The British Cemetery

See the map at the bottom of the page.

Here is a link to a history of the cemetery

and another, mentioning Betty Burgess

Patrimonio Historico del Cabildo de Gran Canaria

More text to follow, together with information how to visit the cemetery.

Adam Hoque has written……

BRITISH CEMETERY REVIEW 2024

It has been an interesting and fulfilling year in the cemetery.  A lot of work has been done, initially to remove accumulated garden waste – well over 70 large bags of it – then cutting back bushes where needed (and disposing of yet more garden waste), sweeping graves, weeding and general tidying up of “gifts” from above (half a pigeon being my particular favourite, although a selection of clothes from washing lines and children’s toys adds to the fun. The cigarettes from the flats behind remain very much unwelcome).

Another regular job that we have undertaken is sweeping the street at the front of the cemetery. This is because the render on the outside wall is coming away and turns instantly to dust when it hits the ground. Of course the local cats find this highly appealing and leave us regular gifts which then also have to be cleared away as they attract more. So a weekly thorough sweep does the job. I often recall my mother telling me what would happen to me if I didn’t study hard enough…

We have also had Pablo the tree man in to cut back the pepper trees which were overhanging the walls and which could potentially have become a danger to passers by and to traffic. He also removed three palm trees which were growing out of, and destroying, graves and gave our palm trees a health check and treatment, and cut a tree out of the back wall of the cemetery. The latter is very enthusiastic and unfortunately is already trying again, so we may see him back.

We also got up onto the cemetery entrance building roof and removed a number of sad looking trees. Getting their roots out was surprisingly awkward and we lost quite a lot of render in the process. So in October we re-rendered where necessary (many thanks to my friend Ian from the UK who was whisked directly from the airport to the cemetery roof!), and currently we are resurfacing the roof with a waterproof layer which we hope will stop the water ingress through the ceiling. We can then scrape off all the loose dry paint from inside and redecorate the interior. That will be a major focus for 2025.

We have also done our best to involve the local authorities. The cemetery is a site of “special heritage interest” and as such ought to qualify for some funding, however to date this has not been forthcoming since a 2009 clear up and painting project. The biggest requirement funding wise is for the walls to be dealt with as the paint and render needs to be removed where there is water coming though (the cemetery is on a slope with different ground levels on each side of the walls). This will also keep the neighbours happy which is an important consideration. Adrian and Mariola from the council visited a month ago and we are hopeful that this might turn into some concrete assistance in the New Year. Fingers crossed!

Now for some acknowledgments. While I have been the most involved it has been a team effort and I would also like to thank the following for their participation:

Marian for her invaluable gardening skills and ability to tie the most awkward shaped branches into tight bundles

Richie for his technical knowhow (changing the locks etc), and process improvement advice, and for enormous help with the roof project even though he isn’t allowed up there

Wendy for the generous loan of her scaffolding tower which has made the job much easier

Mike for advice and use of his roof bar straps!

Therese for (hopefully) getting our water supply from EMALSA restored. I have been taking 8l garafas from home for months now – rendering uses a lot of water!

Also a big thanks (I think!) to Betty for presenting me with this project and for her encouragement throughout, also for her fund of fascinating stories about many of the people buried there which has helped to bring the place alive for me (sorry, couldn’t resist it!). I hope that we can restore the cemetery to its rightful condition as not only the oldest legacy of the British heritage on the island, but also the final resting place for so many of the people that contributed to the development of the British community, and to the island as a whole.

For 2025 I hope that we can continue to build on the work done this year. We have done some trials on cleaning and repairing some stones and it would be nice to get going on this. I have also been updating the digitised burials register ensuring that all the data is as exact as we can get it and we can then look at restoring memorials to graves where they have disappeared. There is plenty to do, by no means all physically demanding, if you would like to get involved please do let me know. As an indication I am there once or twice a week for 4 to 6 hours these days now that the initial “heavy lifting” has been done.

Again, many thanks to everyone that has helped – it has been a pleasure working with you and I look forward to more of the same in the coming year!

Adam