Addresses
Type of place
Cemetery
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Bald Hills Cemetery
Bald Hills Cemetery
Addresses
Type of place
Cemetery
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Bald Hills Cemetery is important because it survives as a remnant of the development of the area during the latter half of the nineteenth century. It is a highly visible cemetery located in the suburb of Bracken Ridge. It is in the style of the Victorian period ‘mortuary park’ a particular type of cemetery developed in the early nineteenth century throughout the western world.
Lot plan
L3_RP161824
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (D) Representative; (E) Aesthetic; (G) SocialInteractive mapping
Lot plan
L3_RP161824
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (D) Representative; (E) Aesthetic; (G) SocialInteractive mapping
History
In the new colony of Queensland, the passing of the Cemetery Act of 1865 provided the means to establish general cemeteries under the control of Government appointed Trustees. The gazettal of Trustees first occurred in August 1869, indicating the cemetery reserve was then in existence.
A reserve for the cemetery was first proclaimed in 1869. The cemetery was administered by a Trust until January 1931, when it was taken over by Brisbane City Council.
Burials include: Captain William Townsend (1810-1893), retired sea captain, hotelier and part-time member of the Marine Board of Queensland; Edward Southerden of Southerden Drapery Stores in Brisbane, who was also the first Mayor of Sandgate; William Deagon, a substantial property owner in the district and Mayor of Sandgate, and whose name was given to a nearby suburb; Ellen Wickham, wife of Captain John Wickham, the first Police Magistrate and Government Resident of Moreton Bay.
These burials indicate that the cemetery serviced a large area, and was not confined to the immediate district.
The cemetery was officially closed in 1966, but it is open to families who still have burial plots. A Bald Hills Historical Cemetery Society was formed in July 1990, to preserve and restore the cemetery.
Description
The site is a cemetery reserve held in trust by the Brisbane City Council. The cemetery is similar to other Victorian cemeteries in Brisbane in the type of monuments which are evident here. However the road and plot layout is strictly rectilinear (similar to Hemmant). Refer next page for comparative layouts of Brisbane cemeteries. The cemetery site is an area of 21,080 m2. Most grave sites are marked by headstones, or footstones, or both or a large horizontal stone slab covering the site. These differ according to individual taste, and financial circumstances of the individual or family concerned. The site is mainly flat with a gently slope to the east. Buildings on the site consist of an amenities building, designed in 1978, and a small shelter shed.
The cemetery has shown little change since its purchase by the Brisbane City Council. The whole of the site is significant, with the exception of the shelter shed and the amenities building. A conservation report, however, would further examine and define the importance of the different components of the site. Generally the site is well maintained. Older headstones are mostly intact.
Statement of significance
Relevant assessment criteria
This is a place of local heritage significance and meets one or more of the local heritage criteria under the Heritage planning scheme policy of the Brisbane City Plan 2014. It is significant because:
References
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Brisbane City Council - City Assets Branch Conservation Management Study Stage 1 Report. November 2002
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised September 2020)