Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Because of its secluded location and abundance of trees and grasses, Rectory Lane Cemetery has the potential to be a haven for wildlife in the middle of Berkhamsted.  Our Wildlife Habitat and Planting plan, with input from conservation bodies and ecology experts, aims to enrich that biodiversity.

A wildlife corridor affords animals shelter along the length of the Cemetery, but the top third of the Cemetery is particularly designated as a wildlife area – there is no through path and it is protected from visiting dogs by estate railing. The shady top terrace has a carpet of primroses in the spring and is an ideal habitat for woodland plants such as fox gloves, wood anemones and bluebells. There we have bird feeders and nesting boxes, a bug hotel, hibernacula for lizards and small mammals, along with an infrared motion camera to capture dusk and nighttime visitors. Our volunteer facility, The Retreat, is also located here, along with our bee hives.

Large Irish Yews provide shelter and berries for birds and nesting boxes are located throughout the Cemetery.

We encourage our Adopt a Grave volunteers to think about plants that will suit pollinators.  New tree and shrub planting will also attract a wide variety of birds to nest and thrive.

During the spring and summer months the site is mowed, but with different areas in rotation left to grow to flower and seed and care is taken over the whole site to leave areas of flower uncut.