There will be a rare opportunity to explore one of Falmouth’s most interesting historic sites, the Jewish Cemetery and Dissenters’(Congregationalists) Burying Ground on Sunday, September 10.
The open day will run from 2-4pm and visitors can learn more from historian Keith Pearce, an authority on Cornish Jewish life and cemeteries, and dissenters’ historians, Rob Nunn and Tom Weller. There will also be an audio trail created by Ripple Theatre that introduces visitors to the lives of some of those buried in the cemeteries.
Both cemeteries, which are next to Sainsbury’s, are currently undergoing restoration led by Falmouth Town Council, with the help of Historic England and the Friends of Ponsharden Cemeteries. An application has been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund to raise the additional necessary funds. If successful, the cemeteries will be open at the earliest to the public in late 2019.
In connection with the open day there will be a presentation at The Poly at 12.30pm by Ruth Mitchell and Derek Frood of the Ripple Theatre about their research and the development of their audios for the Ponsharden and other cemeteries, funded by FEAST.
Admission is free, but in order to manage numbers anyone interested in attending should book via eventbrite.co.uk/e/hidden-stories-hidden-places-presentation-at-the-poly-falmouth-tickets-36401205987.