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Showing posts from March, 2020

Cemetery Closures

In line with government guidance on combatting the Covid-19 virus, cemeteries across the UK have closed until further notice Notice on the gate of Highgate Cemetery West Following advice from the government, many councils and cemetery management companies across the country have closed their cemeteries until further notice. This is in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. In these difficult times, it can be upsetting for those who can no longer visit the graves of their loved ones.  Some cemeteries remain open for burials, while others are offering to place flowers and other mementoes on graves while the gates remain closed to visitors. Highgate Cemetery posted the following on its website on 23 March 2020: VISITING We are very sorry to say that the closure also includes grave owners visiting their graves. We are committed to supporting  new government rules on staying at home . These give only four permissible reasons for leaving the house, and our reading of t

Alderley Edge, Knutsford, and Wilmslow Cemeteries now available on Deceased Online

Deceased Online  completes the  Cheshire East Orbitas  collection with the addition of Alderley Edge, Knutsford, and Wilmslow Cemeteries.   Above: the stone Druid's circle at Alderley Edge Alderley Edge, Knutsford, and Wilmslow in Cheshire are all areas of rich and diverse history, with many local legends, listed buildings, and traditions. Alderley Edge  has been occupied since the Mesolithic period. Flint implements have been found in the area, and nearby there is evidence of Bronze Age copper mining. In 1995 the Derbyshire Caving Club found a collection of Roman coins dating from AD 317 to AD 336. The name Alderley appeared in 1086 as 'Aldredelie'. "The Edge" is a wide red sandstone escarpment situated above the village and is owned and maintained by the National Trust. Above: Mines at Alderley Edge Knutsford  is well known for its  Royal May Day festival , an event in which hundreds of people parade through the streets and the May Queen is crow

Macclesfield Crematorium: Ian Curtis (1956-1980)

Ian Kevin Curtis  (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980)  Memorial for Ian Curtis in Macclesfield Cemetery Macclesfield Crematorium sits in the grounds of the cemetery. Opened in 1960, the crematorium was originally the cemetery's non-conformist chapel. It overlooks the wooded Whitfield Brook valley. This side of the Garden of Remembrance is tiered with paths passing through a peaceful arboretum of trees and shrubs. The Garden of Remembrance is arguably most famous for providing the final resting place of Ian Curtis, the lead singer and lyricist of the band Joy Division, after his tragic suicide in 1980. Curtis was born in Stretford, Lancashire, but grew up in Macclesfield. He did well at school, developed a keen interest in music, philosophy, and poetry, and received several scholastic awards. Ian Curtis, along with Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Terry Mason formed a band named Warsaw, after a song by David Bowie. Warsaw was subsequently renamed to Joy Division in 1978, a name deri