Cemetery Lodge brass plaque

This brass commemorative plaque records: Cemetery Lodge By 1845 Birmingham's population had increased so greatly that finding space to bury the dead was becoming a problem and a new Church of England Cemetery was constructed. This lodge, built in 1849, formed its main entrance. There was living accommodation for the secretery on the right hand side of the gates and offices on the left, with a room for director's meetings above the gateway. Formerly the cemetery land had been excavated for sand. Into the sides of the largest sand - pit were built the catacombs, which can still be seen. St Michael's Church which stood above them was demolished in the 1950's. Recorded plaque organisation: Birmingham City Action Team.

The Cemetery Lodge served as the main entrance to Birmingham's Church of England Cemetery, constructed in response to the city’s growing population and consequent burial space shortages; it housed administrative offices, living quarters for the secretary, and meeting rooms, reflecting the cemetery's importance in Victorian urban planning and public health management.