Heritage trail launched exploring fascinating history of town’s cemetery

Castleford Civic Society put together the tour looking at the graves of 17 people buried at Healdfield Road Cemetery, which dates back to 1857.

The trail gives an insight into the life and times of Castleford during the 19th and early 20th centuries and the role its citizens played in local, national and international events.

Among the gravestones featured is one of Mary Ann Winchurch, a Castleford mother of nine who died in October 1917 in an accident at the Royds Green munitions factory, near Rothwell..

Captain George Perfect’s gravestone is also part of the trail.

Captain George was a mariner, philanthropist and Wesleyan lay preacher who lived on Beancroft Road when not sailing the seas.

When he launched his own boat ‘Miranda’ in May 1864 at Lock Lane, Castleford, it was an occasion which, according to the Leeds Intelligencer, was “witnessed by upwards of 1,000 Sunday school children, as well as a vast assemblage of the inhabitants of Castleford and neighbourhood”.

The trail, launched by society members on February 15, was put together thanks to hours of volunteer time and funding from Wakefield Council.

Kathryn Stainburn, the society’s lead member on the scheme, said: “This has been an amazing project to work on.

“Old cemeteries have always held a fascination for me.

“Pulling together a fantastic group of individuals who share this passion has been a joy and we’ve all been encouraged by the positive comments from those who attended the first walk”.

A booklet has also been produced to accompany the walk, which takes around 90 minutes to complete.

It can be downloaded from the society’s website and allows the walk to be undertaken independently of a guide.

The website also includes extended information on each of the stories featured in the trail.

The society plans to hold further walks later this year and will also include the trail as part of the annual September Heritage Open Days festival.

Castleford’s representative of the Commonwealth War Graves commission laid a wreath donated by volunteers on one of the war graves featured in the trail.

Chris Kitchen, general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), also laid a wreath on the grave of Herbert Smith, which forms part of the tour.

Smith was the general secretary of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain at the time of the 1926 General Strike.

He died in 1938 at his desk in the NUM offices in Barnsley and was buried in Castleford.

At the time crowds thronged Healdfield Road and a brass band played as his cortège approached the cemetery.

A display of flowers was laid on all the graves featured in the trail in remembrance and thanks for the contribution the individuals have made to the story of Castleford.

The society would also like to establish a ‘Friends of Castleford Cemetery’ group.

Ms Stainburn added “Spending a lot of time over the last several months in the cemetery, it has been really inspiring to speak to visitors and passers-by and explain what we were doing and in turn hear of their affection for the cemetery.”

For more information visit www.castlefordcivicsociety.org.uk