Bootle Cemetery

Bootle cemetery is one of four managed by Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside. The land was purchased in 1909 , with the first interment at the 26 acre site taking pace in 1913.

bootle cemetery gates

Two years after the cemetery opened a  Gothic style chapel with capacity for 100 mourners was opened by the Mayor of Bootle, George Cassady. Initially the cemetery was intended for Church of England burials but as Ford cemetery in Litherland began to fill up Roman Catholic sections were also opened.

Bootle cemetery also has almost two hundred war graves identified by the Commonwealth & War Graves Commission. There are also communal graves that contain the remains of victims of the Blitz, many of whom were unidentified. One of these communal grave contains coffins that were re-interred from St Mary’s Churchyard, which was bombed during the Blitz.

Bootle Cemetery Blitz memorial (2)

The chapel closed in the 1980s and was used as a store for gardeners’ equipment, before being demolished in 2013 as it was uneconomical to repair. The site of the chapel is now marked by a memorial to the  victims of the Blitz. The demolition and subsequent memorials were part of a £500,000 facelift for the cemetery that also included improvements to the pathways and railings.

New graves can be purchased at Bootle cemetery and can accommodate up to four interments and six cremated remains. It is not possible though to purchase plots solely for the burial of cremated remains.

As with many local authorities, there are restrictions on the size of headstones at Bootle cemetery. Also kerb sets are not allowed, which isn’t the case at southern Sefton’s other cemetery in Thornton.  If you would like to erect a memorial at Bootle cemetery please contact us. Sarsfield Memorials will be happy to discuss your requirements, provide advice on their regulations and provide a free no obligation quote.