I'm posting an email with regard to the above chapel. If anyone doesn't know already, there are proposals to demolish this church. Hi all, I am just informing you as to the situation with Barton Wesleyan Chapel, things are moving quickly, the developer has had a meeting with Salford Planning department, and the rear graveyard has been blocked to the public. At the Chapel site two weeks ago the developer had some workmen cut back all the jungle, and until Tuesday of this week the public could gain access to the site of all the graves. On Tuesday/Wednesday the entrance was boarded up and a notice put up to say that if anybody wanted access to view a grave they had to ring a Mr. Hampson or Mr. Leigh on 0161 707 8856. After boarding up the site a mechanical digger was moved in, with the intention, as the developer put it, to clean up the site! Eric Heaton who lives in Salford and is very concerned with what is happening at the site, turned up on Thursday morning and this is what he had to say in an e-mail to me:- Thurs. 8 Nov 2001 The proposed developer of the site has decided to commence the "clearing up" operation prior to receiving planning permission. On a visit this morning I found that access to the burial ground had been sealed off with a high solid fence. Notices pinned to the wall stated that it had been fenced to block "fly tipping" and that if persons wished to gain access to family graves they had to contact Mr Hampson or Mr Leigh on 0161-707-8856 ( although not given on this notice Mr Hampsons Mobile Telephone No. is 07802 55 13 05). I gained access via an open gate and was very concerned with what I saw. "A heavy Mechanical Excavator was being used to clear the "rubbish" from the site. Unfortunately the machine driver included certain grave kerb surrounds in this definition- I saw some on top of a pile of excavated material. I also saw a badly damaged memorial stone. The machine driver informed me that he had been instructed to flatten any stones that were over 50 years old and in his way. I suggested that he shouldn't carry out any further damage ( he denied having done any!). I contacted Doug HANN the Town Planner at the Civic Centre and expressed my concern. I also contacted the Police. Mr Hann promised to contact the scheme Architect and Mr Hampson. Later in the day I received a phone call from Doug HANN who stated that a City Council Planning Enforcement Officer had visited the site and discussed the matter with the Machine Operator and that Mr Hampson after a meeting with Doud HANN had agreed to instruct his employee to continue clearing the site and to refrain from damaging gravestones etc. Please keep your eyes wide open! ERIC, After a trip down to the chapel Thursday lunchtime I found it impossible to see what was going on, but I could hear the machine in the graveyard. After that I met Eric at Patricroft Police Station, where he had been for some time waiting for someone to hear his complaint of vandalism to the grave stones. I have been informed that the date for objections has been put back to the 20th. November. If you would like to have a look at the planning proposals they can be viewed at:- http://www.salford.gov.uk/pubnotices/ type in the planning number 43153, in the search box and you will have access to the full planning application - plans as well. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader you will see, on the results page to the search, a button, so that the Acrobat software can be down loaded free. If you also want to make representations to a Salford Councillor as well as putting forward an objection go to :- http://www.salford.gov.uk/council/membward.asp Every councillor has an e-mail address. So voice your concerns. The situation with records from the chapel look more cheerful, the main collection of documents, burial, baptism and marriage registers are held at Manchester Central Library Archives. For the school which is attached to the chapel most records are at Salford Archives except for a log book which is at Manchester Archives. Eric Heaton managed to trace a copy of the Monumental Inscriptions for the front (covered) graveyard, they have been missing since they were handed in to Eccles Council when the front was landscaped many years ago. The graveyard as a whole looks to be a bit of a nightmare, it looks to have been developed in three sections since the first burial in 1804. The front graveyard looks to be the oldest with approximately 146 graves. A plan, set out prior to the grassing over of the graves shows 90 graves plots marked out. Analysis of the Burial Register shows grave 146 as being the highest numbered grave in 1821. Compare the Monumental Inscriptions recently acquired for the front graveyard, and this shows grave number 140 as being the highest numbered stone. The re-development plan shows that there is a high possibility of the graves being disturbed, because the developer thinks that there are only 90 graves. The rear graveyard is in two portions, the old yard, which is near the chapel and the new yard, which extended the graveyard away from the chapel. The rear yard initially looked to be hard to sort out, an old plan does exist of the old yard and each grave is numbered, but there might be some duplication in numbers. Eric and myself have only been able to make an initial survey and things have probably been made worse by the machine that is supposedly cleaning up the rear yard. The old plan of the old graveyard shows graves close to the chapel, certainly in the area that will be built over. Only a tracing of this plan exists, and I am trying to trace the original. I will inform you more with what is going on as time progresses, please pass on this e-mail to anybody you think will be interested. If you want to contact Eric Heaton is e-mail address is :- ericjeh@netscapeonline.co.uk Till next time, Roger Hart, Little Lever, Bolton, UK. Web site http:www.mancuniensis.btinternet.co.uk/ PS. If you have requested information re.- Barton Wesleyan Burials, I appoligise. I have got snowed under with what is happening at the chapel, and have not had chance to reply. If you could re-email your request in a few weeks time I will reply asap. For those that live locally to the chapel, the yard will be open Sunday 11th. November at 14:00hrs. - per. Eric Heaton. Lynda Jones Adelaide, South Australia lynden@chariot.net.au Researching in Eccles - EDWARDS/NEWTON/WORTHINGTON & ROYLE