Layton Cemetery

The Victorian Layton Cemetery opened in 1873 when there was no more space for burials at Blackpool Parish Church in the town centre. Talbot Road forms the boundary on one side and Mansfield Road the other side.

Visiting the Cemetery

Layton is a big cemetery. With over 17,300 graves it covers just over 40 acres.

Find it at: Talbot Rd, Blackpool FY3 7BD

Contact details: C/O Carleton cemetery and crematorium office, Stocks road, Blackpool, FY6 7QS
Telephone 01253 882541 and Email crematorium@blackpool.gov.uk

• If you aren’t able to visit a grave on foot you can access the cemetery by car as long as you keep to the 10mph speed limit.
• Dogs are welcome as long as they are on a lead and you clean up after them.
• The cemetery offices are at the main gate, in which the Friends Group are based.
• Did you know that the bus stop sited at the gates is known as the ‘dead stop’!

As you stand and look into the cemetery at the main gate on Talbot Road, the Christian graves run through the centre. Catholic graves on the right and non-conformist graves are along the left hand side. Muslim graves on the far left and Jewish graves further along Westcliffe Drive.

Join us for a look around on a gorgeous summer day –

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History of Layton Cemetery

MANY THANKS to Nick Moore and his fascinating History of Blackpool for some of the historical information used in this article.

A first wooden isolation hospital was built back in 1873 on land bought for a cemetery – later demolished due to its depressing view! What was originally called ‘New Road’ Cemetery opened on 7 February 1873 with 5 acres of land at a cost of £4000. Before then, Christian burials only were carried out at Bispham Parish Church. John Slater has the oldest grave in the non-conformist section. The first person to be buried there John was formerly Baileys Hotel gardener and handyman.

However, the Council realised more money could be made from the plots if they were filled with local worthy people! Licensed in May 1873, the Bishop of Manchester consecrated The Church of England sections on 2 August 1873. Roman Catholic internments were carried out under license until June 1874 when that section was also consecrated. And a couple of years later, on 18 May 1890, it was the turn of the Jewish section.

Each of the three religions had their own mortuary chapel – only the Anglican one remains. Near to the Talbot Road entrance you’ll see the Grade II Listed Church of England Chapel. It’s the last of three cemetery chapels, designed by Garlick, Park & Sykes. Sadly it’s in a poor condition and so no longer used.

Layton Cemetery – in the Community

Friends of Layton Cemetery

The Friends Group is a voluntary group. They run tours of the cemetery on the third Sunday of the month in summer and during Heritage Week in September. They can also help you to find a particular grave.

• Join the Friends of Layton Cemetery on Facebook
• They also have a website

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Poppies for Remembrance

The Friends of Layton Cemetery Group created a stunning display of 439 knitted poppies to commemorate the servicemen and women buried and remembered at Layton Cemetery. Laid out on a grass carpet, the display was part of a remembrance service to honour the war dead.

Pupils from Layton Primary School helped the Layton Friends Group to lay wreaths at the Cross of Sacrifice within Layton Cemetery.

Members of the local community, including residents, Layton Primary School, Co-Op Funeral Services, the friends group and representatives from Blackpool Council were in attendance and observed a two minute silence in memory of those who gave their lives in the service of their country.

A big thank you is also due to the Layton Cemetery team for all the hard work that has taken place to develop a sustainable maintenance programme. A once unmanaged area is now looked upon with immense pride.

Wildlife is Welcome in the Cemetery

Have you spotted the bird boxes around the cemetery? Dozens of them were installed in 2016, to bring wildlife back to this green space.

A group of community volunteers created the 72 wooden bird boxes back in 2016. The volunteers were adults with learning disabilities. They built the boxes as part of their woodwork classes at Blackpool Centre for Independent Living on Whitegate Drive. Each one installed onto trees across Layton Cemetery, it’s part of a second stage to make it a more pleasant area to visit. Cemetery staff fixed the boxes in the tree tops across the cemetery on Talbot Road.

Best it’s been for 40 years

The work is the second stage of partnership work which has seen Layton Cemetery become the ‘best it’s been for 40 years’. Community volunteers, community payback and council officers work hard to keep the area clean and tidy.

They’ve also helped to transform a decrepit old mortuary building into a break out kitchen area for the workers. The next step in attracting wildlife was installing bat boxes.

Brew Room for Cemetery Volunteers

Volunteers at the cemetery transformed a decrepit old building into a break room facility for staff, as well as the volunteers and offenders. The Community Volunteers include adults with learning disabilities. Low-level offenders from Community Payback carry out manual work to improve the local area, under the supervision of Lancashire Probation Trust.

The old mortuary building at the side of the cemetery was renovated with new floors, working electrics and a lick of paint. Now, the workers and volunteers have a place to shelter during their breaks.