History & Cemetery
A brief history of All Saints Burwood Church & Parish
In 1877 landowner and farmer, Richard May Morten, donated land for a church and graveyard. The property was on New Brighton Road, just to the west of where Bassett Street meets the roundabout by the Avondale bridge. A church was built to a design by architect Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort, called All Saints’ Church, New Brighton, and dedicated by Bishop H. J. C. Harper on 9 September 1877.
Burwood Cemetery was opened in 1877 as part the site for the original All Saints church.
A “Parochial District” of New Brighton was established in 1889 with the Rev Frederick Richard Inwood as the vicar for both Burwood and the New Brighton area. A tent church in New Brighton, on the site of the St Faith’s, was known as the ‘Beach Church’. In 1906 a separate New Brighton Parish was established.
When Inwood arrived in Burwood he built himself a large house and orchard next to the church. The next vicar, Tobin, bought the house and, after him and the house remained in his family’s hands until the church bought it. It was eventually sold by the church and became a preschool until being damaged by earthquakes in 2011.
From 1937-48 Burwood Parish was controlled by either the parish of Shirley, Avonside or Belfast. After 1948 there has been either a priest-in-charge or vicar. The original All Saints’ Church was deconsecrated and demolished in the 1990s. The present church was built in 1969. In 2020 The Parishes of Shirley and Burwood were combined and work began to build a new, large community facility on the Burwood site, due to be completed in 2024.
Historical information sourced from Burwood Anglican Cemetery Tour by Richard L. N. Greenway
St Mark’s Church
St Mark’s Anglican Church first started in 1894, it was designed by RW England, however it burnt down in June 1925.
The replacement was built in 1926, designed by Christchurch architects the Guthrie Brothers as an Arts and Crafts Gothic Revival style church and constructed of permanent materials. The Guthrie Brothers presented two designs to the Vicar with the more ambitious and more expensive design being favoured by the parishioners. The foundation stone was laid on 31 August 1926 by Bishop West-Watson.
The church continues to serve the local community as part of the Burwood Anglican Parish.
Burwood Cemetery
Burwood Cemetery has a long history; In 1877 land was donated by Richard May Morten for a church and graveyard next to the New Brighton School, the old Burwood school site. All Saints’ was built by Christchurch architect Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort, dedicated by Bishop Henry John Chitty Harper at 3 p.m. on 9 September 1877 and the Cemetery was opened as part the site for the original All Saints Church.
The first burial was that of Henry Inwood who died, at 65, in 1882. He was not of the well known Inwood family, but has a colourful history. He emigrated with his wife Frances Inwood in 1851 and they settled in the east of Christchurch. In February 1868 Henry was among several notable delinquents. The great Waimakariri flood washed Josiah Birch‘s timber out to sea and down to the New Brighton beach. Henry and others found it and secreted it on their properties. Birch was able to identify and retrieve the timber because it contained a flaw and had been cut into unusual lengths. The culprits were brought before the Bench and scolded by the judge.
Reference: Burwood Anglican Cemetery Tour by Richard L. N. Greenway
Locating a grave
There are also many great online resources to find out about graves, including those at Burwood Cemetery. Historic information for Burwood Cemetery is held by Archives at the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch. Local historian Richard L. N. Greenway has some interesting publications that are dedicated to Burwood Cemetery and All Saints Church, please contact him if you would like to find out more. He also runs an annual cemetery tour during heritage week.
If searching for images of graves or headstones please refer to these sites, they are free to use and do not require you to register.
If searching for historical information about family, the Papers Past can provide useful birth, death, obituary notices and other interesting information published up to 1950.
Volunteering
We have a group of wonderful volunteers who help us to maintain the cemetery, gardening, planting, watering and general upkeep. For more details or if you would be interested in volunteering please contact the Church office.
Interesting cemetery information
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Early Burials
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Cemetery Introductions
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![Grave of War veteran Ralph Pearson]()
Notable Figures & War Graves
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Big names in the early community
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Street names with a connection to All Saints Burwood
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Burials by Surname from 1882-2014
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![Frank and Jean Burt's Ash plot]()
Ash Interments by Surname
