The Scartho Cemetery Chapels are a pair of Grade II listed buildings located within Grimsby Cemetery, Northeast Lincolnshire. The buildings form part of a group, with the nearby Grade II listed former Gatekeeper’s Lodge, waiting room and entrance gateway.
The Cemetery Chapels were designed in a Gothic Revival style by EW Farebrother for Grimsby Corporation Cemetery Committee and constructed by J Thompson Builders of Grimsby in 1888 to serve the new Cemetery, originally known as ‘Grimsby Municipal Cemetery,’ which opened its gates for the first time in October 1889. In recent times, the buildings sadly fell into disrepair after being under-used for many years.
In 2023, a sympathetic scheme of restoration and conservation work began to allow the buildings to be restored to serviceable use, whilst reflecting their beautiful Victorian heritage.
The project was managed by Gavin Duffy, Senior Architectural Technologist at Northeast Lincolnshire council’s partner, Equans. All the building work has benefited from suitable, environmentally friendly materials, selected for their longevity, reducing the risk of replacement or repair in the long-term future.
Initial survey works found that the existing rainwater goods had either failed, were missing, were of an unsuitable size or made from inappropriate material. Further research established that the remaining cast-iron units were originally supplied by the Walter MacFarlane at the ‘Saracen’ foundry in Glasgow, which sadly ceased operations in 1965. Several companies were contacted to see if original Macfarlane patterns for the specific gutter and downpipe profiles still existed, but this proved unsuccessful.
“We approached J &JW Longbottom to determine whether the remaining damaged and partial sections of rainwater goods could be replicated to match the original size, profile and fitting arrangement as the original Macfarlane rainwater hardware,” said Gavin.
“Fortunately, the answer was yes, and it is fair to say that the results exceeded all our expectations. The rainwater goods were faithfully and accurately replicated in every aspect, right down to intricate details such as the holderbat (bracket) profiles. The re-instatement of the rainwater goods has not only significantly improved the lifespan of the chapels, but also pays tribute to the skill and craftmanship of foundry workers past and present.”