In the late 1980s, Arnos Vale reached a critical situation also experienced by other old private cemeteries – as burial space ran out, income dwindled, resulting in less money to pay for staff and much reduced maintenance. Many of the once-splendid memorials toppled and the grounds became over-grown as wind-born seeds of ash and sycamore took root, and paths and open spaces became choked with bramble, bindweed and knotweed.

In 1987, alarmed by a press report that the then owners wanted to clear a large section for commercial development, a group of concerned local people came together to oppose the proposals and win long-term protection for the cemetery as a heritage asset.

The group (originally, the Association for the Preservation of Arnos Vale Cemetery – APAC – but since renamed the, Friends of Arnos Vale Cemetery) galvanized a mass campaign, attracting wide-scale support, including from Bristol City Council, the Bristol Evening Post newspaper, local citizens and many other people worldwide.

After huge efforts, many setbacks and legal wrangles, Bristol City Council finally became the new owners of Arnos Vale in 2003, and a charitable trust was set up to restore and protect the cemetery.

You can find out a little more about the ‘Save Arnos Vale’ campaign from the guidebook, which can be bought from the West Lodge office or ordered online using the form in Publications.