Whaplode Cemetery's chapel of rest sees demolition work get under way
Demolition work has started this week on Whaplode Cemetery’s chapel of rest, despite last-minute opposition from the public.
The chapel, off High Road, is being taken down after a four-year effort by Whaplode Parish Council to get permission for demolition to take place.
Materials from the 1893 chapel will be used to build a new two-bedroom home in the village after parish councillors decided against paying an estimated repair bill of more than £20,000 for the building.
But the demolition has been opposed by some people who claim that the parish council should have done more to let villagers know of the plans to replace the chapel with a memorial garden.
Steve Sleight, who grew up in Spalding but now lives in Bedfordshire said: “Two or three generations of my family are buried at Whaplode Cemetery.
“So I was very sorry to hear about the chapel being demolished because it’s a very historic building and I know that the chapels in Spalding and Holbeach have found alternative uses by the community.
Whaplode Cemetery's chapel of rest to be bulldozed 'imminently'
“Also, we just don’t feel that the proper process has been followed by the parish council in terms of consulting villagers.
“The council did put out something four years ago, but none of the villagers knew about it and I just don’t think the proposed garden of remembrance is a good substitute for us.”
Also opposed to the demolition is Mark Forth, a funeral director in Spalding who set up the Friends of Whaplode Cemetery social media page in June to try and save the chapel.
Mr Forth said: "The chapel is the heart of the cemetery and it shouldn’t be coming down.
"But, unfortunately, it’s one of those things.”
Whaplode ward parish councillor Bob Merchant said: “We’ve gone through the right process over the past four years, we’ve got the demolition licence from Natural England, which took us two years, and we had six bat boxes put up before the chapel roof was taken off.
“What more can we do?”
