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Showing posts from June, 2020

Norfolk Collection: George Skipper (1856-1948)

This week, the blog looks closer at the burial records of renowned architect George Skipper in Earlham Cemetery, Norwich. Founded in 1771, the  Norfolk and Norwich Hospital  cared for the city's poor and sick. It closed in 2003 after services were moved to the  Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital  (Image b y Katy Walters, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9205540)  Earlham Cemetery opened in Norwich in 1856. Laid out in an informal garden style with winding paths, the cemetery became a significant location for burying the city's dead. By the late 1920s, the cemetery had been extended across Farrow Road. Earlham Cemetery is the final resting place of the eminent Victorian and Edwardian architect, George Skipper. His burial details can be seen on the Deceased Online website as follows: George Skipper was born in Norfolk in 1856 and died in the county 93 years later. He became celebrated as the most significant architect of the cathedral city of

Cemeteries Re-opening

As lockdown eases, more cemeteries across the UK are reopening to visitors Cemeteries have begun to reopen across the country as Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed. Although some cemeteries have been open in past weeks to grave owners, it has not been possible for general visitors or family historians to spend time in these calm spaces. Many of the cemeteries whose registers feature in the Deceased Online database are once again open to general visitors. These include Highgate Cemetery , where a notice of re-opening was posted on the gate of the East Cemetery last week (see above image). Others that are now open include  Islington and St Pancras Cemetery in East Finchley, and  West Norwood Cemetery in the London borough of Lambeth.  Cemeteries that remain closed include Lister Lane Cemetery in Halifax, Yorkshire. All Bolton Council Cemeteries are now open to the public between 9am and 8pm every day. Visitors are reminded to observe social distancing guidelines at all times. Highgate

Celebrating our Ancestors: Artists on Deceased Online

In our latest email, we celebrated Artists in the Deceased Online database. The text of the email is as follows . . . Norwich City's Rosary Cemetery , published two weeks ago on  www.deceasedonline.com , provides the final resting place of a number of members of the Norwich School of Painters. James Stark (1794 to 1859) , an English landscape painter, was a leading member of the group. In 1828 he became the vice-president of the Norwich Society for Artists , and went on to become their president in the following year. He enjoyed a successful career in both Norfolk and London.   Above: "The Forest Oak" (1843) by James Stark John Thirtle (1777 to 1839) , another of Norwich's successful painters, also rests in Rosary Cemetery . Thirtle was a leading member of the Norwich School of Painters , and his paintings are generally considered to be outstanding examples of historical watercolours. Sadly, a lifelong battle against tuberculosis meant he produced relatively