Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to convey the importance of defining the Victorian Garden Cemetery as a valuable urban space and to demonstrate the highly interdisciplinary nature of the interpretation of the site and its impact upon the city of Bristol.

Paper long abstract:

Arnos Vale Cemetery is an early Victorian Garden Cemetery, an Arcadian Landscape in design, spanning an area of 45 acres on the edge of Bristol and opened in 1839. An unusually large expanse of garden and woodland within an urban setting, it has recently undergone an extensive restoration programme and is a pilot scheme for English Heritage. It is now in the process of attempting to comprehensively piece together its history and examining its importance to the city of Bristol.

By applying interdisciplinary research this can tell us not only about garden and landscape history, architecture and death and burial; but much more than one might first consider about urban life in Victorian, Edwardian and early 20th century Bristol. In carrying out these types of methods this can significantly raise the profile of the site and subsequently the profile of the Victorian Garden Cemetery.

This paper also aims to look at the complexities of such a wide range of disciplines being involved in the interpretation of the site ranging from social history to ecology. It could also raise debate about how and why only recently this type of landscape is being recognised by others as Historical Archaeology. In view of these aspects however, consideration must also be given to how that sits alongside the fact that Arnos Vale remains an active cemetery with burials continuing to take place today.