Graveyard Re-development

Summer 2010

The graveyard redevelopment is now complete and selected headstones have been re-sited along the graveyard wall (including Edward Mote) rather than the memorial plaque which was originally planned, a memorial book has been created which is located in the church entrance vestibule.

A slide show of head stones can be seen here.

History of the project

Planning permission for the redevelopment was given in Ocober 2005 and the car park was finally completed in time for Christmas 2008.

The next stage of the project is to finish the Garden of Remembrance. This will involve the re-siting of a number of the old grave stones, a memorial plaque listing all those buried in the graveyard and a small plaque or monument to Edward Mote, former pastor of the Chapel and author of the hymn “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and rightousness”.

The Headstone Record (pdf) lists all those buried in the Graveyard together with their approximate location.

May 2005

Subject to the appropriate approvals it is proposed to redevelop the graveyard at Rehoboth into a car park (7 spaces) and garden of rememberance by moving the headstones and surfacing part of the graveyard. None of the graves themselves will be moved or disturbed. A number of factors have played a part in influencing this difficult decision. For some time car parking at the chapel has become increasingly difficult on Sundays, and the introduction of the Horsham parking scheme has not helped on weekdays. Consequently being able to park off road on the chapel property will make it much easier for the disabled and elderly members of the congregation to attend church and will help free up some space particularly on Sunday’s for our neighbours. In addition, many of the headstones in the graveyard are in excess of 80 years old and are suffering from the passage of time. The redevelopment of the graveyard will enable the headstones to be safely and securely repositioned around the periphery of the graveyard. A record of the head stones can be seen by clicking on their respective links below, together with a copy of the notice published in the West Sussex County Times (Jan 04) announcing the formal closure of the graveyard (below). Headstone Record (pdf)

COPY OF NOTICE PUBLISHED IN WEST SUSSEX COUNTY TIMES (JAN 04)

DISUSED BURIAL GROUNDS ACTS 1884 AND 1981

REHOBOTH BAPTIST CHURCH, HORSHAM, WEST SUSSEX

GRAVEYARD – PART OF CHURCH PREMISES

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that THE ASSOCIATION OF GRACE BAPTIST CHURHES LIMITED of 175 Tower Bridge Road; London SE1 2AG.

as Trustee of the premises being Rehoboth Baptist Church, New Street, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 5DU aforesaid intends to carry out the following works:-

(1) Remove and disposes of the tombstones, monuments or other memorials commemorating the deceased persons standing or being in the existing said graveyard

(2) Construct a car park over part of the existing said graveyard.

AND NOTICE IS HEREBY ALSO GIVEN: -

1. That a statement has been prepared sufficiently describing the said tombstones and monuments and that such statement is held by the Trustee and the same may he inspected at it’s above-mentioned registered office by all persons at all reasonable times on weekdays Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am and 4pm. The statement can also be viewed on Rehoboth Baptist Church’s website at www.rehoboth.org.uk .

2. That the personal representatives or relatives of any deceased person buried within the said graveyard may themselves within the period of two months from the date of this Notice undertake the removal and re-interment of the remains of the deceased and the removal and disposal of any tombstone, monument or other memorial commemorating the deceased.

3. Any person objecting to the proposals contained in this Notice should make such objections in writing to the Trustee not later than six weeks from the publication and date of this Notice.