Shankill Graveyard is located along the main Shankill Road and is one of the oldest graveyards in Belfast. The cemetery is now closed for new burials but has been used for burials for over 1000 years.
One of the oldest known head stone belongs to George McAuley who died in 1685.
A large sculpture of Queen Victoria by artist John Cassidy is an imposing yet grand feature of the cemetery. The Portland stone statue was originally placed on Durham Street in 1897 before being moved to Shankill graveyard in 2003.
The “old Church”, (séan chill) was the earliest Christian church on this site, historically dating back to around 1306, believed to be “White Church of the Chapels of the Ford”.
The 18th century was when most burials took place and where local people were laid to rest.
During the 19th century, residents from the surrounding districts of Ligoniel, Glenalina, Oldpark and Upper Springfield were buried in Shankill graveyard.
During this time, the site changed from a rural community graveyard to a town cemetery.
Workhouse paupers and victims of the plague still rest in Shankill graveyard. Black Death claimed hunderds of lives across Belfast. It sparked real worry and great fear. To this very day -the pit at Shankill graveyard has never been re-opened for fear of disease.
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