The Chapel for conformists and non-conformists
The new cemetery was laid out on ground which was slightly higher than the rest of the town in what was called “an elevated and airy situation”. Because it was so airy, part of the site was taken over to build the fever hospital at West Lane.
The cemetery was laid out with straight walks set at right angles as being an efficient use of space. First class graves edged the main walkways, second class graves faced the smaller paths, and third class graves filled the spaces behind. First class graves were the most expensive and had the more elaborate monuments. They have outlasted the plainer monuments of the second class graves.
Many of the third class graves never had headstones. The cemetery was laid out in sections for the various denominations:
The Established Church (Church of England),
Dissenters, (Methodists Presbyterians, Baptists, Unitarians and so on)….and Roman Catholics.
In the 1880’s a separate plot was provided for the Jewish Community. In the centre circle two chapels were built, connected by a porch with a tall spire over it. One was for the Established Church and the other was for Dissenters.
Funeral services could be held in the parish church or in one of these chapels. In the early years, many people were buried without any ceremony. In the 19th century when infant mortality was high more than half of the burials were for babies.
An early plan of the Cemetery from 1894
Between the Wars, the cemetery continued in regular use. Some of the funerals were attended by hundreds of people, and in a few cases, thousands of people followed the hearse. Probably the largest funeral at Linthorpe Cemetery was that of Father Burn of All Saints Church who was buried in 1925.
On Sunday afternoons the cemetery was full of people tending family graves and bringing flowers. Flower sellers stood at several of the entrances.
By 1970 most of the plots in Linthorpe Cemetery were full and older plots not sold in perpetuity were offered for single burials.
Less use was being made of Linthorpe Cemetery so there was little need for the two chapels which had been built in the central space. They were demolished in 1986.
The lodge at the East gate was also demolished. However, the original lodge at the South Gate was completely refurbished and was brought into use as the headquarters of Groundwork Middlesbrough.
In 1993 following a report from Cleveland Wildlife Trust, mowing regimes in the oldest parts were altered to allow the development of long grass conservation areas.