The Stories of Southern Cemetery: 139 Years of History - JJ Wray

During the great advances of industrialisation in Northern England, Manchester gained City status in 1853. 26 years later, ‘On the ninth day of October A.D. 1879’ (As Joseph Heron the town clerk put it) the mayor of the City, Alderman Charles Sydney Grundy, opened a new municipal cemetery: Southern Cemetery.

Southern Cemetery lies three miles south of the City centre, at the border of Chorlton and Withington. 100 acres when it opened as Manchester Southern Cemetery, an additional 90 acres were purchased in 1926. Today, Southern Cemetery is the 2^nd largest municipal cemetery in Europe, and though it appears significant from the outside, being divided by roadways, its true size and grandeur are often not realised until the grounds are visited.

It contains four chapels of Neo-Gothic design, built of plain yet classical sandstone, bearing black weathering marks. Their windows are as large as one would expect of Gothic structures with their flamboyant tracery, though they are purposefully clear of any stained depictions. This is because the four chapels were built to cater for the range of religiosity in the area at the time: Anglican, Catholic, non-conformist, and Jewish. This was during a time of particular Anti-Semitism in Britain, which only grew after many Jews came to Britain in the wake of persecution in Russia.

Like many such cemeteries, it is surrounded by large, main roadways and also close to Withington tram station. However, a mere two-minute walk into the grounds and the rumble of the commuters and the city slip out of perception, giving way to the ambience of any tranquil, rural setting. At first the sea of gravestones displays an indifference to the beholder; until you start to read them and the emotion, and often the tragedy, of life seeps through.

To start with a particularly prominent grave involves a look back through time. December 1888, John Rylands, Philanthropist, Entrepreneur, and textile manufacturer (as well as Manchester’s first multi-millionaire) died and was buried. Where he was buried was extremely regal in its original appearance. It had two walkways on both sides, and a garden space that would have been filled with flowers when his friends loved ones were still living.

The tomb stands large and hexagonal with biblical quotes on all sides and had copper railings with four angels - the angels were removed in 1927 however, when the copper railings were stolen. In the vault with John Rylands, are the remains of his much younger widow, Enriqueta Augustina Rylands. She founded the extravagant Neo-Gothic library on Deansgate, and named it after her late husband. Altogether, she paid £365,000 for its contents. She also funded various medical and educational causes around Manchester. For her works, she received an honorary degree from the University of Manchester (Victoria University of Manchester at the time) and was the first woman to be granted Freedom of the City of Manchester. In the John Rylands library stands statues of both John and Enriqueta; the sculptor, John Cassidy, is also buried in Southern Cemetery.

Another fascinating figure buried in the Cemetery is Sir John (Jack) Alcock.  He was a pilot during World War One and held as a prisoner of war for a time in Turkey. He quit the Royal Naval Air Service after the war and went on to be the first pilot to navigate a non-stop transatlantic flight, going from Newfoundland, Canada to County Galway, Ireland in just over 16 hours, in June 1919. A week later he was Knighted at Windsor Castle. Tragically, John died in a flying accident a mere six months later. His funerary monument is perhaps the most impressive today: set in perfect white, it’s an exquisitely adorned Saxon cross of around 12ft.

Mancunians have fought in both World Wars, and there are cross monuments to those who lost their lives along with their names etched in stone. For the First World War, the monument reads in large letters - Their name liveth for evermore’ - and two benches in its foreground have back-rests depicting the struggle of trench warfare.

The World Wars however, are not the only warfare the inhabitants of the Southern Cemetery have seen. For example, there is Philip Baybutt, who fought in the United States Civil War. Justin Pardoe was involved in the Crimean War, and Joseph Seymour in the Zulu War. Additionally, a Memorial to the Katyń Massacre was erected in 1990, remembering those involved in the tragedy when Polish nationals were killed by Soviet forces. The memorials states 14,500 people were massacred, but some estimate upwards of 22,000. None of those victims were buried here, but the monument was erected in honour of the Polish population buried within the Cemetery.

Post-War Britain saw great waves of migrant populations who found their home in Britain, many of which came to Manchester. It was during this time the Cemetery started seeing its first Chinese graves. Today, going to the Chinese section and seeing Hanzi on many collective headstones is one of the Cemetery’s most unique aspects. Similarly, the twentieth century saw the first Muslim graves: headstones with both Arabic and English inscriptions the embrace of Manchester and its people. Unfortunately however, some Muslim graves have been vandalised in recent years – with the perpetrators seemingly ignorant of the fact that the Southern Cemetery is a place of respect and diversity.

Another notable figure who reflected the diversity of the cityscape and is linked to the cemetery is the artist L.S. Lowry. Known for his ‘match-stick’ style painting commuters in industrial areas, he captured the essence of Manchester in many of his paintings. He was offered a well-deserved knighthood, but he declined. Buried with his parents, his name is simply tagged on the side of their uneven cross gravestone. This however, could be seen to reflect the way he lived his life, as he was a private man who cared for his bedridden mother - and is said to have been rather socially awkward. At the base of his gravestone lies a jar of paintbrushes.

The 1950s also saw the rise of Manchester United from a moderately successful football club, to one of the best teams in Europe. A significant figure behind the success was Matt Busby (a former Manchester City player). In February 1958, on a journey back from Belgrade, the plane carrying the Manchester United team along with many other people, crashed into a house. A number of players were tragically killed, as well as sports journalists Henry Rose and Eric Thompson, and racecourse owner Willie Satinoff, who are all buried in the cemetery. Though many of Matt Busby’s players died in the accident, he persevered with his ambition of the team conquering European football, which he achieved in 1968 – making Manchester United the first English side to do so (winning the European Cup). For this, Busby was Knighted and his wife Jean (who is buried with him) was made a Lady. Their grave is rather understated, but it lies in a well-tended area of the cemetery, where many graves are decorated with white stones and flowers.

Starting in the 70s and through to the late 90s, Manchester arguably went through a cultural boom, particularly in music with many iconic artists leading the way. By the late 80s its central hub was the Haçienda nightclub. The scene was known as Madchester, and Tony Wilson himself was known as ‘Mr Manchester’. He founded and managed the Haçienda, and was one of the founders of Factory Records, the label that recorded Joy Division, James, New Order, and the Happy Mondays. Rob Gretton, manager of Joy Division and New Order, as well as one of the directors of Factory Records and the Hacienda, is also buried here. As is Martin Hannett, famed record producer of this era. Amongst some of the murkiest, oldest, and Ornately-Gothic set of monuments in the Cemetery, lies a plain, shiny black headstone. It reads rather matter-of-fact:

‘Anthony H Wilson
Broadcaster
Cultural Catalyst’

Other cultural icons are Wilfred Pickles, the first BBC news presenter to speak with his regional, Northern dialect rather than Received Pronunciation. His is the most age-worn stone mentioned here. The original grey shows partially through its blackish-brown coating, which makes the writing less visible; and a large weed has grown in front of it to three quarters of its height.

Maria Jasnorzewska (formerly Pawlikowska/née Kossak), a Polish lyrical poet, and playwright is also buried here; her plays often providing a feminist commentary on society. In 1937, she wrote a play called Baba-Dziwo, Anti-Nazi in nature, which by today’s terminology would be described as an anti-fascist, feminist play. Her gravestone lacks the poetic aesthetics one may expect, but it receives much care. It has a Polish flag standing at its edge, and flowers planted in its frame including white roses and lavender.

In many ways, the council of a then young Manchester purchasing this land to bury its citizens, regardless of creed, was so future generations could celebrate the city, and the people that shaped it. Now it stands 139 years later, and those names so far mentioned merely a select few that made Manchester the great City it is.