Gilroes Cemetery

Selected Wild Place / Other Wild Places / Public Rights of Way / VC55 boundary

Managed By
Leicester City Council
Wild places

Total species seen at this site:

Description

Gilroes Cemetery is Leicester's largest municipal cemetery. Opened in 1902, it contains Leicester's main crematorium. The site contains many mature trees, shrubs and wide pathways.  It forms part of Leicester’s green wedge and is well connected to surrounding Local Nature Reserves and Local Wildlife Sites.
The site has recently been extended to the north-east which provides an open expanse of grassland which has been seeded with native neutral meadow wildflowers and which is separated by mature hedgerows and field ponds. 

Wildlife Highlights

The main body of the cemetery contains the oldest gravestones which support a good range of lichens and mosses.  The oldest sections of the site are managed sympathetically to achieve a balance required and support anthills which in turn attract Song thrush and Green woodpeckers.


The west section adjacent to Glenfrith Way is separated from the main cemetery by large conifers and native trees.  The Groby Brook, a small water course contained in a steep-sided ditch flows south-wards and the grassy banks support primroses and Snakeshead fritillary in the spring.


The new extension provides a fine display of wildflowers and colour during the summer and is sheltered by the mature hedgerows. This is a popular area for foraging birds.
The small woodland areas to the west and east of the crematorium support a range of fungi.

 

The records and images below may include those from adjacent sites if the grid reference submitted with these records overlaps the boundary of this Wild Place.

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