Pete Lowden's story of Hull General Cemetery, offers a fascinating insight into Victorian Hull. In the late 1840s a group of far-sighted entrepreneurs sought to solve one of the worst problems of their era - how to dispose of the urban dead in a decent and dignified way.
On Spring Bank - then on the edge of town - they opened a cemetery as a private venture, unashamedly aiming to make a profit by providing this public service.
Notables instrumental in Hull's nineteenth-century growth as a town and port are buried there - among them sculptor Thomas Earle and shipowner Zachariah Pearson - and the last burials took place in the 1970s.
A guided tour of Hull General Cemetery and its memorials will follow on Tuesday 9 July.
Books available for purchase: Hull General Cemetery 1847-1972: a Short Introduction (£5); The War Dead of Hull General Cemetery (£8)
New members always welcome!
More information: hedon.history@gmail.com
More information: hedon.history@gmail.com