Heene Cemetery (disused)

Heene Cemetery (St. Michael's Graveyard),
Manor Road (junction with St. Michael's Road),
Worthing, West Sussex
(nearest postcode: BN11 4SH)
Location of Heene Cemetery on Google Maps

About Heene Cemetery

Heene Cemetery is a one-acre, town-centre cemetery in West Worthing. Created from unimproved meadowland in 1873 and closed by Act of Parliament in 1977, the cemetery today shelters peacefully behind its Victorian brick and flint walls. It is the final resting place for 1,961 souls, eight of whose graves are marked by Commonwealth War Grave Commission headstones.

In addition, the cemetery is a designated Sussex Local Wildlife Site where an abundance of grasses and herbs more usually associated with unimproved old meadows can be seen during the summer. This species-rich habitat is being surveyed on an ongoing basis in a citizen-science project, a venture that is supported by an informal network of specialists, many of whom work with the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre. Heene Cemetery is the smallest of the 12 Local Wildlife Sites in the borough of Worthing.

In recognition of these meadowland origins, the cemetery's grasses, flowers and plants are allowed to grow to full height in spring and summer. Selective strimming simulates grazing in mid-summer and harvest in late autumn, so that the changing seasons successively obscure and reveal headstones in a riot of natural, often unplanted, colour.

The Friends of Heene Cemetery

The Friends of Heene Cemetery (which was formed in September 2015) manage the site in partnership with Adur & Worthing Councils. Their work helps ensure that the cemetery is not wholly over-run by scrub. This helps retain vestiges of the original meadowland character of the site, and ensures access to the graves for visiting relatives.

A working group meets on Tuesday and Saturday afternoons between 2pm and 4pm (weather permitting), at which time the gates are open and the public are welcome to visit.

A sub-group of the Friends is researching and documenting the varied and fascinating biographies of all the cemetery's 'residents'. This information illuminates in great detail the social history of the Heene area of Worthing. It is publicly available on the group's website.

All of the species surveying details can also be found on the group's website, with a page devoted to each species. Nearly all of these have been photographed in situ and these photographs too can be seen there. As of July 2024, the species count had exceeded 660.

The site is repeatedly awarded the annual Green Flag Community Award in recognition of the work of the Friends of Heene Cemetery.

Find out more on the:

Friends of Heene Cemetery website

Photo: Heene Cemetery - credit/copyright: the Friends of Heene Cemetery

Heene Cemetery - credit/copyright: the Friends of Heene Cemetery (2)

Community involvement

The Friends of Heene Cemetery, a voluntary self-funded group, also organise open days throughout the year. These are special occasions when tours are organised to share with the public the rich detail of the ancestry research and species surveying.

In addition, anyone may join the Friends and participate in shaping the management plans for the site's present and future maintenance.

For more details, see: