OBJECTIVES and Management Plan of the Friends

Friends of St Giles Hill Graveyard objectives and management plan

The main objectives of the Friends of St Giles Hill Graveyard are to preserve and protect the social and historic importance of the graveyard, upholding its original purpose as a place of reflection and remembrance, and to conserve and improve its value as wildlife haven.

Management Plan

The original management plan was conceived in 2015 and was reviewed regularly. Following the close of the graveyard in July 2021 the church of England passed the responsibility for management of St Giles Hill Graveyard to Winchester City Council Friends of St Giles Hill Graveyard have completely updated our management plan. WCC is responsible for all major tree work and major repairs to the flint wall.  Friends of St Giles Hill Graveyard are not in a position to do this as our legal structure does not enable us to take on major contracts.

The site is managed as a contribution to the Winchester local biodiversity action plan published some time ago in 2023 and as part of a strategy that encompasses the South Downs Chalk downland natural habitat network that includes Magdalen Hill Down, the adjoining St Giles Hill Park, and St Catherine’s Hill. This plan envisages a linked network of open spaces along which wildlife can migrate.

From the historical point of view, the site can be divided into two parts, here called the old and new graveyards. The old graveyard occupies the southern half of the site. It was first mentioned in association with the medieval St Giles Chapel in 1092. On Eighteenth Century maps the northern end of the site is shown as an open area of chalk hillside, possibly used as pasture. The graveyard was originally flanked on the northern side by Crok Lane. By the time the new graveyard can into operation around 1870 this lane had become disused.

April 2023 management map

The graveyard has been divided into sections (A to J) to facilitate communication when explaining the plan and directing parties.

Summary of overall objectives (see later sections for more detail):

  • To increase the biodiversity of the site whilst making it easier to maintain.

  • Maintain grass covered paths giving access to all parts of the graveyard.

  • Reduce the number of randomly distributed shrubs (mostly Alder, sycamore, and ash saplings) to facilitate the use of mechanical devices – strimmer’s and lawnmowers.

  • Increase the diversity of shrub areas with useful wildlife friendly species.

  • Plant a small number of larger (successional) trees to replace the mature sycamore as they die ensuring the new location do not interfere with the boundary wall or monuments.

  • Ground flora – develop designated areas for meadow habitat, woodland habitat, nettle stands etc. Up to now we have been sowing chalk meadow grass mixes. This has been followed by sowing yellow rattle to reduce the vigour of the grasses so that chalk grassland wildflowers are able to compete and thrive.

  • Maintenance of dead hedges and stumperies to facilitate biomass management and bring some benefit for wildlife (mammals, birds and invertebrates) and upgrade some lengths to live hedge by planting of shrubs.

  • A specific problem is the dominance of hogweed in some areas. The long-term aim is to reduce eradicate it by digging roots up, total dead heading of flowers before they drop seed and the suppression of hogweed on graves surrounds with temporary matting. It is thought that hogweed seed is viable for up to 5 years in the seed bank. So this will be a slow process.

March 2023 management plan:

BACK GROUND TO MANAGMENT PLAN:

The management plan was built based on advice and guidelines laid out by several organizations including, English Heritage, Historic England, The War Memorials Trust, and a number of wildlife trusts. The following are some key documents from these organizations used to formulate our management philosophy:

Historic England published the following article: Caring for Historic Cemetery and graveyards Monuments (pub 2011).

Historic England - caring for historic geraveyards

War memorials faqs

Including the document:- Conservation Principles

Conservation principles.

CABE, Cemeteries, Churchyards and Burial Grounds briefing Cemeteries, churchyards and burial grounds. (2007).

CABE briefing document

Archaeology Scotland supplies an extensive range of documents for download from their website dealing with graveyard conservation and management, including gravestone care and repair.

Archaeology Scotland  Learning documents

Heritage Lottery Fund publishes a guide to help applicants for grants such as Nature and Landscapes Guidance (pub Oct 2012):

Nature and landscape guidance

Suffolk Wildlife Thrust: Offers extensive advice on churchyard management including Ivy management.

Suffolk Wildlife Thrust advice pages

National Federation of Cemetery Friends:  https://www.cemeteryfriends.com/

Caring for Gods Acre: https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/

Discovering Englands Burial Grounds:   https://www.debs.ac.uk/

Winchester City Council: Open Spaces assessment 2022:

https://www.winchester.gov.uk/community-recreation/open-spaces/open-space-strategy

Winchester City Council, Winchester Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) 2021-23:

Various documents outlining WCC plans: https: https://www.winchester.gov.uk/planning/landscape-countryside/biodiversity