Undercliffe Cemetery

Tuesday 26th August 2025

Leaders: Undercliffe Cemetery Volunteers

On a bright summer morning 5 BBG members, 5 volunteers from Undercliffe cemetery and one council officer met for a briefing in the cemetery lodge. The predicted rain arrived at lunchtime.

We were given copies of a previous plant, bee and butterfly survey report – that I think had been carried out about ten years before. A more recent tree survey report, conducted by one of the volunteers present today, was also handed out. The reason for the current visit was to carry out a baseline survey following Bradford Council's recent designation of the cemetery as one of the eight new Local Nature Reserves, in order to produce a plan to manage and improve its natural diversity. An enormous amount of rampant growth of Bramble (Rubus agg.), Ivy (Hedera helix), scrub and trees has been progressively removed by volunteers from the Undercliffe Cemetery Charity. The main invasive tree species was considered to be self-seeded Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus). We were shown how Ivy and Holly (Ilex aquifolium) had grown in situ from wreaths and bunches left on graves. Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum) has also taken over large areas causing a significant problem. A wild flower meadow may be created.

The cemetery was planned and built between 1851 and 1854 by the Bradford Cemetery Company. Members included local philanthropists such as Edward Ripley and Titus Salt. The area of 26 acres (10 ha.) had been a farm with associated land belonging to the Hustler family. It occupied a prominent raised position at 210 m. overlooking Bradford town well away from the often cramped and insanitary living and industrial parts of the town below, where further burials would have increased health hazards.

The plan for the cemetery was created by the park and cemetery designer William Gay and architect John Dale, for the not insignificant sum of £12,000. Laid out with striking views and a promenade bordered by monumental tombs and two chapels, it was also used as a local park.

However years of neglect led to the purchase of the cemetery by Bradford City Council in 1984. The structures were Grade 1 listed. Further protection was given by a Grade 2 listing in 1988.

A team of volunteers were strimming the grass verges as we walked towards the top of the site. The part of the cemetery near the gate on Otley Road is still in use and operated and maintained by the Undercliffe Cemetery Charity. As we walked to the top of the site the graves and monumental memorials became increasingly overgrown. Unregulated tree growth has caused considerable disruption to the monumental stone work.

The volunteers have done a huge amount of work to clear graves particularly of rampant growth of Blackberry as well as self-sown and overgrown trees and shrubs. We discussed the conflicts between maintaining some vegetation to support wildlife and preserving the graves.

There was a wide variety of trees. Those that we noted particularly included an Orange Whitebeam (Sorbus croceocarpa), Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris), Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur), Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea), Common Lime (Tilia x europaea), English Elm (Ulmus procera) and Nootka Cypress (Cupressus nootkatensis), including an attractive drooping form.

In addition to plentiful Blackberries and Raspberries (Rubu idaeus), there was a lot of Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris) among the overgrown vegetation. In the drier paved areas Fox-and-cubs (Pilosella aurantiaca), Cat's-ear (Hypochaeris radicata), Rough Hawkbit (Leontodon hispidus), Scented Mayweed (Matricaria chamomilla) and Narrow-leaved Ragwort (Senecio inaequidens) stood out. It would be helpful to re-visit this site in late spring, say, to identify grasses – of which a few seed heads remained - and other flowering plants.

Text and photographs by Brigid