Rare finds at Dorset cemetery

Fordington Cemetery achieved the status in 2020 and has now been followed by the larger Weymouth Avenue cemetery.

An expert survey revealed that it was richer in wildflowers and grasses than originally thought, including several species which are considered ‘notable’ for Dorset.

Among the rare finds are a type of willowherb, field woodrush, creeping cinquefoil, cat’s-ear, knapweed, glaucous sedge, groundsel and prickly sow-thistle.

Pic – Weymouth Avenue cemetery – likely to be designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest

Town council outdoor services manager Carl Dallison said that the plants had survived under the current mowing regime so he would not anticipate any major changes to the management of the cemetery being made, unlike Fordington where mowing has been reduced and also delayed at certain times of the year.

Mr Dallison told the town council management committee that the designation was a good news story for the town and was to be welcomed as part of the town council’s aim to make the county town a greener place.

He said that outdoor staff had been taking seeds from the cemetery for use in nearby Maumbury Rings to help improve the biodiversity there.

The original cemetery site was purchased by the town’s Burial Board in 1856 when Fordington Cemetery became full and has been gradually increased in size over the years. It is run today by Dorchester Town Council.

Pic – Weymouth Avenue cemetery – likely to be designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest

Plant surveyor Miles King said in a report to the town council that the most species rich areas are in the oldest parts of the cemetery with a number of butterflies also present when he surveyed the site in June 2020.

The award of the designation was made at the recommendation of Dorset Wildlife Trust.

It comes just over a year after Fordington Cemetery was designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest.

Town council outdoor staff had changed the management of the cemetery with the aim of creating a better environment for flowers, grasses and other plants, increasing the biodiversity of the site which also reduces the need for frequent cutting.

A survey discovered more than 70 plant species in the one hectare site which is thought to have been used by the church since the mid-1800s and was probably previously pastureland for Parsonage Farm.