A group of battling residents is buying an abandoned Victorian graveyard to stop it being sold off to housing developers.

The Chapel Street Cemetery in Bradford, West Yorks, opened in 1823 and contains the graves of around 891 of the city’s former inhabitants.

Those interred in the grounds include the former Victorian mill owners and civic dignitaries who helped found the modern day city.

However the cemetery was put up for sale by estate agents after the church on its grounds closed in June 2021.

But while a guide price of £350,000 was slapped on the church building, buyers were offered the graveyard for a nominal £5,000.

Locals feared a potential buyer could apply for the graves to be removed and redevelop the plot of land.

The Friends of Chapel Street Cemetery, a group set up in Lockdown dedicated to tidying up the overgrown cemetery, were ‘outraged’ at the plan.

But it is now set to buy the cemetery after a launching a fundraising campaign.

Ilene Watson, a trustee of the group, said: “We’re purchasing the cemetery for a nominal figure but we needed to raise £5,000 to pay the legal costs.

“This is our pride and joy. We’ve made a right success of it.

“We’ve altered it a lot by clearing overgrown areas and tidying it up.

“With the benches we’ve put in, it’s now a nice place to sit on a sunny day.”

The graveyard opened alongside Salem Chapel in the Eccleshill area of the city in 1823, but the chapel was later demolished and relocated within the village.

The United Reformed Church building that most recently stood there was built in the 1960s in a more modern style, but it closed and was put up for sale in June 2021.

At the time, the church said: “I hope whoever takes on the graveyard will respect its heritage and use and be able to preserve it for the future benefit of Eccleshill.”

But locals feared its sale would “decimate the area and wipe a piece of history off the map”.

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Ilene, who has great-grandparents buried in the cemetery, said: “It’s part of Eccleshill’s heritage.

“There are mill owners and the original architect amongst those buried here, as well as the first man interred, John Blamires.”

Philip Thackray, chairman of the Friends of Chapel Street Cemetery, added that locals often go to the cemetery to relax.

He said: “It’s a place where people can relax. A lot of local people like to come and sit here.”

The group will be celebrating the cemetery’s 200th anniversary with an open day and commemoration service at 2pm on Sunday (October 22).

It include a visit by special guest, the Rev Jamie Kissack, moderator of the Yorkshire Synod of the United Reformed Church.

Ilene said: “We’re celebrating 200 years of history. We’re very thankful to all who have donated.”

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