Calton Burial Ground

The Calton Burial Ground (formerly named Abercromby Cemetery) is an important historic site within Glasgow because it provides us with a tangible link back to the social activities and the people who created the industrial suburb of Calton. It is a unique example of an 18th century urban burial ground since unlike most other graveyards it was not established by the church, but by the local tradesmen. The sale of the burial plots provided an income to these tradesmen, namely the Incorporation of Weavers.

Calton Burial Ground was first established in 1787 by the Incorporation of Weavers of Calton and Blackfaulds, with the creation of what is now the northern half of the historic cemetery. It was then extended with the southern half being built in 1822. It ceased to be used for interments in 1869 and control of the burial ground passed to Glasgow City Council in 1885.

The site is the only surviving historic relic reminding us of the extensive community of handloom weavers who once lived and worked in Calton.

The burial ground also contains the Weavers’ Memorial. In 1787 the large cloth manufacturers cut the payment level to weavers for the production of muslin. In June that year 7,000 people at the Clyde Valley Weavers General Association agreed to strike. This was the first major industrial dispute in the emerging industrial suburb of Calton. The Weavers’ Memorial marks the final resting place of John Page, Alexander Millar and James Ainsley, three of the six men who died in September 1787 when soldiers fired upon a group of weavers who were taking part in a demonstration.

Austin-Smith:Lord’s design improvements include the creation of a more welcoming approach to the burial ground with new gates and lighting to draw attention to the entrances from Abercromby Street. Stainless steel interpretation panels have been incorporated within a new section of boundary wall which tells the story of the Weavers.

Conservation of the existing historic stone boundary walls and the provision of appropriate and sensitive information about the history of the cemetery were key elements of the project. The gate designs and approach to the work was all developed in close consultation with the local community.

The improvements were carried out on behalf of Clyde Gateway, with the full team including the Austin-Smith:Lord Glasgow studio, Will Rudd Davidson, Neilson Partnership, Cundall Light and Icosse. Graeme Inglis, Project Manager at Clyde Gateway said “This was an extremely important project both for us and the local residents in the Calton community, and we’re collectively delighted and impressed with the improvements”.

David Millar, Conservation Architect and Cornerstone at Austin-Smith:Lord architects added “we feel privileged to have worked with Clyde Gateway on this interesting project, which brings history back to life and builds a sense of place within the community”.

The graveyard, as I see it, is an open museum full of positivity with great history buried within. During 2006 the graveyard became a target for anti-social behaviour.

Quick thinking local historians therefore went on a mission to get the recognition the graveyard deserved. After great research we found that the history was totally amazing and started to hold meetings and discussions on topics that would get the public interested in how a good facility this could be for the local community, and how we could encourage the wider community to use it.

We got local elderly residents involved and the local primary school which was a great success. The kids took a great interest once they learned about the importance of the graveyard and the history it portrayed. The elderly residents reminisced with the children about the history of the graveyard. We brought in a story teller and a visual artist to bring the children’s ideas to life and to portray the positivity of the graveyard and the surrounding area through history.

After successfully getting the funding for the graveyard we started to work with Austin-Smith:Lord and came up with ideas of how we could bring the graveyard in to 2010 and how the history could be portrayed in a positive way. We knew that people would find this place amazing, particularly historians, people tracing their family tree, local community groups, educational establishments, as well as members of the public suffering from ill health such a depression and mental health issues. We knew it would be a great resource and add great value to the community.

We also got The Herald interested in our story. The newspaper described the graveyard as the '17th hidden gem in Scotland’ so we started to attract the attention we were looking for. Other groups started to become interested and we also attracted a wider community interest. Now that the refurbishment has been successfully completed the graveyard seems to be used in a more positive way by the local community, schools and individuals.

It is a pleasure to have something as important as this place and history right own our very own doorstep.

Meaningful community engagement is an essential part of everything that Clyde Gateway does. We aim to be innovative in our approach to community engagement and want local residents, businesses and organisations to work with us in ways that are both enjoyable and productive. Having delivered major refurbishments to Tullis Street Memorial Gardens and Bridgeton Cross in 2009, we again looked to the local community for guidance on what next to turn our attention to and so in 2010 started work on what was then known as the Weavers Cemetery in Abercromby Street in the Calton area of the city.

The period of public consultation is what saw many of the best ideas about the refurbishment emerge, including the new gates and the plaques on the walls and within the footpaths to tell the story of the cemetery and its hugely significant relevance to the social history of Glasgow. It was also during the public consultation that the suggestion of re-naming the space as the Calton Burial Ground gained momentum.

The amount of investment was £230,000 and while this has without question made the area look and feel far more attractive, the most important factor is that we have further restored the pride of the East End and helped to draw attention to both its historical importance and the fact that the area will be transformed, physically, socially and economically over the next two decades.

Clyde Gateway can only succeed with its long-term targets of jobs and investment with the backing and support of local people. We need to be proactive in seeking out new opportunities while listening and responding to local wishes and needs. We are delighted with the outcome of our work on Calton Burial Ground. It has allowed us to again demonstrate our commitment to the area and the level of our ambitions. It is a small but vital part in the long-term efforts to make the East End of Glasgow thrive as it did in its industrial heyday.