Original gateposts
Monumental grave with new housing development in background
Located off the busy Mona Vale Road this once tranquil resting place is now surrounded by a new housing development. It is over 90% full and I was surprised to learn that it has over 6000 plots and 1000 wall niches.
"The land was dedicated as the 'Turimetta General Cemetery' on 18 October 1905, as that was the name for the village of Mona Vale at that time. The oldest surviving headstone in the Cemetery is for Percy Johnston who died in 1914 aged two years." (Pittwater Council)
This is part of a new blog project. Julie's Taphophile Tragic's Have a look here.
7000 souls in one cemetery is HUGE!
ReplyDeleteAlthough surrounded by a housing estate it still looks peaceful and has a sense of space.
ReplyDeleteIts a big problem for the Sydney Metropolitan Area that most, if not all cemeteries are almost full. Its a NIMBY. Everyone agrees cemeteries are needed but noone wants one near them. They should be planned as part of all new large scale developments.
ReplyDeleteAt least with all the "progress" around, the powers have not decided to re-locate the cemetery! Still a sense of peace and separateness retained here! Love the old stone at the entrance but the gate style seems at odds with it!
ReplyDeleteI like the original look of the posts and the rustic feeling before it got so big. Interesting huge graves in the foreground!
ReplyDeleteI like the bushland entrance.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the things that I hoped to achieve with this meme: to 'flesh out' other cemeteries within the Greater Sydney area. 'Flesh out' may be an inappropriate term, but I suspect you get my drift. I, for one, tend to only think of the major cemeteries, but for a city this size, there must be so many others.
ReplyDeleteThere will come a time, in the not so distant future, that residents of that housing estate will clamour for the cemetery to be moved, in similar ways to the clamour about airport 'noise'. As Ann says, NIMBY.
Those gates are sooo different to other gates entries to cemeteries that I have collected, which are reminiscent of entries to grand houses or rural estates.
Thanks so much for your continued participation. I even forgive you for continually beating me to the first possie .. *grin* ...
The gates are unassuming. The original gate-posts at the former entrance of the Cemetery were built by local stonemason, Church Point storekeeper and boat builder, James Booth (c1863 -1941).
ReplyDeleteNo trouble Julie, I am sure I will soon run out of ideas.
A lot of history can be discovered in cemeteries! Good post.
ReplyDeleteIt's always a tragedy to discover untimely deaths - many old cemetery headstones are for the very young, the very old, and those who died in the wars. Interesting that they are measured in 'souls'!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!