Education centre proposed in package bid for cemetery

Creating a study centre for schools, among an estimated 4,000 headstones, is part of a package of proposals planned for Middlesbrough's 52-acre Linthorpe Cemetery.

Middlesbrough Council is applying to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a £1.1m grant to renovate parts of the cemetery and make the site "a resource for everyone with an interest in the town's past".

The project includes restoring the disused Hebrew chapel into an education resource centre for schools and converting an old mortuary chapel into a centre charting the history of the cemetery.

Improvements to paths and entrances and work on 50 memorials would also be carried out, if the bid is a success.

The scheme follows work to create a babies' memorial garden, restoration of the cemetery lodge and the cemetery's designation as a Local Nature Reserve.

The first burial in the cemetery dates back to 1869, although it incorporates an earlier Quaker burial ground dating back to 1668.

The southern boundary and land within the cemetery formed part of the medieval village of Linthorpe.

Plans for the cemetery have included creating a paved area for public performances.

Councillor Barry Coppinger, Middlesbrough Council's executive member for public protection, said: "Linthorpe Cemetery is an integral part of the town's history and is also the biggest area of woodland in urban Middlesbrough, so it is important to us in many ways.

"Local people value the cemetery and it's significance to the town, we want to make it a resource for everyone with an interest in the town's past and its current environment.''

The bid is being made this week and the board's decision is expected in the New Year.

Coun Coppinger said: "We're very fortunate to have enthusiastic partners in this bid and the support of the Friends of Linthorpe Cemetery has been particularly valuable.

"We're hopeful that their hard work and that of our other partners will result in a successful bid.''