Crematorium Building

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A double-height multi-bay modernist crematorium, built c.1960 to the designs of city architect J. H. Swann. Rectangular plan form adjoined by various single-storey abutments and later double height modification. Located within a large enclosed site on the east side of Ballygowan Road, northwest of Crossnacreevy.

Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles; timber fascia and barge boards; replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Square-plan plain red-brick chimney with concrete flaunching and circular pots (raised, date unknown). Red-brick walling laid to stretcher bond; stone cladding and painted render. Replacement uPVC windows; plain concrete projected surrounds. Replacement double-leaf timber doors with over and side lights.

The principal gable faces east and is largely blank with decorative projecting bricks. Adjoining the left is a square-plan red-brick campanile perforated with shallow decorative clay cylinders set in courses; surmounted by a shallow pitched pyramidal copper cap with copper finial. Single-storey flat-roofed stone clad entrance extending across the gable; centrally positioned doors with projecting concrete porte-cochere supported on stone piers; single window to the right cheek; red-brick portion left of the doors comprising three square windows. Further left is a diminished canopy matching details of the porte-cochere, over secondary entrance; horizontal strip glazing to the left terminated by projected half-circle glazed bay with concrete surrounds.

The left elevation view is asymmetrically arranged; three vertical windows to the left. The right is abutted by various flat-roofed single storey accommodation, the south facade of which comprises the exit with projecting porte-cochere; recessed horizontal strip of full height glazing to the right; geometric decorative metal screen and circular light-wells over. Various sized windows to the left. The former enclosed courtyard adjacent to the main building has been almost entirely infilled (c.2000) with a double-height hipped roofed extension with clerestory glazing and leaded hips surmounted by raised copper pyramidal cap matching the campanile.

The rear gable is blank; adjoining chimney to the right. Rendered wall to enclosure abutting the centre. View partially obscured.

The right elevation is asymmetrically arranged. Four vertical windows to the left; rendered portion to the right separated by a full height brick pier with large rectangular window.

Setting:

The crematorium sits slightly elevated within a purpose built site comprising cemetery and car parking. Secluded from direct public view, the landscape primarily comprises well maintained areas of grass, flower beds and trees beyond. The driveway circumnavigates the building exiting to the west adjacent to the concrete gazebo.

Roofing: Natural slate
Walling: Red-brick
Windows: uPVC replacement
RWG: uPVC replacement

Historical information

The main crematorium building at Roselawn cemetery was designed by city architect J H Swann and opened in 1961. The crematorium is first shown on the OS map edition dating from the 1960s/70s. (Irish Times; Roselawn Cemetery papers). Since it was first built there have been some slight alterations including the covering over of an inner courtyard and the extension of the cremator chimney. (Roselawn cemetery papers)

In Britain, cremation as a way of dealing with the remains of the dead was historically the subject of enormous controversy and a growing cremation movement of the 1870s initially met with fierce resistance. However, private crematoria began to be established in Britain from 1885 and the first municipal crematorium was built in Hull in 1901. (Cremation Society of GB) Belfast proved more conservative and in 1933, a year when several thousand cremations took place in Britain, the proposal for a Belfast crematorium was narrowly defeated, a Corporation councillor remarking, “Nobody wants to be cremated except a few cranks and snobs, and I think the proposal is ridiculous”. (Irish Times) More serious concerns included the theological view that cremation was a desecration of the human body and would prevent resurrection. (Irish Times)

A proposal to build a crematorium was defeated at least two further times in 1938 and in 1948, when a crematorium amendment was proposed in legislation to establish the National Health Service in Northern Ireland. The amendment was eventually dropped, the focus now being on the expense of running a facility which would require an annual income of ‘at least £7,500’. The Roman Catholic church was ‘100% against cremation’ which reduced the likelihood of success. Although the facility could cater for Protestants from Eire, they ‘could just as cheaply be sent to Liverpool as Belfast’. Although there were many that opposed cremation at this time, others felt just as strongly in favour and 10 people from Northern Ireland were sent to Britain to be cremated in 1946, rather than be buried at home. (Irish Times)

The issue began to become more pressing as burial space at Belfast City and Dundonald Cemeteries began to diminish. Belfast Council was forced to look outside the city boundaries and eventually bought land at Crossnacreevy and Slatady from Down County Council in 1952, with the intention of establishing a crematorium in addition to a graveyard. By the early fifties 15% of burials in Britain were of cremated ashes and opposition to the idea of cremation was falling away in Northern Ireland. (Roselawn Cemetery papers; Cremation Society of GB)

The site was laid out as a ‘lawn’ cemetery. Unlike the city’s older cemeteries there were to be no ‘pillars, railings, hoops etc’ to enclose graves, with only a limited area at the head of each grave set aside for a headstone and planting. “The cemetery will therefore have the appearance of a large lawn interspersed with headstones and consequently will be maintained in good order more economically than the existing cemeteries” Roses were planted along the main driveway, giving the site its name. (Roselawn Cemetery papers)

In 1952 plans were drawn up for two gate houses at the entrance each with living room, sitting room, kitchen, three bedrooms, bathroom and WC. The cost of these and other structures on the site was £33,000. The entrance gates and boundary wall cost £6,900 and the avenues and paths £135,100 with coloured flags supplied by Grainger Brothers of Holywood at a cost of £1,400.The 106-acre site was to provide 75,000 grave plots, to be developed in stages with 4,000 plots released in the initial phase. As the cemetery neared completion, Dundonald Cemetery was forced to close to new burials and Roselawn had to open earlier than intended before permanent offices and lavatories had been completed. (Roselawn Cemetery papers)

The land was dedicated in a ceremony that took place on Thursday 6th April 1954 with representatives from the Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist churches officiating. (Roselawn Cemetery papers)

Although designs by city architect J H Swann, for the new crematorium were prepared as early as 1956, the building was not completed and officially opened until 10th May 1961. As the first crematorium in Ireland it was the subject of considerable interest from the media and other organisations. (Roselawn Cemetery papers) The building cost approximately £100,000 to build and was on two floors, the basement comprising the committal chamber, furnace room, coffin store, fan room and electrical switch gear. At ground level were the vestibule, main chapel, chapel of rest, waiting rooms, toilets, Book of Remembrance, wreath display area, staff dining room, music room, minister’s room, administrative offices and an enclosed yard for the storage of garden tools and equipment. (Roselawn Cemetery papers)

The copper clad spire contained an extensive water storage system and the chimney leading from the cremator flue was effectively concealed at the rear and did not rise above the level of the chapel roof. Olive green Buttermere slates were used as a roof covering and the bricks were Dungannon red with sills and copings of reconstituted Portland stone. (Roselawn Cemetery papers)

Arrangements were made for parties to leave and depart by separate doorways so as to avoid confusion between groups of mourners. The chapel had pew seating for 100 people and an electrically operated catafalque to raise and lower the coffin. The books of remembrance and the cabinet in which they were displayed were the work of A C Foley and were to be the only form of memorial to those cremated. However, in 1978 the cemetery launched a scheme whereby a tree or bulbs could be planted in memory of those who had died. Over 3,000 trees were planted as a result and planting eventually had to be carried out in copses rather than as individual trees. (Roselawn Cemetery papers; Scott)

Cremation was carried out by gas-fired Dowson and Mason ‘super-twin’ cremators with a space reserved for a further twin furnace. The crematorium superintendent B G Fenner held the Cremator Operator’s Certificate issued by the Federation of Cremation Authorities.

The first cremation took place in July 1961 and it was expected that the facility would deal with about 700 bodies a year. In 1963 the Catholic church lifted the ban on cremation for Catholics. Nevertheless there was no crematorium in the Republic of Ireland until 1982 and Roselawn remains one of only three crematoria on the island of Ireland, and the only crematorium in the province. (Irish Times)

In 1979, the cemetery was extended by 17 acres and further land has been added over the years as pressure on space increases. The site has gradually been landscaped and now includes a number of lakes and water features. In March 1987 an explosion at the gate to the cemetery resulted in extensive damage to one of the gate houses, which has since been removed. (Scott)

Among those buried in Roselawn Cemetery are Northern Ireland footballer George Best (1946-2005) and Unionist MP James Kilfedder (1928-1995). The site also contains graves connected to the Troubles, including those of police and prison officers, soldiers and victims of the Abercorn Restaurant, Oxford Street and La Mon House Hotel bombings. (www.belfastcity.gov.uk)

Primary Sources

1.PRONI LA/7/3/E/18/7 – File relating to Roselawn Cemetery (1951-55)
2.PRONI LA/7 29CB/58- Contract with Dawson & Mason Ltd for supply of cremator (1957-8)
3.PRONI LA/7/29CB/59 – Contract with Samuel Ross Ltd for erection of crematorium (1957-9)
4.PRONI LA/7/3/E/18/8 – Parks and Cemeteries Committee – opening of crematorium (1961)
5.PRONI VAL/3/C/4/10 – First General Revaluation (1936-57)
6.PRONI VAL/3/D/4/4/H/8 – First General Revaluation Valuers’ Notebook (1933-57)
7.PRONI VAL/4/B/3/27 – Second General Revaluation (1956-72)
8.Irish Times, 2nd May 1933
9.Irish Times, 2nd November 1938
10.Irish Times, 14th January 1948
11.Irish Times, 23rd April 1955
12.Irish Times, 12th May 1954
13.Irish Times, 26th January 1959
14.Irish Times, 6th June 1964
15.Irish Times, 13th March 1982

Secondary Sources

1.Scott, R “A Breath of Fresh Air, The Story of Belfast’s Parks” Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 2000
2.The Cremation Society of Great Britain website (http://www.srgw.demon.co.uk/CremSoc)
3.www.belfastcity.org.uk

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
V. Authorship
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

A double-height multi-bay modernist crematorium, built c.1960 to the designs of city architect J. H. Swann. The distinct style and proportions are a good example of civic architecture of this time, despite some alteration being carried out since its construction. Erected as an addition to the earlier existing cemetery (1954) the building contributes to the architectural group comprised of similarly modern structures within the graveyard: Gate Lodge and Gate Screen (HB25/07/002B) and Toilet Block, Porter's Lounge, Concrete Gazebo (HB25/07002C). Roselawn is of significant historical interest as it was the first crematorium built in Ireland, and remained the only one until the 1980’s.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered it was previously recorded as HB25/07/002