Rectory Lane Cemetery, Three Close Lane, Berkhamsted HP4 2DH
www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk
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We're looking forward to welcoming everybody to our Easter Discovery Trail on Saturday 30th March, 10am - 1pm
This is a lovely event - perfect for families. Please come along and spread the word about it. There will be refreshments to buy too, as well as eggs to win!
We're grateful to Berkhamsted Town Council for supporting this community event. Take advantage of our Early Chick ticket option and save money - follow this link! Adults and children under 3 are free!
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Children can follow the trail using a clue card specially illustrated by the artist Lizzie Martell. On completion of the trail, which will take in the first signs of spring and the cemetery's intriguing trees and memorials, children will be rewarded with a chocolate Easter egg. They can also keep the enchantingly designed clue card as a memento to colour in at home.
All proceeds from the Easter Discovery Trail will go towards the upkeep of the Cemetery, as a place for nature, community and heritage. Early Chick tickets cost £3.50 (+booking fee) per child (aged 3 and over) via: tinyurl.com/5x7d6y6n or the QR code, with tickets on the day at £6.50.
Why not get yours now and bring your family along!
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Back in 2022, 114 visitors enjoyed the cemetery's Easter trail and we hope that even more members of the community will come along and take part in the tradition of an egg hunt with friends and family - in our safe green space in the centre of town.
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ANOTHER DATE FOR YOUR DIARY!
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We are inviting people to celebrate the official start of Spring by adopting one of our graves. We are offering two sessions of group grave gardening in the week of the Spring Equinox: Wednesday 20th and Saturday 23rd March, both 2-4pm.
If you are already one of our lovely grave gardeners please see if you can come along. If you're intrigued about taking on a grave, come along, meet us and some of our grave adopters and find out what's involved and how satisfying it can be. We have lots of lovely compost to improve your mini gardens.
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Just a few of our lovely transformed grave gardens!
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The wet weather has been a bit of a challenge from the beginnig of the year for our work parties, forcing us to cancel a few Wednesdays. However, our volunteers have steadily cleared fallen branches and twigs, raked up leaves into our compost system, pressure washed the seating, dug over flower beds (both inside and outside the main gates) and generally kept the place tidy - until we can get into the generative spring programme of preparing beds and wildflower seeding - and the inevitable start of mowing!
Our nest boxes have been checked, ready for new occupants.
We have benefitted from the cosiness of the Retreat after working too, with tea and biscuits in front of the little wood burning stove (using our own wood).
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But we're not deterred - unless its lashing down you will find us working away every Wednesday between 2 and 4pm and the first Sunday of each month between 2 and 4pm!
We've been helped by two smashing Duke of Edinburgh students, along with their parents, who have turned out regularly to get tasks done. One of the students is clearing and then researching into the lives of the people buried there, to add to our growing biographical database: https://www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk/about/burials-memorials/explore/.
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We were delighted to have around 30 volunteers joining us at the first Social of the year at the Mad Squirrel last month. It was a very warm and buzzy evening, despite the coolness of the January air in the gazebo!
We were able to thank everyone for everything they had contributed towards the success of the project and fire them up for the future, we hope!
Its about ten years since the start of the project and so much has been done by so many over that decade. Many thanks to Susi who baked a tasty celebratory cake in honour of the anniversary.
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A resource for learning
Sadly, we no longer have an Education volunteer as she has moved away from the area, but she did such great work creating resources and forging links with local primary schools that the Cemetery continues to be a learning resource.
We were delighted that Swing Gate School brought their two Year Two classes to the cemetery for a DIY visit earlier this month - something they have done for a number of years now. As part of their curriculum, the children learned about some of the people from the Victorian era who are buried in the cemetery.
The photos and feedback show that the children got a lot out of spotting things in the cemetery, reading inscriptions and learning about their forebears. An adult helped them with a bit of grave rubbing to pick out some of the worn lettering. 'I liked looking at the shapes of the different gravestones'; 'I enjoyed the peace and quiet';'I enjoyed going to the graveyard because we did wax rubbings and the words came out on the sheet of paper'; 'I liked the grave with the anchor on as I like boats.' 'I was interested in the [Cooper] grave (the largest monument in the cemetery to the family who became rich through the manufacture and worldwide distribution of sheepdip: https://www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk/burials/cooper-plot/);
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With thanks to our web master and bird lover for the next two items...
Waxing Lyrical
There was a flurry of excitement this month when a flock of waxwings was spotted at the end of Rectory Lane. These striking birds were seen feasting on the loganberry tree outside the Rex Apartments on the High Street near the Cemetery. Waxwings are about the size of a starling, with lovely grey, peach and red feathers and a distinctive red-brown crest on their heads. They come from Scandinavia and are a winter visitor to Britain. Some years, when food is scarce, there is a surge in numbers (called an "irruption") which gets birdwatchers very excited indeed. This month there were about 40 waxwings outside the Rex, which attracted a flock of ornithological paparazzi, enthusiastically photographing the feathered visitors with long lenses. Eventually the waxwings will return to Scandinavia, presumably pining for the the fjords. Beautiful plumage, though.
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As spring hesitantly makes an appearance, we hear early birdsong in the Cemetery. Already we have heard the first chaffinch and chiff-chaff. We also now have Britain's smallest bird, a goldcrest, and a charm of wonderful red-and-yellow goldfinches living in the yew trees at the bottom of the Cemetery. These birds are quite skittish and won't keep still for photos, but you can find images and samples of birdsong on our wildlife web page:
https://www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk/about/wildlife/discover/
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Juicy News
Spotted in the local butcher's shop: Lane's Prince Albert Juice. There is always a lovely range of pressed apple juices on sale, produced by a Cambridgeshire orchard which specialises in rare or unusual apple varieties. Lane's Prince Albert apples are a cultivar that was first brought to market in 1841 by Berkhamsted horticulturalist John Edward Lane to celebrate the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to our town. The juice has a superb flavour, and is much drier than the sweeter, mass-produced drinks you'd normally get in a supermarket. The Lane's variety has almost been forgotten, but we have planted saplings next to the cluster of Lane family graves in the lower corner of the Cemetery. Look out for Lane's juice in local delis and farm shops, and raise a glass to the Lane family. You can find out more about the fascinating history of Lane's Nurseries in Berkhamsted on our website:
https://www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk/burials/john-edward-lane-sr-plot/
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This month's featured biography is that of Elizabeth Popple (14.10.1853 - 03.11.1936)
Elizabeth earned her living as a domestic servant and married a boot maker, with whom she had seven children, six of whom survived into adulthood. Education was obviously very important in their household, with a number of the children going into the teaching profession. She was a widow for the last 37 years of her life and is buried with her husband, and with her eldest son who had been Headmaster of Victoria Boys School.
With thanks to one of our genealogy volunteers for uncovering the lives of Elizabeth, John and Edward Popple and family. To read more, go to https://www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk/burials/popple-plot-2/
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The future of the cemetery is entirely dependent upon donations - of time and money. Please help to keep the community space going for future generations to enjoy. If you'd like to make a donation towards the upkeep of the space it's simple and quick to do via this link, and will make such a huge difference.
https://www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk/sustain/support/donate/
Thank you
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