On 2 October 1855, the new burial ground at Wednesfield was formally consecrated by John Lonsdale, Bishop of Lichfield. Now, 170 years later, the Friends of Wednesfield Burial Ground have created a display at Wolverhampton’s Central Library to celebrate the site’s heritage and shine a light on its stories. The exhibition runs from Monday 29 September to Thursday 9 October in the library’s first-floor balcony display cabinets.

The display has been created by members of the Friends of Wednesfield Burial Ground, in partnership with Hands On Wednesfield, local historians, artists, and 2nd Wednesfield Explorers. It brings together creative works, historical research, and memories to reflect on the cemetery’s heritage and its meaning for Wednesfield today.

Highlights of the display include:

• A Victorian-style paper theatre diorama co-created by members of Wednesfield History Society, imagining the long-lost view through the cemetery gates from Cemetery Road.
• A stencilled tile installation created by the 2nd Wednesfield Explorers, inspired by the fragments of the Mortuary Chapel’s tiled floor.
• Photographs by Graham Stubbs capturing the quiet atmosphere of the burial ground today.
• A commemorative poem by Jackie Harrison, written in memory of Thomas Tomyks, the very first burial in the cemetery.
• Architectural drawings by Steve Brackett, showing the footprint of the Mortuary Chapel, alongside small finds unearthed nearby.
• ‘Stories from the Stones’, short histories researched by Jackie Harrison, Hazel Kierle, Sue and Gary Edwards.

Photographs by Graham Stubbs

The Friends of Wednesfield Burial Ground would still like to hear from you if you have memories of the chapel.

The Mortuary Chapel once stood at the heart of the burial ground from 1861 until its demolition in 1960. If you or your family remember it — or have photographs or stories — the Friends would love to hear from you.

Memories can be shared by emailing wednesfieldbg@gmail.com or writing to:
The Wednesfield Burial Ground Project, c/o St Thomas’ Church, 31-33 Church Street, Wednesfield, WV11 1SS.

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This project is supported by Hands On Wednesfield and Creative Black Country as part of Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places National Portfolio programme.

Additional thanks go to Wednesfield History Society, St Thomas’ Church Wednesfield, Wolverhampton City Archives, Central Library, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, and City of Wolverhampton Council.