Arnos Vale in its first 70 years and the total number now exceeds 170,000.
In addition, more than 123,000 cremations were held from the cemetery's opening at the South West of England's first crematorium in 1928 and the facility's closure in 1998.
Books of Remembrance
During the campaign to save the cemetery, Northcliffe Newspapers stepped in and purchased the Arnos Vale Books of Remembrance.
They then generously donated them back to Arnos Vale, ensuring the survival of these priceless books containing personal memories of those cremated at Arnos Vale.
