Tours of one of Horsham’s ‘little known gems’

The free tours of Hills Cemetery, which is owned and managed by Horsham District Council, will start at 10.30am and there will be coffee and tea served afterwards.

Anyone who wants to enquire about the cemetery will always receive a professional, friendly and sympathetic service at Hills Cemetery, which is located in Guildford Road, Horsham.

Visitors will see that great effort has been put into making the cemetery attractive and welcoming so the area is a pleasant place to visit.

A programme of tree planting has taken place and is being expanded to give the area an attractive look about it with many unusual species of trees.

In addition to this, many plants and shrubs have been planted and should in a few years present an interesting display together with the many wild flowers, which have been sown over the years.

Visitors may notice several bird boxes installed and it is to staff’s delight that some of these boxes have been used by the birds this spring.

Visitors to the cemetery may see two green woodpeckers that have been resident there for a number of years.

After a walk through, visitors can take a rest on one of the many benches and admire the different colour trees and flowers and in particular the magnificent copper beeches.

Jonathan Chowen (Con, Cowfold, Shermanbury and West Grinstead), HDC’s cabinet member for arts, heritage and leisure, said: “Hills Cemetery is a gem that many of our local residents know little about. These open days give everyone a chance to see what a lovely place it is and to ask any questions.”

Anyone interested in attending either of the tours is asked to call Horsham District Council on 01403 253191 with their name and numbers attending.

Any donations towards new shrub and tree planting around the cemetery would be greatly appreciated.