Loxley Chapel and burial ground

[MartinH 10]

I'd be happy to join others for a day to try to try to tidy up the burial ground. I plan to visit to see for myself how big a job it would be! It's a while since I was last there - can anyone help me with detailed directions from Loxley Road (B6077) preferably form a nearby reference point like the Admiral Rodney.

 

Thanks

[Kay_L 10]

Would love to know if anyone is thinking about clearing the Loxley Chapel!

[LoxleyS6 10]

I'd be happy to join others for a day to try to try to tidy up the burial ground. I plan to visit to see for myself how big a job it would be! It's a while since I was last there - can anyone help me with detailed directions from Loxley Road (B6077) preferably form a nearby reference point like the Admiral Rodney.

 

Thanks

 

 

Hi there,

 

The upper burial grounds can be accessed via Long Lane, which if the Admiral Rodney is on your right, Long Lane is the steep hill that Loxley Nurseries is located on the corner of... The unmarked entrance to which is an old rusty gate to the left of a white gate, both of which are located on the left as you go up the hill and are roughly 200yards after the entrance to Loxley Nurseries, next to the pull in area which is 500yards or more before the entrance to the Driving Range on the same side of the road. From a vehicle driving up or down the road you wouldn't be able to see it, so unfortunately you would need to follow these directions and have a look over the wall to be sure your in the right place.

 

Once on the 'main access path' from Long Lane you can follow the path along the top of the upper burial grounds, it then turns left down the hill and upon reaching the old wooden divide on your right the path continues to the right and then turns left down a winding path that brings you down between some of the lower burial grounds, you'll then find yourself facing what was the entrance to the old chapel, with the remaining burial grounds to your left and right, as well as in front of you to the left of the old chapel (between the existing house's garden and the chapel itself).

 

Hope this helps.

 

---------- Post added 23-11-2016 at 00:56 ----------

 

Went again this afternoon having been given the exact location of our family grave. Were most disappointed to find that even this section of the grave yard was surrounded by barriers & could not be accessed. Are we going to be permanently unable to visit this plot which was paid for by our ancestors?

 

 

Hi Gregnig,

 

Just in case you aren't aware of the upper burial grounds entrance on Long Lane (which can be used to access the lower burial grounds & the old chapel) please see our earlier post.

 

This entrance may also have been fenced off since the fire (we haven't been since the fire) but over the years we've found that many people aren't aware that the Long Lane entrance exists.

 

Hope this helps.

 

p.s. If you, like the lady from Scotland who recently featured in a Sheffield Star article, know where your plot is and that it has been accessible in the last two years please private message us as we may be able to assist you to lay flowers at you friends & family's plot(s), however as we're sure you can appreciate we can't make any promises, but we will endeavour to assist wherever possible.

 

We would be most keen to assist the lady from Scotland in ensuring that flowers are placed on her family plot on her behalf, therefore if anyone has any contact details for her please ask her to contact us.

 

Additionally, if anyone wants to contact the Star or The Mail and ask them to contact us we have many documents that they may be interested in, including planning documents, English heritage documents and correspondence with many different organisations including local MP Nick Clegg as recent as 2015, who made promises in writing and then lost his nerve and ceased all communications.

 

Lastly, if anyone has access to 'links' or copies of the newspaper articles, recent or not, we would be most interested in obtaining copies of these articles for our files, so again please get in touch.

 

Thank you

[ClaraBella 10]

Interested to read this thread -I was brought up goi to this chapel with my grandmother and can remember the celebrations at one of the church anniversaries. my Gran was so sad when it closed as it had been a big part of her whole life, we have several relatives in the church yard and my Gran was due to be buried in there with her parents but just before she died asked to be buried at wisewood due to the condition of the cemetery.

I drive that way to work each morning and have noticed that sign for a builders has appeared on the wall at the bottom of the driveway and on Friday evening the whole churc (or at least what is left of it) seemed to be lit up?

I know of one of the councillors on the parish council and she was meant to be talking about access to the graves but all has gone quiet on that front. I'd be interested to know if anyone has heard anything?

[kizzyadd3592 10]

You can get to graves through gate on long lane that my mum and dad use

[Roger3 10]

I wrote to the Star about this and to War Graves Commission, but nothing seems to have changed. Can anyone cocfirm if they have contacted the council and if they have had any response.

[TimeBandit52 10]

Just got back to Hinckley from a trip to Loxley cemetry to place some flowers on my wife's Grandparents grave. The flowers are back with us as we could not get to the grave as it is impassable with five foot high brambles and weeds. No one can visit loved ones there as you can't get to them. Any one else had a similar experience. ?

[gregnig 10]

We've been in the same situation for quite a long time. Contacted the Star newspaper a few years ago & they published an article regarding this sad state of affairs. The local conservation group said they would consider working in the cemetery providing their expenses were paid. Unfortunately it is private land . Are the graves property of the families concerned?

[Roger3 10]

We've been in the same situation for quite a long time. Contacted the Star newspaper a few years ago & they published an article regarding this sad state of affairs. The local conservation group said they would consider working in the cemetery providing their expenses were paid. Unfortunately it is private land . Are the graves property of the families concerned?

 

If someone will work for expenses...anyone know anything about crowd funding?

[Arthur Ritus 30]

I was believing Hagues of prospect farm owned the site, the star article names someone called Jamel Ali, the first thing to do has to be finding out who really owns what.

 

There are two separate issues for me the main one is the cemetery, no place of interment should be allowed to get like this. I look after one grave and had to start by clearing a path of grass, bramble and nettle 2' high about 30yrds long to get to it. It was quite an experience doing it with a scythe on a really hot day,i was well knackered, makes you respect the guys who used to do it all day long.

How it is kept is made more difficult by different people having different wishes, it wouldn't have bothered me if sheep had been allowed to graze, it would mean no flowers unless a way was found to stop the sheep eating them, but i do understand some peoples objection. The other solution is to keep mowing the site as most cemeteries do. There is a triangle of land from the last row to the road on the upper site, that could be fenced off and cleared for grazing and the mown grass could be fed to the animals in there.

I personally don't like trees growing amongst the graves and would prefer them to be cut down, an opinion which no doubt make me very unpopular with many but we are all entitled to our opinions. They are in an area of little upkeep which i think is why they have grown so, they are well away from my graves so i suppose its not for me to argue just an opinion.

 

Generally it just needs graft, a petrol strimmer/ brush cutter is all that is really needed unless free keep fit and the loan of a scythe is on offer to the gym crowd. I like most struggle for time when the weather is appropriate as i have many other jobs needing the fine weather but i will try to get every few months and keep some in reasonable shape.

 

The other issue is the chapel, a listed building which should have meant it was protected, what is left now may as well be knocked down. Owners should be held responsible for the preservation of a listed building including security and action taken if found inadequate.

 

Generally speaking it isn't beyond comprehension that an unwanted preserved building would be bought and left to ruin and vandalism so the owner can get away with eventually knocking it down in the interest of safety, then build whatever they wish. Certainly no one should ever profit by allowing the destruction of a listed building to build more profitable property, perhaps a permanent ban on any other building on such a site may stop this kind of developer and allow it to be purchased by an owner of good intention.

 

It would be interesting to see the sale agreement when the site was sold and any stipulations. To be fair it was already an unkempt mess before it was sold. Technically it is still an active cemetery as there are people with prepaid burials there which the owner has to legally allow. In many ways they should have more say than anyone as living future residents, I know one but unfortunately she's not bothered, I think its a case of when the time comes she won't care.

 

Perhaps a poster could be put up on the gates with a link to this thread to try to get more opinions of the people looking after graves there, a separate web site would be nice if someone with the resources would do it.

Edited September 4, 2018 by Arthur Ritus
can't spell and spellcheck doesn't understand me

[Roger3 10]

I live 250 miles away, but there is a family plot with my grandmother, grandfather, aunt and uncle buried there.

 

I am surprised at the news of ownership. I would not demur about no grave yard should get into the state that is in and listed buildings are a problem, I don't think that anyone has a power to make people keep them in good shape, just to make them keep it as was at the time of listing. But the power you talk about should be, but would be up to Parliament I think.

 

These days many web pages are infact Facebook pages and they are free, so that would be possible.

[Roger3 10]

I heard from a friend who passed by that there was some action on poisoning, is that correct?