The first
burial took place here in 1869 and the cemetery is still in use. I assume it took over from the older St Peters graveyard around the same
time. It is located to the west of the town centre adjoining Constitution
Street and Station Road. The surrounding area consists of housing, light
industrial premises and a school. In other words it is in the heart of the
community. The cemetery has been extended at least once to the west on the
side facing Station Road.
The cemetery is quite large for a NE town and
contains approximately 2500 stones with a little over 9000 names listed
on the inscriptions. The earliest date I found was 1834 but the vast
majority of the stones are 20th century. Most of the gravestones are in
good condition despite the harsh NE climate - though some of the
coarse local granite ones can be difficult to read. There is little sign
of vandalism and the fact that the site has an occupied lodge at its
main gate has probably helped to protect the grounds over the years.
Paths are mostly gravel or grass and the grounds
are in excellent condition. A big well done to the council workers for
such a good job - no mean feat with grounds this size. Parking is easy,
either on Constitution Street itself or on the surrounding roads. Access
can be obtained by one of two gates, one on Constitution Street and the
other on Station Road.
A splendid example of a 'modern' resting place and
though most of the monuments are plain with little adornment there are a
few interesting ones. Be prepared however for a lengthy visit if you
wish to discover them all. I would not recommend looking for a specific
stone without directions - the chances are you will never find it as the
site is simply too big.
Overall well worth a visit. Wherever possible try
and visit in high summer. Peterhead is in a very exposed position and it
can be extremely cold in the winter months. You have been warned!
If you require a specific gravestone photo from the above send me your relevant details and
I'll e-mail you what I have. Contact me
here
Click on photos below to enlarge
