SOUTH STONEHAM GARDEN OF REST AND MEMORIAL BUILDING

Southampton’s first crematorium at South Stoneham, which was opened in 1932 in existing buildings converted for the purpose, was in the 1960's becoming inadequate for the growing number of cremations, and its equipment was approaching obsolescence. Therefore the City Council decided to build a new crematorium on a site acquired at Bassett. This was opened on Monday 8th October 1973, the Crematorium at South Stoneham having finally closed on the previous Friday 5th October 1973, and the buildings demolished soon after.
Also during this period, the Department of Transport were considering the route of the Chilworth to Windhover section of the M27 motorway. The original line first proposed in the 1930's (as the South Coast Road) ran between the crematorium and South Stoneham Cemetery and through what is now the Ford Transit factory. However, following a Public Enquiry, the route finally fixed was diverted to the north of the motor works and south of the airport in a loop taking it through the South Stoneham Crematorium site. Although the City Council raised objections at the Public Enquiry, these were overruled and the Minister of Transport confirmed the altered route. However, the Department of Transport did agree to pay towards the cost of a replacement Garden of Rest and memorial building. These were sited between the South Stoneham Cemetery and the crematorium on a strip of allotment land, which was the original South Coast Road route. The South Stoneham Garden of Remembrance opened in 1974.

A stipulation made as a result of the Public Enquiry was that the complete layer of topsoil containing the cremated remains in the old garden of rest should be removed and transferred to the new site by hand. This was done and the topsoil was placed in the new garden in the same relative position. As many shrubs and roses as possible were also transplanted, but many did not survive, being quite old, and these were later replaced. The war memorial and garden seats were also moved to the new garden as were the Staffordshire Blue bricks forming the path edges.

The old crematorium building contained a columbarium (in which people could pay for niches where urns and caskets containing cremated remains could be placed). This was already full many years before the closure of the old crematorium. A new columbarium was constructed in the South Stoneham Garden memorial building to house the urns and caskets in cases where the owners of the existing niches wished them to remain at South Stoneham. All owners of grants of rights in niches were sent a letter at the time explaining the situation and were given the choice of having the cremated remains scattered in the new garden, taking them away or as previously mentioned, transferring them to the new columbarium. In addition there were many bronze plaques on the walls of the old chapel; these were allowed up to 1958 when there was no more available space. These were transferred to a wall of the new memorial building.

The Book of Remembrance from the old crematorium was also transferred to the new memorial building and is still available for relatives of persons whose cremated remains are scattered in the South Stoneham Garden of Remembrance and who wish to make an entry, and indeed for relatives of persons cremated at the old crematorium who did not have an entry made at the time.