A Swansea churchyard will be transformed into Greenhill Gardens, a community space led by Matthew’s House supporting the past.
Gravestones will be carefully moved, and workers will stack them into art forms. The new garden will also boost nature. “Habitat walls” will list names from the stones featuring planting and seating areas.
Bird and bat boxes are part of the plan. Schools and groups can visit the garden. A trail will tell the site’s history. The garden will be called Greenhill Gardens.
Thom Lynch leads the project at Matthew’s House. He says the area was falling apart, with headstones fallen, causing trips. They dreamed of sharing the site’s past. A landscape architect designed the garden, and it should be a pretty place.
About 225 gravestones are there now. One area will keep the best stones. Church records hold over 600 names. These names will go on the habitat wall. The charity contacted many relatives and received lots of support for the plan.
The artful stacking will honor the dead, and the garden’s art will be visually striking. Other ideas were considered first. They thought about placing stones by walls.
Most gravestones will be moved and reshaped. Some stones stay near the southeast gate. Moving stones supports community use; the site becomes a modern urban garden.
The plans have some rules attached. No loud music is allowed in the garden. Conservation officers can access it as needed to check if anything historic appears.
Matthew’s House is open three days each week, giving food plus other support. They serve many people weekly. Greenhill Gardens will be open daily.
The church was originally called St John’s Church, and the back was a burial overflow site. John Morris’ crypt is at this church too. One of his relatives supported the garden.
Matthew’s House depends on donations. They also get funds from events and grants. The money helps with repairs needed in the building.
The building was in bad shape at first. It was overgrown and full of leftovers. Volunteers worked hard for six months to clean the building inside and out.