Go on a free tour of graves at Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery

The Friends of Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery are now entering their 10th year of promoting and maintaining the 14.5 acre site occupied by the 155 year old Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery in South Farm Road, where nearly 25,000 people are buried.

Throughout the winter research has taken place by the FBWC research team on individuals buried within the cemetery’s boundary walls in order to produce an exciting 2018 programme of ten cemetery tours, seven to be

held on the first Saturday of every month between April and October inclusive, plus three Sunday tours that take place in July, August and September.

About 700 residents and visitors attended the popular cemetery tours last year. Between 10 and 12 graves are featured in every tour, which normally lasts between one and one and a half hours.

Each tour is led by an experienced FBWC guide. The tours are free to all and tour guide booklets are available for £1 each. Refreshments in the form of tea, coffee and assorted cakes and fancies are available to all for a modest donation.

All Saturday tours commence at 11am and visitors should meet by the chapels at the South Farm Road entrance at 10.45am.

Sunday tours commence at 2pm and an arrival at 1.45pm is recommended.

The first of these monthly tours takes place on Saturday, April 7 and features many of the past Mayors of Worthing. On May 5 a tour entitled Crime and Law includes a number of harrowing events, while ‘People and Places’ on June 2 looks at the wide variety of geographical locations to be found on headstones in the cemetery. The Saturday, July 7 tour is called Scandal and Intrigue.

The Friends of Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery Open Day takes place on August 4 and a number of special graves full of interest have been selected, while on September 1 Life After WW1 is explored, featuring many

who were not killed in the war but who subsequently died of their injuries.

On October 6, a selection of Worthing businessmen are featured.

Sunday tours include some wider subjects, such as Flora and Fauna to be found in the cemetery on July 22, a General Tour on August 19 and a tree tour on September 23. In addition to conducting tours and helping folks to find the graves of long lost loved ones, the friends also run maintenance and clearance session on the last Saturday of every month throughout the year, supplementing the general maintenance undertaken by the local council.