About Belmont Cemetery
SOME FAMOUS FACTS ABOUT BELMONT CEMETERY
- William Barron (famous horticulturalist - Elvaston Castle) is Buried Here
- Opened in 1868
- Construction for The Cemetery Paid For by 60 Borrowash Residents
- Besides Methodist Graves There are Some Mormon Graves
- World War 1 Soldier Memorial to Private Arthur Smith who Died in France, 1917
- War Memorial (and possible burial plot) to Private Isaac Durose who died in 1874
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO BELMONT CEMETERY IN RECENT YEARS?
More than 20 years ago the Parish Council was asked to take over Belmont Cemetery as it was a closed Methodist cemetery. This is customary where the owners of a closed cemetery ask the local governing body if they would take over maintaining it. The local governing body doesn't have to agree to take over the cemetery, but it is usually what happens. Ockbrook & Borrowash Parish Council at the time felt it would be a good idea to take over Belmont Cemetery. This meant the Parish Council was now maintaining TWO closed cemeteries (the other one being All Saints Church Cemetery) and the Parish Cemetery which is Balmoral Cemetery.
Sadly, over the years very little was done to the upkeep of Belmont Cemetery grounds. For whatever reasons this cemetery was ignored for a very long time and allowed to go to a dire condition we now find it in today. The only real maintenance done on the cemetery in the past was a retaining wall that was built about 12 years ago but is now buckling as well and in need of repair. Looking at the pictures on our NEXT STEPS page, one can see there is much to be done inside the cemetery and it will take a mammoth effort to turn this place of rest into a superb Parish asset and usable public space that also respects the 600+ souls buried there.