Hadley Cemetery and Lodge, Telford
Plans for a new cemetery to serve the Hadley area were announced in March 1901, when Hadley Parish Council sought permission to burrow £2,500 to purchase land. In July the Council estimated that the cost of the new chapel would be £850.
In October 1902, while the building of the cemetery was in progress, an unemployed ironworker, named Joseph Swanwick Hoard, drowned in three feet of water in a temporary workmen's well in the grounds. By January 1903 the local clergy were keen to consecrate of half of the cemetery.
The cemetery opened for burials on Wednesday 25th March 1903, and on Saturday 28th, in "boisterous weather", Bishop Anson (formerly of Qu'Appelle) consecrated a portion of the ground for the Church of England. The pretty little chapel was complete, as was the caretaker’s lodge.
In May 1903 the Council interviewed four candidates for the position of Cemetery Caretaker. They appointed Mr Clarke of Cemetery Road, Wellington. The lodge would be rent-free, and two days' work per week, at 3s.6d. per day, would be guaranteed, while the caretaker would have the option of being a part time lamp-lighter for eight months of the year, at 10s. per week. The Lodge had no water supply, so it was decided to install a rainwater tank. The grass at the new cemetery had grown high through the spring and in June 1903 the council advertised for tenders to cut it as a crop for sale.
Amongst the burials in the first year was that of 81-year-old Henry Jones on 13th December 1903. He was a native of Shrewsbury, who survived the whole of the Crimean war. He had been awarded a clasp and medal, and it was said that "to hear his descriptions of the incidents which took place in the trenches during that terrible time was an experience not soon to be forgotten". He lived at Hadley for over 40 years, with Mr and Mrs Teece, of Station Road. During his earlier years in Hadley he ran a village school there, long before any other school was opened in the village. For twelve years, after leaving the village school, he was caretaker of the Board Schools, but eventually he retired due to paralysis. For the last few years of his life he was an invalid.
The cemetery still has its attractive Chapel at its centre. The Parish Council currently plans to use this building as a new Parish Office, so the Clerk to the Council and the Deputy Clerk would be on site at the cemetery during the working week, enabling them to deal with funeral arrangements and burials in situ.
The cemetery now has limited burial space. The Parish Council anticipate that there may be only 8-10 years more capacity, and once full the cemetery will go on to be maintained by the parish. As the council believe it is no longer feasible to provide free accommodation in return for cemetery maintenance, it is using other methods of security, like CCTV to monitor the cemetery.
Here is the Find a Grave listing for the cemetery.
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The lodge is for sale at the time of writing. There have been local protests at the sale, however, the parish council which runs the cemetery states that the sale would raise funds which it intends to spend on community improvements, and that it intends to consult with the public over what the money is used for. The lodge was previously occupied by a cemetery manager. The lodge was repaired when the parish Council took over in 2019, and has since been refurbished, but it still requires final completion. Many of the cemetery duties are now carried out by contractors or external partners.
The sale is being managed by D B Roberts & Partners, Telford, with a guide price of £240,000. It is being sold by the Modern Method of Auction, so please be wary of added fees.
The address for this cemetery lodge is 85 Hadley Park Rd, Hadley, Telford TF1 6PN.