Real people. Real lives. In their thousands. The Distressed. The Poor. The Shell-shocked. The Syphilitic. The Epileptic. The Unmarried and pregnant. From London and elsewhere they were sent in their thousands to rural Epsom in the County of Surrey in the south of England. 9000 being buried in a packed 5 acre cemetery between 1899 and 1955.
No application to re-purpose the site has ever been made. All tombstones have been removed by the current owner. The site has been totally neglected for nearly 40 years.
Is this the way we should remember the thousands buried in Horton Cemetery? Is this the way we should treat the afflicted?
In the 21st Century humanity is coming to better terms with mental illness. Respecting the thousands buried in Horton Cemetery is a vital symbolic step in re-setting our relationship with this de-humanising past of neglect of the final resting place of so many.
We are publishing their lives and reclaiming the cemetery to restore its dignity.
What we'll deliver:
- Detailed research on and publication of the lives of 9000 paupers.
- Purchase the cemetery from the private owner who neglects it.
- Display a Book of Remembrance of all the buried
Why it's a great idea:
Stimulating research activity for up to 100 volunteer researchers.
Creation of a memorial garden and nature reserve with public access.
Awareness of this period of social history.
Enhancing understanding of mental illness and respect for those who suffer from it.
Steps to get it done:
- Acquiring the cemetery
- New perimeter fencing and entrance gates
- Clearing of areas of undergrowth and saplings
- Completion of memorial garden
- Installation of memorial sculpture
- Opening to public
- Display of Book of Remembrance in nearby former hospital Chapel
- Completion of the lives of the buried on website
