New Graves, New Walls, No Permit: A Bermuda Church’s Graveyard Works Alarm Heritage Experts

• St Anne’s Church in Southampton, Bermuda, carried out graveyard works without planning permission
• The work included new grave sites, an 8-foot retaining wall and a concrete walkway
• The church later sought retroactive approval and apologised
• The Bermuda National Trust raised concerns about disturbed burials

A Bermuda church’s efforts to improve its graveyard in summer 2022 drew objections from heritage experts, the Royal Gazette reported in August 2022. St Anne’s Church in Southampton carried out extensive work without planning permission and later applied for retroactive approval.

The work added two new grave sites, refurbished two others, installed an 8-foot retaining wall, created a concrete paved walkway with a 4-foot concrete block wall and moved an 8-foot concrete pillar.

The churchwardens said the ramp was designed to improve access for burials. “It was our understanding that a permit to erect the two retaining walls on the edge of the newly created ramp was not required since the walls are under 4ft,” they wrote, apologising for going ahead without authorisation and describing the work as an “efficient use of and be of least disturbance to the graveyard.”

The Bermuda National Trust was not reassured. “We are highly concerned about the damage done to the cemetery boundary and burials, including the possible disinterment or other disturbance of human remains,” said Charlotte Andrews, its head of cultural heritage. She recommended the church consult guidelines on human remains and a 2014 Ombudsman report titled A Grave Error.

Jamaican churchyards face similar pressures, and it can be tempting to add graves or build walls and paths without permits. The St Anne’s case is a reminder that burial grounds are both church property and heritage sites, and that planning approval protects both. For diaspora families with relatives buried in Jamaican churchyards, it is reasonable to ask how the church plans and records any works.

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