Platt chapel and cemetery

Just down the road from my flat is a small, overgrown cemetery.  I pass it on the bus every time I go grocery shopping.  One Sunday, I decided it was time to visit the place, partly because I was very curious, and partly because I woke up a bit out of sorts and hoped the walk would cheer me up.  Nothing like visiting an empty building and graveyard for perking up the spirits...

This is the first view you get as you approach the building from the north.  The view is slightly deceiving, as the place is located on one of Manchester's busiest roads, but the effect is the same.  The small ivy is really beautiful.  I love the combination of light and dark greens on the leaves.

And on the gate...

The chapel itself is a small place, made of the same red brick you find all over this part of England.  I don't know how old it is, but the most recent burial in the cemetery is 1879, I think, and the date 1810 came up on one of the headstones I took a picture of, but I didn't take notes, so I'm not sure if that's the earliest one.  But the building has to be older than that.  It was used for a while as a meeting house for a photography group, according to the sign hanging from the front, but it is now empty.

There are burials along the side closest to the road, and out from the front door - fewer than thirty.  Some of those with head stones are overgrown (though not those in the previous picture).  Ivy is taking over this one.

This one is being enveloped by brush...

Some headstones are fairly clear of plant life. 

The small stone in this grouping has me wondering.  Is it a foot stone, or a memorial for a small child?  There was no writing that I could see, but then the writing on some is becoming lost as the stone sinks into the ground.  Like poor Alice's here.

Not all of the graves are memorialized with head stones though.  About half of them are full body markers.  I'm not sure what they are called.  (You can see the wall between the chapel yard and the street on the right of the picture, and the chapel wall is on the left side, just to give you an idea of how small the space is.)

The day itself was alternating rain and sun.  The image above shows the rainy part.  The next (and last) picture shows the sun.  I think I was there for about half an hour, all told.  I got rained on twice, and the sun came out only once, but it was a nice day anyway.

I like this picture of the front door area for the small sculptural detail that is typical for around here, the pretty ivy climbing the window, and the modern building across the street.  It's called The Toast Rack by the locals.  Its a block of flats, though why it is that shape, and what the metal arches are for is beyond me.

By the way...the chapel is for sale.  If you're interested.  Just sayin'.