RCAHMS record Scottish Cemetery of Kolkata

The Scottish Cemetery of Kolkata, which contains over 1600 headstones and is the burial site for both Bengalis and many hundreds of Scots who died far from home, is now derelict and overgrown by jungle.

Since the 1820s the Cemetery has served St Andrews Church in Dalhousie Square, the first Church of Scotland Church to be built in Kolkata. Formerly known as Calcutta, the city was the headquarters of the East India Company and the capital of British India until 1912. The Cemetery is an invaluable record of the ties between Scotland and India in the nineteenth and twentieth century, and the handwritten register of interments lists names from every part of Scotland and occupations including industrialists, engineers, jute traders, soldiers and missionaries.

The project, which was initiated by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), and is led by the Kolkata Scottish Heritage Trust, aims to restore as many of the monuments as possible and retain the site as a managed open space for the large surrounding urban population. RCAHMS' surveyors, together with Edinburgh-based conservation architects Simpson & Brown and a cemetery expert from Highland Council, have been invited by the Trusts to carry out a first survey of the site, looking at the condition of the monuments and developing a plan for restoration. Many of the headstones, which are comprised of Aberdeen granite or brick and lime with marble tablets, are broken and decayed.

By researching and recording the Cemetery, the team will improve the understanding of its cultural importance and unique history. The long term goal is to establish an on-site centre for training in the traditional skills necessary for the future maintenance and repair of historic buildings.

Clare Sorensen, Architectural Historian at RCAHMS said, "The Commission has many years of experience and expertise surveying and recording threatened buildings in Scotland – it is just one aspect of our role recording the nation's built environment. The Kolkata Cemetery is an important monument to the joint heritage of both Scotland and India, and we are delighted to be asked to survey and record this treasured place overseas."

Linda Fabiani, Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture said, "The Scottish Government's International Framework highlights the importance that we place on strengthening the existing links between Scotland and India. I am pleased that the work the team is undertaking seeks to preserve the historic importance of this site for both Scotland and Kolkata, as well as working to improve the landscape for the benefit of the local community."

The team leave for India on 8 November. Survey information from the visit will be made available to the public online through our searchable database Canmore and members of the team will be blogging daily during the trip at http://scottishcemeterykolkata.wordpress.com. Anyone who thinks they may have relations buried in the cemetery can send enquiries to ajuler@simpsonandbrown.co.uk.