ABC Wednesday: D is for the dead centre of Hyde

Where is the dead centre of Hyde?

The cemetery of course!

In March you wouldn't have seen the entrance down that tree-lined path - a JCB was digging through the rubble of the last Cemetery Chapel - see Hyde DP Xtra.

Now a few green shoots are poking out of the ground where the chapel stood.

Hyde cemetery was laid out in 1894. The Non-Conformist chapel was the last of three chapels which originally stood in the cemetery. It was designed by J.W. Beaumont; an architect with at least three listed buildings to his name, including Hyde Town Hall (1883-5, Grade II) and the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester (c.1895-1900, Grade II).

When the local council intimated that they wanted to demolish the chapel Nancy Morris of the Hyde Cheshire blog applied to English Heritage to have the chapel listed but was turned down. The main reasons given were as follows

• The chapel at Hyde is a late example of its type as Municipal cemeteries were laid out from the 1850s, with the height of cemetery chapel construction spanning the period 1840-1880
• This Non-Conformist chapel has lost the context of its companion chapels to the north and south, although it still retains its place within the landscape and relationship with the lodge.
• Although designed by a respected architect, this is not the best example of his work; aside from the unusual tower, the design is largely standard for its date.

The second reason seems to me particularly ironic, the loss of its sisters being a good argument for its retention.

See how the chapel looked in my post of August 3rd 2011

See the view in the opposite direction on Hyde DP Xtra.

This post is a contribution to ABC Wednesday and Taphophile Tragics.