Projects Report 2018

Burma

Rangoon (Yangon), Mingaladon: Yay Way Cemetery (Adam Foucar).
Difficulties in identifying a local superviser held up implementing this project.

India

Karnataka, Bangalore: Hosur Road Nos 1 and 2 Cemeteries (David Barnabas).
All the graves and MIs have been photographed; the images will be accessible on the website in due course.

Karnataka, Seringapatam: Garrison Cemetery (Phillida Purvis).
With a £2,000 grant, BACSA supported the de Meuron family’s project to carry out conservation work on graves, erect improved signage and construct a chowkidar’s hut.

Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Saugor, Haig Road Cemetery.
The work to repair the boundary wall and gate was completed in exemplary fashion and funds matching BACSA’s £5,000 grant were raised locally.

Tamil Nadu, Madras, St. Mary’s Cemetery (William Pettigrew).
A heritage architect was appointed at the end of the year to take the project forward.

Tamil Nadu, Nilgiris, The Lawrence School, Lovedale Cemetery (Phillida Purvis).
The project to repair the boundary wall and conserve the graves was completed with funds raised by the Lawrencian Association matching BACSA’s £5,000.

Telangana, Hyderabad, the Residency Cemetery (Tom Inglis).
The second phase of this major project in cooperation with the Deccan Heritage Foundation (DHF) was finished. Work began on the third phase at a cost to BACSA of £25,576, out of a total of £34,477, funded by generous donors.

Uttar Pradesh, Agra, Cantonment Cemetery (Trevor Rosemeyer).
The annual clean-up funded by a grant from the East India Charitable Trust (EICT), Calcutta, tidied the left-hand side of the cemetery. The cemetery committee did its part by having the right-hand side of the cemetery cleared.

Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Nicholson Cemetery (William Crawley).
The Delhi Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) completed Phase 1 of this major project: vegetation clearance, photographic and architectural documentation, survey of the site, project report for conservation and site development. Phase 2 requiring more vegetation clearance and a start on grave conservation was due to begin in early 2019.

Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, William Fraser’s tomb (William Crawley).
We continued to try to resolve the difficulties with the contracted stonemason that delay this project.

West Bengal, Calcutta, St John’s church.
A grant of £2,620 was made to digitize the burial records.

West Bengal, Calcutta, Lower Circular Road Cemetery.
£2,000 were granted to the Christian Burial Board to conserve six tombs as part of a pilot project for ‘heritage tombs.’

West Bengal, Calcutta, Scottish Cemetery.
A further grant of £5,000 was made to the Kolkata Scottish Heritage Trust, bringing the total grant to date to £21,500. Work on the graveyard is part of a community-led urban regeneration programme.

West Bengal, Calcutta, South Park Street Cemetery (Jennifer Garwood).
(a) £2,684 were paid to the Association for the Preservation of Historic Cemeteries in India (APHCI)) on behalf of the Calcutta Old Boys (Sir Edward Studd) to conserve several tombs selected by the group.
(b) The Bishop Weekes Legacy. A final grant of £1,000, exhausting the fund, was paid to APHCI for the conservation of two tombs.

Annual maintenance grants.
The EICT made grants to cemeteries in Agra, Calcutta, Dehradun, Kotah and Meerut. BACSA made a grant to the cantonment cemetery in Jhansi.

Plans
Telangana, Hyderabad, St. George’s Cemetery (Tom Inglis).
The DHF’s proposal for restoration of the cemetery is under consideration.

Uttarakhand, Nainital, cemeteries (David Mahoney).
Following fresh interest, a local person or persons is being sought to form a group prepared to put up and manage a project.

Pakistan (Rosemary Raza)

Punjab, Faisalabad: Gora Qabristan (Christian Cemetery).
The grant for the gateway was increased from £500 to £1,000. Dr Yasmeen Lari, conservation architect and founder of Pakistan’s Heritage Foundation, is advising on the restoration of the entrance gate and conservation of graves.

Lahore, Mian Mir cemetery.
Good progress was made in completing the rebuilding of the boundary wall.

Multan, the old British cemetery at Wahdit colony.
Repairs to the boundary wall were completed and six tombs conserved.

Area Representatives:

Mme Yvonne Matignon-Gonsalves took on Goa. The Executive Committee is grateful for the support of our volunteer area representatives.