Adjacent to the ancient closed churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, the cemetery occupies a stunning location overlooking the valley of Nidderdale, North Yorkshire.

It was opened in 1874 and covers 2.86 acres. The first interment took place on 16th October 1874, and the cremated remains section was opened on 22nd February 1969. A lodge and chapel were in use till sold into private ownership in 1999.

Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) has the responsibility for keeping both cemetery and churchyard safe and tidy, and has the overall responsibility for maintenance and management. A safety audit in 2000 found 360 unsafe cemetery memorials (approx 72%), and these were laid flat; other memorials in the churchyard were also lowered. Our Friends group came together in 2004 to lobby for improvements and reinstatement.

HBC offered grants of £40 for individual restoration, and, thanks to Pateley Bridge Town Council, HBC Bereavement Services, and the Parochial Church Council working in partnership through the agency of the Friends, funding was found for the restoration of 26 churchyard memorials. Following the necessary tendering, HBC selected Memsafe to carry out the work, which was successfully completed in May 2006.

Then in 2007 HBC set up a project in partnership with the Probation Service to improve cemeteries throughout the borough and to reinstate memorials where families could not be found. HBC invested in tools and equipment, a welfare truck, and necessary training took place. The project was successfully piloted in Ripon cemetery and, happily for us, Pateley Bridge was next on the list.  

About 140 memorials are now being re-erected here by probationers on an unpaid work programme, and York College of Masonry offers them a chance to gain qualifications through this work. In addition, thanks to a generous private donation, 40 other memorials have been reinstated, again by Memsafe.