If you plan to have wild flower areas in your burial ground that are welcome by visitors, communication is key. Conservation in these unique places is all about active management not neglect and we need to let people know what we’re doing so that they don’t become alarmed that grass might be longer/things are different […]
The hedgehog is the UK’s only prickly mammal, but it’s in trouble. Despite being voted Britain’s Favourite Wild Mammal, hedgehog numbers have been declining for many years. Research published recently in the State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2022 by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and People’s Trust for Endangered Species shows that the decline in rural […]
It seems very likely that the custom of placing flowers on graves was unique to Wales (at least withing the UK), until the middle of the 19th century. Some of the many 18th and 19th century English visitors to Wales who mentioned the practice suggested that it was worthy of emulating in England, which implies […]
“Don’t look up!” – good advice for the fainthearted crossing a churchyard at dusk – you may encounter fearsome faces leering at you from above. This article explores the wonderful fantasy world of church gargoyles and grotesques. These consist of faces or whole bodies of humans, devils, domestic animals and fabulous beasts carved in stone. […]
Burial grounds, rich in butterflies and moths, are also rich in other invertebrates, so managing sensitively for butterflies will help a whole range of other invertebrates too. We have a resource sheet on Butterflies, Moths and other Insects here which has a really useful table on what food plants and habitat types the different butterflies […]
All Saints Church in Wokingham, Berkshire, has a major initiative underway to develop into an accessible and flexible community meeting space while retaining its role as a place of worship. A key aspect of this project is creating a centre for discovering and appreciating the heritage of the church and the town. The history of the […]
In 2019 the P.C.C of St John the Baptist in Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire was awarded a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to discover and share the secrets of Georgian history in Bishop’s Castle, a notorious Rotten Borough with an unusual number of beautiful monuments from the period within the churchyard. This project included […]
Exactly a year ago we were contacted at the Caring for God’s Acre office by a gentleman who was impressed by the YouTube video of our hand hay baler, but couldn’t find the plans on our website. We got back to him to say that we were concerned that the plans that we had on […]
Over the years we have been encouraging groups to undertake a bioblitz in their burial ground. A bioblitz is a period of biological surveying (often over 24hours) which attempts to record as many species as possible within a set area. It is usually organised by a local conservation group or the community who bring in […]
Guest blog post written by Sam Devine-Turner, Mammal Detective and Chair of Shropshire Dormouse Group With a decline of 50% since the year 2000, the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius is disappearing from the British countryside at an alarming rate. Not only are their numbers dwindling, but they have become extinct in 17 counties since 1885 […]
Guest blog post written by Judith Leigh, CfGA Trustee and member of Diocesan Advisory Committees. The boundary of a churchyard is very significant as it separates off a consecrated space, which is also commonly (though not always) used for burials and is also a place where people historically might claim sanctuary. Most often this boundary […]
When I began researching my Shropshire guidebook, I didn’t realise how much I’d grow to love churches. Trying new pubs and tea rooms was always going to be fun. I knew exploring hillforts, castles and forests would feel exhilarating. And I think most writers would find inspiration in old maps and local stories. It was […]