342 Design for a Cemetery 



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 corruption, the time seems to have arrived when one ought to be commenced 

 here. The plan now offered was designed in 1831, for your EncyclopcEdia of 

 Landscape-Gardening. Since that work has been in abeyance, I have been 

 urged to publish it separately, and should have done so, had there been any 

 disposition manifested in the public mind here likely to have given support to 

 the measure. But the want of encouragement to such an undertaking as the 

 proposed suspension bridge at Clifton, and the design for a public garden 

 published in the second number of your Illustrations of Landscape-Gardening, 

 showed to me how useless it would be to bring forward any design for a 

 cemetery. I now venture to introduce the subject through your Magazine, in 

 consequence of a more liberal feeling being manifested here for the support of 

 public works. My intention is only to introduce this design to public notice, 

 in the hope of its being the means of directing the attention of some more 

 influential person to the subject ; and, also, for the purpose of giving my pro- 

 mised support to your useful work. I have experienced more difficulty than 

 I expected in selecting a piece of ground in our vicinity, suitable, in every 

 respect, for the purpose ; and find that which I have fixed upon the most 

 favourable, except Tindal's Park, which I hope never to see diverted from its 

 present purpose, except for a botanic garden. As a matter of choice, I 

 should have preferred the ground round Redland Chapel, including the field 

 on the south side, the common, and the whole of the glen on the north and 

 east side. The capabilities of this site are very great. There are some in- 

 teresting views from it, and the features of the ground are very suitable for 

 creating pictorial effect. The chapel, being already erected, would prevent 

 the necessity of what generally forms an expensive outlay in such under- 

 takings ; and the distance from the city is just that of a pleasant walk. But 

 I understand the ground is too wet for the purpose, so much so, as not to be 

 rendered eligible even by draining. The site I have selected, originally a 

 nursery, is situated between Wellington Place and St. Paul's j which parts of 

 the city I propose connecting by a carriage-road through the cemetery. 



The churchyards and burial-grounds of Bristol, at present occupied for 

 interment, contain in all rather more than 15 acres j two thirds belong to the 

 church, and one third to dissenters. The spot I have selected would furnish 

 30 acres; but, as it would be desirable to have another cemetery on the 

 Clifton side, I should think from 15 to 20 acres would suffice. 



It has been objected, that the lower part of this ground would also be too 

 wet ; that it would be likely, in the course of twenty years, to be as much sur- 

 rounded by buildings as our present churchyards ; and that it does not pos- 

 sess a single natural picturesque advantage. The first objection would be 

 remedied by the manner in which I purpose carrying the plan into effect, by 

 which the ground bounded by Wilden Street would be raised 5 ft., still leaving 

 a 4 ft. current [an inclination of 4 ft.] on the surface ; and admitting of under- 

 draining into courses, which would carry the water off into the river Froome. 

 The next objection is by no means a reasonable one ; for, allowing the city 

 to extend in this quarter, still the site cannot be fairly subject to a comparison 

 with the confined state of any of our churchyards. There would not be any 

 buildings within 140 ft. of three fourths of the ground, and, in the remaining 

 part, not near enough to cast a shadow on it ; and, so long as it remains sufr 

 ficiently open, its immediate vicinity is a very great advantage. With respect 

 to the latter objection, I should certainly have preferred a site possessing some 

 natural picturesque features ; but, 1 trust, my design will show that the want 

 of them is not an insurmountable objection. The working of such a piece of 

 ground only requires a little more creative genius in the artist. For my own 

 part, I do not at all regret the absence of every natural feature of beauty or 

 mterest, because it aids one very material object I have in view ; which is, as 

 it bears so strong an analogy to most of our churchyards, to show that they 

 rnay still be laid out with some degree of taste and interest, and, at the same 

 time, with due economy in the occupation of the ground. As an illustration, I 



