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Henry Place
Belfast
BT15 2BB
Entry is via Henry Place.
You need to make an appointment to visit the cemetery. If you need access, you can email cemeteries@belfastcity.gov.uk or call 028 9032 0202.
Take Metro 10A-H, 12A-B or 57 from Belfast city centre. There is no car parking available at the cemetery.
There is a good network of paths and level ground throughout for those with disabilities.
It contains the graves of many notable families, including the Dunvilles, the Sinclairs and the McCrackens, and its history provides an important insight into the social development of the city.
Key features include a mausoleum belonging to the Dunville family, which once contained ceramic 'photographs' of the family. The Dunvilles, who produced whiskey from their distillery on Grosvenor Road, presented a large portion of land on Falls Road to Belfast in 1891. The land later became Dunville Park.
There is also a memorial to George C Hyndman, a member of the Belfast Botanical and Horticultural Society which helped establish Botanic Gardens in 1828. It is easy to spot thanks to the statue of Hyndman's pet dog which sits on top of the memorial.
Another unusual grave belongs to Thomas Ash - its corners are marked by three ash trees (the fourth has been removed).
Clifton Street Graveyard opened in 1797 and was managed by the Belfast Charitable Society. Burials no longer take place in the cemetery, which is a recognised historical site, and has been managed by us since 1984.
To combat the risk from bodysnatchers, a wall was built around the graveyard. It failed to stop the practice however and it became common for relatives to stand guard beside new graves every night until the risk of snatching had decreased.
Families also built cages of stout iron (known as coffin guards) around coffins to deter the snatchers and the society was eventually forced to employ watchmen to guard the cemetery.
In 1799, the society agreed to set aside a portion of land for those who could not pay for burials. The area became known as the ‘poor grave’. The cemetery also contains a large unmarked plot which served as a mass grave for the victims of the 1832 cholera epidemic.
The original Clifton Street Graveyard was full by 1819 and a second area, known as the lower ground, was opened. By 1854, all the plots in this area had been sold.
Amongst those buried in Clifton Street Graveyard are:
Further information about Clifton Street Graveyard is available on these websites: