An old cemetery with a sad tale

Image: © Neil Owen Taken: 26 May 2021

A mortuary chapel stands in a now-closed cemetery in the south-eastern suburbs of modern Wells. Lands were purchased from a local owner and set aside for burial services. It was blessed in 1874, expanded in 1921 and finally closed in 1963. Originally it was set in a secluded and wooded valley, far from the city. However, as is the nature of things, the area around it was swallowed up as part of the expansion and many houses now surround it. The tale of this burial ground is that it was associated with the building the Somerset and Bath Lunatic Asylum just up the road near South Horrington. Some 2,900 poor souls now rest here. The site was turned over to the fledgling National Health Service in 1948 and remained for some time. For a period in the 1990s it was looked after by the Somerset Trust for Nature Conservation, but work ended in 1997. Later, the news broke that the cemetery was to be sold off at auction; a major appeal circumvented the plan to build more houses here. Today the old cemetery is cared for by a volunteer group, which includes some wood sculptures in the grounds.

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