Buildings of Interest

Description

Plans were drawn up for a cemetery in Atherton in 1855. The cemetery is located on Leigh Road, a short distance from the town centre on land which once belonged Crab Brow Farm. It was purchased by the Atherton Cemetery Board from Lord Lilford for £400. The site of the cemetery has been enlarged several times since its foundation.

The cemetery was opened in January 1857.

The lodge and two chapels were designed by the architect Thomas D. Barry and built by Mr Ludd of Liverpool. The Lodge was lived in by the cemetery superintendent, who was responsible for the care of the grounds.

The two chapels have been described as “very Hansel and Gretel” by architectural historians Richard Pollard and Nikolaus Pevsner.

Read about the history of the Cemetery - Link

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Old Photographs from Archives: Wigan & Leigh