Southern Cemetery Tour

There’s a quiet beauty to be found in cemeteries. A sense of stillness that can be hard to locate elsewhere, especially in cities like Manchester. Said to be the biggest public cemetery in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe, Chorlton’s Southern Cemetery is as picturesque as you’ll find. Within it lie fascinating stories, beautiful architectural details, and the inspiration behind one of The Smith’s best songs.

Join Jonathan Schofield Tours for a stroll through a tranquil landscape of tree-lined avenues, stopping at key monuments and celebrating the lives of fascinating individuals. These include many significant local citizens, some with international fame: John Rylands, Tony Wilson, Enriqueta Rylands, Anthony H Wilson, Daniel Adamson, John Henry Davies, Matt Busby, Billy Meredith, Olive Zorian, Len Johnson, Joseph Sunlight, Laurence Stephen Lowry, Maria Pavlikoska-Jasnorzewska, John Cassidy, Charles Sacre, John Alcock and Jerome Caminada.

Your knowledgeable and experienced tour guide will point out the monuments of interest while telling the stories behind the lives they celebrate – and many of these individuals achieved some truly remarkable things. You’ll also explore some of the cemetery’s standout architectural highlights, including gothic chapels, imposing war memorials and the 1879 wrought-iron ‘Cemetery Gates’ that inspired The Smiths’ song of the same name.

Mixing history, architecture and nature, this leisurely tour will have you viewing Southern Cemetery, and indeed all cemeteries, in a new – and rather beautiful – light.