Brighton General Cemetery is one of Melbourne’s oldest and most significant cemeteries.
- In 1853, 11.75 hectares of land (29 acres) was reserved for cemetery use.
- The first members were appointed to the Brighton General Cemetery Trust in December 1854.
- The first recorded burial of 10 month old Johanna Manson occurred on 14 October 1855 in the Methodist section. Since then, more than 66,000 burials have taken place.
The cemetery is surrounded by a high brick wall, 1.6 kilometres (one mile) in length. Within its 11.75 hectares a myriad of pathways and roads provide access to different sections.
During the early years specific areas were named for use by different denominations e.g. Baptist, Church of England, Independent, Jewish, Methodist (Wesleyan), Other Denominations, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic. A non-denominational Lawn Cemetery was established in 1858.
The Lodge was built as a residence in 1892 and an office was added in 1928.
The Lodge
Until 1902 Brighton General Cemetery was the largest cemetery in south-east Melbourne. During the 1920’s there were 1,350 burials in an average year.
Throughout its long history Brighton has become the final resting place for some of Australia’s most notable identities. Personalities from all walks of life rest within the cemetery’s grounds. Some of these notable people include:
- Sir Thomas Bent – former Premier of Victoria
- Arthur Merricks Boyd – artist
- John Hare Furphy – well known blacksmith and merchant
- Adam Lindsay Gordon – poet
- Fredrick McCubbin – artist
- Squizzy Taylor – notorious gangster
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The Brighton General Cemetery Trust administered the cemetery from 1854 until 2007. In April 2007, the Trust was disestablished and administration of the cemetery was transferred by the Department of Human Services to The Cheltenham & Regional Cemeteries Trust, which also managed Bunurong and Cheltenham Memorial Parks and Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery.
Under legislative process, on 1 March 2010 The Cheltenham & Regional Cemeteries Trust and The Trustees of the Necropolis Springvale were both merged to create the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust. Brighton General Cemetery is now one of the sites administered by that Trust.