Beckett Street Cemetery, Leeds

Beckett Street Cemetery, also known historically as Burmantofts Cemetery, is a closed burial ground in Burmantofts, Leeds. Officially opened in 1845 as part of the Leeds Burial Act of 1842, it holds the distinction of being one of England's first municipal burial sites, established by the town council with public funds. The cemetery spans 10 acres (4 hectares) and was created to address severe overcrowding in the old burial ground at Leeds Parish Church.

Divided into two sections, one for dissenters and the other for Anglicans, Beckett Street Cemetery initially featured gatehouses designed by local architects Chantrell and Shaw, with later additions by Walter Samuel Braithwaite in 1880. The cemetery contains 180,000 burials, 27,000 graves, and 8,000 monuments, including 72 Commonwealth War Graves. Among its notable burials is Frederick Short, a survivor of the Charge of the Light Brigade, whose grave is marked with symbolic military adornments.

Mass graves, known as "Guinea Graves," were a characteristic feature, reflecting the burial of impoverished individuals, often from the nearby workhouse, at a minimal cost. The cemetery also served as a final resting place for 1,600 cholera victims during the 1849 epidemic.

Despite closing to new burials in 2001, the site remains a valuable historical resource. Its burial registers from 1845 to 1987 have been digitized by the West Yorkshire Archive Service. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Parks and Gardens and features two Grade II-listed monuments: a 3-meter-high industrial chimney commemorating the steeplejack Kidney family and another memorial honoring the Gailli family.

A controversial proposal in the early 2000s to repurpose the site for a tram stop was abandoned, leading to restoration efforts supported by Leeds City Council. Today, Beckett Street Cemetery is managed by the Friends of Beckett Street Cemetery, preserving its heritage as a “hidden gem” of Leeds.