right|thumb|Gates and railings on Icknield Street: listed monument

right|thumb|1903 Ordnance Survey map

Key Hill Cemetery (OS grid reference SP059882), originally called Birmingham General Cemetery, is a cemetery in Hockley (the Jewellery Quarter), Birmingham, England. It opened in 1836 as a nondenominational cemetery (in practice nonconformist), and is the oldest cemetery, not being in a churchyard, in Birmingham. The principal entrance is on Icknield Street to the west, with a secondary entrance on Key Hill to the north. The cemetery contains the graves of many prominent members of Birmingham society in the late 19th century, to the extent that in 1915 E. H. Manning felt able to dub it "the Westminster Abbey of the Midlands".

It is the older of two cemeteries in Hockley, the other being Warstone Lane Cemetery, opened in 1847, which was originally reserved for members of the established Church of England.

The cemetery is no longer available for new burials.

History and description

thumb|Old print of Birmingham General Cemetery

thumb|1920 aerial photograph, with the [[Great Western Railway's Hockley Goods depot at bottom right]]

The cemetery was originally laid out for the Birmingham General Cemetery Company by local architect Charles Edge (d.1867). It opened on 23 May 1836.

Many of its fittings and memorials are of architectural and artistic merit. The railings and entrance gates with imposing piers (all by Edge) are Grade II listed. The Greek Doric chapel, also by Edge, has been demolished. The cemetery is itself listed Grade II* on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

Notable people buried in the cemetery include:

<!-- alphabetical order please -->

  • Marie Bethell Beauclerc (1845–1897): first female reporter (i.e. Pitman shorthand recorder) in England; pioneer in teaching of shorthand and typing in Birmingham; first female teacher in an English boys' public school (Rugby). Plot 961.I.
  • Alfred Bird (1811–1878): chemist and inventor of egg-free custard and baking powder. Plot 164.H.
  • John Henry Chamberlain (1831–1883): architect. Plot 701.K.
  • Samuel Timmins (1826–1902): Shakespearean scholar and antiquarian. Plot 712.K.

References

Further reading

  • (1915 edition at Library of Birmingham, Archives and Heritage section, B.Coll 45.5)
  • Friends of Key Hill Cemetery & Warstone Lane Cemetery
  • The Jewellery Quarter Research Trust - includes plan of graves at Key Hill
  • The Hockley Flyer: the "voice" of the Jewellery Quarter