Anger over plan to move gravestones at Telford church

Notices have been tied to older gravestones at St Georges Parish Church saying they are set to be moved as part of plans to improve a section of the churchyard.

About seven gravestones are set to be moved, five that are standing and two lying down, and will be placed against the north wall to make way for a new village green. Residents have reacted angrily to the news, taking to social media to voice their upset at the decision.

Genealogist Martin James, who lives opposite the church, shared pictures of the stones and the notes on Twitter and Facebook. He has also recently been conducting research into James Cope, whose headstone is one that is set to be moved.

Mr Cope, who died in 1914, and is also buried with his wife Jane, served in the Crimean War and was the father of steeplechaser John Crimea Cope. An obituary on the death of the younger Mr Cope reveals Mr Cope was wounded in Crimea and was nursed by Florence Nightingale and a letter from the nurse was one of the families treasured possessions.

Mr James, 63, who lives opposite the church in Church Street, said some of the graves which have been given notice date back to the 1860s, but Mr Cope's is the most recent.

He said: "What we understand is that the church is planning to build a community area around the back, but they haven't really publicised what they are up to.

"From an archaeological point of view, they are being taken away from the remains underneath.

"They are all safe and not falling down so there is no real reason for them to be moved.

"The local community Facebook page has had a lot of response from people saying it is disgusting and that it should not be allowed, there has not been any positive responses. People are also saying that area is an odd one to put a communal area at the back of the church."

No-one from the church or the Diocese of Lichfield was available for comment.

A notice on the church's notice board states that the seven headstones will be moved to make way for the levelling of the area, the putting in of pathways and a foul water connection to a neighbouring property.

The church was granted funding for the works through Telford & Wrekin Council's Pride in Your High Street Fund.

Council spokesman Russell Griffin said: "St Georges was awarded Pride funding to restore the church clock to full running order and create a village green for community events, which is something that many closed churchyards have done. We understand that in order to create the community space here, St Georges Parochial Church Council (would have to relocate four to six headstones. These notices have been posted to let people know so that they can make their representations known to the church."