Cemetery Workers: their work and their lives

Join us as we take a stroll around Spital Cemetery, the second oldest public cemetery in Derbyshire after Derby. Opened in 1857, it was laid out in the fashion of the time as a Garden Cemetery - not just a place to bury the dead but also as a place of leisure.

Discover something of the working lives of some cemetery workers who ended up buried in the cemetery themselves. Superintendents, caretakers, gravediggers, sextons, ministers, monumental masons, funeral companies, coffin makers – all had and have a role to play in managing the burial of the dead.

What were the requirements of the incumbents of these positions and what did their working day involve? We have past superintendents, sextons, ministers and stonemasons buried in the cemetery - what was working life like for them in Victorian times? Can we see changes for cemetery workers since then?

Timings

Saturday 12 September:

1400

Location & directions

Spital Cemetery Lodge, 19 Hady Hill, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S41 0DZ

Directions:

Meet at entrance to cemetery next to Cemetery Lodge at the bottom of Hady Hill on the road to the Royal Hospital and Bolsover. Spital Cemetery is located on Hady Hill, just after the traffic lights with the turning to Spital Lane on the right. By bus, take a bus heading in the direction of the Royal Hospital at Calow and alight at Spital Bridge. By car, parking is available on Spital Lane or along the tree-lined avenue after entering the top gate further up Hady Hill. Parking is also available on Cemetery Road, which can be accessed via Spital using Spital Lane, Stanley Street and Valley Road.

Contact on day:

Margaret Hersee

Telephone number:

+447980452838

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking preferred

Booking conditions:

Please book via Eventbrite.

Booking contact name:

Margaret Herse

Booking email:

[email protected]

Booking website:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1987332373627?aff=oddtdtcreator

Booking opens:

01 Jun 2026 12:00 AM

Booking closes:

12 Sep 2026 08:00 AM

Accessibility details

Please note, there are no public toilets at the Cemetery. Sensible clothing and footwear essential as the tour will go off the main paths at times. Note that the site is sloping but we will aim to use a gentle incline on the tour. For parking suggestions, contact the organisers. Attendees under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Additional information

Spital Cemetery is always open to visitors. During Heritage Open Days, we will have our information boards on display throughout the week. These cover some of the background surrounding the opening of the cemetery and details of the lives of those buried there, much of which relates to the development of Chesterfield during Victorian and later times. The cemetery was designed as a garden cemetery and, as such, has an impressive selection of trees and is a haven for wildlife.

Max number of people:

15

Estimated duration:

1 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

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