One of the Many - a Story from the Soil of Wardsend Cemetery, by Louise Smith

At the beginning of TAP, I never knew it was possible to intern in a cemetery. If I had, I might have thought that meant digging graves, or planting flowers. I would not have thought about learning the stories of those beneath the graves, or that there would be such riotous stories to find. And I certainly would not have thought I would be making a short film about one of those stories.

First of all, Covid made it more difficult. Projects that were more hands on and physical might have been fun, but I wasn’t in Sheffield. Making a short film about the cemetery sounded amazing right away, but I am not a filmmaker and am not sure how a beginner’s choppy attempt would have helped the cemetery promote themselves in any way. Luckily, Sheffield has everything you could need, including a filmmaker willing to make their cemetery debut. He must have thought it pretty unique too.

The first trip was in the midst of summer, and it made everything green. Plants were growing thickly and climbing all over the gravestones, so you might not realise you were stood next to one unless you looked closer. There are many rows and layers of graves. Some are sunk into the ground with age or cracked by a tree growing through. Up the main slope I saw so many intricately carved headstones made vibrant with moss. It really showed how death gives way to other forms of life. There are Victorian graves and war graves. To the right is a big space where the trees let in light over the former church’s standing ground. The Friends of Wardsend Cemetery told us about all the projects that have happened, like a drama performance with college students, dancing over the raised ground where the church stands no more, or film viewings in the dark. It sparked our imaginations. Zelda and Linnea became so enthusiastic about all the potential projects and how much their film and drama friends would love the space. What lingered most though, was the story of the cemetery riot. Hugh told us this surprising and gruesome tale while walking us around the site, the very same site where all this took place: pointing out where people would have stood looking for their disinterred children or raging in a mob. I was caught by how much activity the cemetery has witnessed over time. Ideas sprouted from that trip as thick as the ivy and vines clambering over graves.

It’s unsurprising such a story would make a good film. At first I imagined recreations and dramatic shows, but this was not a Hollywood set. A gothic feel might have been appropriate to the morbid matter, but while fun to think about these possibilities, we were conscious that these were real events that disturbed heartbroken and grieving families who had lost young children. I recount my initial ideas because from expectation to outcome so much changed and so many new ideas took shape. Zelda and Linnea brought in a real filmmaker because we wanted a sensitive and professional video that could really show off the cemetery and present it as somewhere people can come visit today. 

The real-life trip was fun, but most of the work happened online. Reading old accounts and research of the cemetery history, video meetings to discuss ideas, independent thought and drafting up a script were the main tasks undertaken.

The second trip to the graveyard was when most things took shape, which is reflected in the final version of the short film. We realised a natural approach was most appropriate. Clips of the plants, which are so still, are what make up the film because they are what make up the cemetery. In the end, the script was not stuck to because it was better for Hugh to just tell the story as he did that first day when the cemetery’s rich history first gripped our imaginations. I especially love the shots of Hugh walking through the cemetery, and the opening view of the Sheffield skyline. It instils the sense of place so vital to the project. I loved seeing the various versions of the film; giving feedback and reading others’ thoughts and seeing how it was shaped by us all. Perhaps more short films could be made, telling one of the many more stories that wait to be unearthed in Wardsend Cemetery.

You can watch the film below:

Find out more about Wardsend Cemetery here.