Aylesbury Cemetery Tring Road

A typical early Burial Board cemetery for a rural market/county town (1856‐7), which is one of the most significant cemeteries in historic Bucks. It was designed by architects Poulton & Woodman of Reading, focussed on a largely intact group of buildings including two fine chapels that survive in good condition, with modest C19/C20 memorials. Along with Box, Wiltshire (1858), which only has a single chapel, this is apparently one of the best surviving examples of their cemetery work (c.f. Amersham and the more flamboyant Basingstoke, both 1859). The geometric layout, which survives largely intact, was developed successively during the later C19 and C20, echoing the original pattern, still retaining some notable trees from the largely evergreen C19 planting which made a significant contribution to the ornamental cemetery character, and some from successive phases.

A largely intact group of typical mid‐C19 burial board cemetery buildings and structures by regionally notable architects comprising two fine stone‐built chapels and more modest brick mortuary as the focal features of the initial layout and subsequent extensions. The ensemble is incomplete since the ornamental lodge and gateway have gone, and the roadside wall been rebuilt in similar style. A largely intact collection of modest memorials survives, the most notable including Blomfield’s generic Cross of Sacrifice (1920s), a scattered group of Commonwealth War Grave headstones and several chest tombs and groups of headstones for notable locals.

Aylesbury Parish Burial Board was set up in 1855. By this time, St Mary’s churchyard was full and the Board’s task was to create the town’s first cemetery in New Road, later Tring Road (ref: R.King). In March 1858 the Bishop of Oxford consecrated the Church of England half of the cemetery.
The Burial Board commissioned Reading‐based architects W.F. Poulton and W.H. Woodman, who had also worked on cemeteries at Amersham and Basingstoke. They were responsible for the ground plan as well as the design of the two chapels, the ornamental gates and decorative walls, a lodge for the superintendent, and the mortuary. The cemetery was divided into two halves, each one focused on its respective associated chapel, one for Anglicans and one for dissenters. Paths were laid out and ornamental trees planted, especially conifers.
The site had been extended to the southwest by 1880 (OS 1880). In January 1917 the administration was taken over by Aylesbury Town Council (Market, Allotments and Cemetery committee) and a further extension was planned (King) but delayed by the First World War. By the 1920s (OS) additional land was taken in to the east with an extension at a right angle to the southeast, these adding a further 2ha to the cemetery and doubling its area. Other improvements were carried out in 1921. Further land to the northeast was purchased in 1934 from printers, Hazell, Watson and Viney (King), but was not developed and remained in use as allotments until 2014 when it was brought into use for cremated remains.
In 1954 a further area adjacent to the southwest alongside Turnfurlong was acquired for a landscaped garden of rest, and lawn cemetery (King). 8 years later, this was used for improvements including a car park, re‐modelled entrance and access from Turnfurlong. In 1964, this memorial garden was consecrated by the Bishop of Buckingham. In 1974, Aylesbury Vale District Council took over the management of the cemetery. The site is currently (2014) administered by Aylesbury Town Council.