News Maidstone Cemetery Chapel restored & reopened
The beautiful Grade II listed Maidstone Cemetery Chapel has been restored to its former glory and has been officially reopened for services to take place.
Extensive work has been carried out on the Gothic Style Chapel at the Sutton Road Cemetery over three years with repairs to the building and grounds.
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC), has overseen the restoration work which included structural repairs to the spire, replacement of a cast iron girdle around the steeple, full rewiring of the building, installation of replacement furniture and the re-pointing elevations and repair of sculptures.
The Deputy Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Martin Round, took part in a service as part of the official reopening of the Chapel today, Wednesday 5 March 2025, and commented:
The work that has been carried out to restore this amazing chapel to its former glory is very impressive.I have personally been involved in this project from the early Committee stages and have seen it through as a Cabinet member. I am absolutely delighted to see the Chapel come through to fruition and to know that it will be used for the people of Maidstone.
Designed by Peck & Stephens the Chapel originally opened in 1858. Following several structural surveys identifying significant risks, it closed in 2006. These outlined the urgent need for repairs to the spire and roof with the main concerns around the stability of the steeple because of rusting ironworks.
The last burial service was held in the Chapel on 27 January 2006. Since then, the MBC Bereavement Services team has been looking to reopen the Chapel to help families in difficult times of their lives. It reopened in August 2023.
The Cemetery carries out approximately 130 burials per year and reopening the Chapel will allow mourners to hold services once again for their loved ones in Maidstone.
More information is available about MBC Bereavement services on the website: www.maidstone.gov.uk
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