Bells Hill Burial Ground
Burials
Among the interments at Bells Hill is Albert Edward Curtis (1866–1940), who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his rescue of a severely injured senior officer under heavy fire during the Second Boer War. The burial ground also includes 45 Commonwealth War Graves – 21 from World War I and 24 from World War II.
Natural environment
The north-eastern part of the site has older monuments and is wooded with a variety of trees, including mature cedar and yew. Wildflowers include common knapweed and lady's bedstraw, while brambles and roses climb the tombs in wilder areas. The burial ground is a good site for butterflies, such as gatekeeper, small skipper and meadow brown. The south-western area is more managed with mown grass, and some graves have flowers. The burial ground attracts birds typical of such suburban sites: jackdaws, magpies, starlings and green woodpeckers forage in the grassy areas, and the more wooded section attracts ring-necked parakeets, tits, warblers and other woodland birds. Larger mammals include grey squirrel and red fox, which breed within the cemetery.
Access
The original main entrance – a roofed brick gateway on Bells Hill (opposite Dellors Close) – is usually kept locked, but there are two entrances in Spring Close. Visitors can park here for up to an hour without needing a permit. Anyone requiring a permit for a longer stay should phone the Parish of Chipping Barnet office.
The lower entrance leads to a wide track adjacent to Bells Hill as far as the original main gate; the upper entrance leads to a parallel path across the centre of the site. These two are linked by two cross-paths. Leading northwest from the central track are two narrow dead-end paths to the boundary with the Barnet Hospital campus. There is no laid-out route connecting the ends of these paths, but it is easy to cross the short distance from one to the other to complete a walk without having to retrace one’s steps.
Notable interments
- Albert Edward Curtis, awarded the Victoria Cross.
- Lancelot Gerald Hasluck, founder of the housing charity the Lancelot Hasluck Trust.
- John Oliver Brook Hitch, MC, architect.
- Francis Beaumont Mitchell, awarded the British Empire Medal for gallantry in 1942 after crawling 2–3 miles from the wreckage of his aircraft to raise the alarm after it crashed on a training flight.
- Hugh Moore, awarded the Queen's Police Medal.
- Kenneth Ian Thornton, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
See also
Notes
- ^ "Bell's Hill Burial Ground". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2006. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ "iGiGL – helping you find London's parks and wildlife sites". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2006. Archived from the original on 29 November 2012.
- ^ Lawrence Marzouk (24 June 2006). "State of cemetery is 'heartbreaking'". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ "Chipping Barnet". The Church of England. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ "Commonwealth War Graves Bells Hill Burial Ground". ww2museums.com. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ CWGC: Bell's Hill Burial Ground
- ^ "Bells Hill Burial Ground". London Gardens Online. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ Exactly 100 Years After Winning the Victoria Cross Sergeant Alber Curtis is Remembered by a Headstone Erected Over His Grave. Iain Stewart, 23 February 2000. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ^ Private (Later Sergeant) Albert Edward Curtis VC. Archived 18 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ^ The history of the Lancelot Hasluck Trust. Archived 12 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine Lancelot Hasluck Trust. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ^ London Gazette, 2 January 1942.
Further reading
- Hewlett, Janet (1997). Nature Conservation in Barnet. London Ecology Unit. ISBN 1871045274.
External links
- Media related to Bells Hill Burial Ground at Wikimedia Commons