York Historic Environment Record

Established 1836-7 by the York Public Cemetery Company. Buildings and layout the first by James Pigott Pritchett, who became one of the century’s leading cemetery specialists. York Cemetery was opened in 1837. It contains a Grade II* listed chapel. The Gatehouse, part of the wrought iron boundary fence, and six monuments are Grade II listed. It was designed by the architect James Piggot Pritchett as a part of the original cemetery landscape. Pritchett based his design on the temple of Erectheus in Athens. Completed in 1838, the chapel is an excellent example of the late neo-classical style and is considered to be one of Pritchett's most successful commissions. Interment in the chapel's catacombs was offered as soon as the building was completed. Only 17 people were interred here, the last in August 1881. In July 1984, the roof of the chapel collapsed, bringing down part of the back wall. This single event stimulated a group of local people to take action, which led to the formation of York Cemetery Trust, who became the owners of the new freehold of the whole site in February 1987. Restoration began with the aid of grants and donations from many sources. The chapel came to new life when, after being left derelict for many years in the last century, it was restored once the Trustees took over the site in the late 1980s. York Cemetery is a working burial ground.