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A Tomb with a View
Book Recommendation:
A tomb with a view - the stories and glories of graveyards
Regular visitors and supporters of Ford Park Cemetery will appreciate the research and engaging way award winning author Peter Ross reveals the fascinating human stories abundant in cemeteries.
During the Covid pandemic lockdown, the cemetery behind Peter’s home became a place of refuge for him and the inspiration for the book. Chapters are dedicated to a diverse range of topics from angels, ivy and anchors to un-marked graves and individual life and death stories.
It is thought provoking, interesting and strangely uplifting with respectful humour.
The Passion Flower
There are beautiful examples of stonemasonry skills with passionflowers carved on headstones and tombs at Ford Park Cemetery.
Passiflora or the Passion flower is used to represent the suffering or Passion of Christ, which is particularly relevant at Easter.
Masons depict many aspects of the story of the Crucifixion in their representation of this flower with its vines in the carvings. The use of this plant to memorialise those who have passed symbolises faith and belief in eternal life.
Spanish Christian missionaries adopted the unique structure of this plant as symbols of the last days of Jesus and especially his crucifixion.
According to the RHS Kew the symbolism associated with the different floral parts is as follows:
• thefive petals and five sepals taken together represent the ten faithful apostles (excluding StPeter the denier and Judas the betrayer)
• the flower's radial filaments or corona represent the crown of thorns
• the three stigmas represent the three nails and the five anthers the five wounds (four by nails and one by the lance)
• the tendrils represent the whips used in the flagellation of Christ.
Instead of an Easter Egg why not gift someone with a Passionflower plant and perhaps a book sold in the cemetery heritage centre about symbolism on headstones.
Donate
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Events
Tickets £10 from the cemetery office
Including songs from the Forties
Tickets £12 from the Cemetery office
Opening Hours
Grounds
9 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. (Summer Time)
9 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. (Winter Time)
Office
10 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. (Mon to Fri)
Vehicular access is available whenever the grounds are open.
Visitor Centre Exhibition
Building Plymouth Exhibition - Architects & Architecture
From Sunday 7th April until Thursday 23rd May
Opening Times
Tuesdays and Thursdays 10.30am to 3.30pm
Sundays 11.30pm - 3.30pm
Craft Club
The Craft Club meets weekly in the Northey Room between 11.00am - 3.00pm every Wednesday - Free tea & coffee - bring your own food or sandwiches available to purchase from the cafe. All welcome.
Puzzle Swap Club
Twice weekly in the Coffee Shop Tuesday & Thursday 10:30 to 3:30 also Saturday & Sunday 12:30 to 3:30 - All welcome.