View above the Catacombs after Restoration. Source: Liam Rimmington.
Sheffield General Cemetery was very fashionable in the Victorian period but in the twentieth century business declined, and the site became derelict. In 1963 Boden Development Ltd bought most of the Sheffield General Cemetery Company shares intending to use the site for building development. Local opposition caused this plan to be abandoned, and the site became even more derelict, dangerous and overgrown. The last burial was in 1978 and an Act of Parliament in 1979 enabled Sheffield City Council to convert the site to a public heritage park. The older Nonconformist side of the site has been conserved, while the Anglican area was cleared for a public open space. In 1989 the Friends of the General Cemetery was established to raise awareness of the value of the Cemetery, encourage its use and restore and regenerate the site. In 2005 the Friends group became the Sheffield General Cemetery Trust and restored the Gatehouse and Nonconformist Chapel. In 2023 major conservation and renewal work took place, funded by the Heritage Lottery Parks for People Project. This work, and the continuing efforts of a volunteer landscape team, has ensured the Listed Grade II* landscape remains safe and accessible for both visitors and wildlife for the future.
