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Original poster

Would you buy a house backing onto a cemetery?

178 replies

Olinguito · 21/11/2023 01:12

We're house hunting at the moment and like the look of a house that backs onto a cemetery. There is a substantial garden wall and high trees on the other side blocking the view of graves. The back garden has the advantages of being quiet and not overlooked.. However, would the proximity of a cemetery put you off, and do you think it would be difficult to sell in future?

OP posts:
LylaLee · 21/11/2023 07:46

Rosecutting · 21/11/2023 02:00

Generally speaking, no wouldn’t put me off.
If anything it’s a positive because no houses overlooking the garden, no potentially noisy neighbours from the back and no plans in future for building on that land.

As someone else said, old established cemetery would be better than a new one.

The only problem for me would be if the cemetery was higher than the land the house sits on.

The only problem for me would be if the cemetery was higher than the land the house sits on.

Why is that a problem?

berksandbeyond · 21/11/2023 07:47

It would depend on the cemetery but I probably wouldn’t.
There is a cemetery at the end of my street but it is very very old graves, and you almost never see anyone there. We live in a small village. In contrast there is an old cemetery in the town centre that is used by homeless people to sleep in and unfortunately to also take drugs. So I agree with the advice to visit at ‘odd’ times to see what it’s like (although I’d advise that for all house purchases anyway!)

terraced · 21/11/2023 07:50

Wouldn't put me off at all

SausageAndEggSandwich · 21/11/2023 07:51

You'd have nice quiet neighbours.

Agree you'd need to know if it was an old cemetery or one which is currently accepting new residents for traffic reasons

Old cemeteries are really interesting places, I'd think of it as a positive.

LunaTheCat · 21/11/2023 07:52

We live next door to cemetery… rural property ,there is a lovely historic church with cemetery.. it’s a lovely peaceful place.

TerfTalking · 21/11/2023 07:55

Olinguito · 21/11/2023 01:12

We're house hunting at the moment and like the look of a house that backs onto a cemetery. There is a substantial garden wall and high trees on the other side blocking the view of graves. The back garden has the advantages of being quiet and not overlooked.. However, would the proximity of a cemetery put you off, and do you think it would be difficult to sell in future?

DS did just that a couple of months ago. The back garden is walled, the house a stone Victorian, the graveyard is quiet 😀and dark and no chance of housing being put there as it’s an “active” cemetery. His house overlooks the old part of the graveyard so the stones are hundreds of years old rather than the ugly marble with gold lettering that is popular now.

you can only see the cemetery from the upstairs windows and the street is very popular, houses always sell, but they are handsome houses.

I love it, I’m very envious of his graveyard house. Wouldn’t put me off one bit.

Startingagainandagain · 21/11/2023 07:59

It would not put me off.

The only thing I would check though is the local paper/Facebook community board to see if the cemetery is not linked with anti-social behaviour by local kids.

I live in the small town and there was a few incidents of drug dealing and anti social behaviour/fights in the cemetery as it is very close to a secondary school so I avoided the streets that back into the cemetery when I was house hunting because of that, rather than because of the idea of living close to graves which would not have bothered me at all.

IsThisOneAvailable · 21/11/2023 08:12

EliflurtleAndTheInfiniteMadness · 21/11/2023 01:56

I've never seen a zombie apocalypse where the zombies came from reanimated corpses so I don't think being cemetery adjacent increases zombie related risks. I still wouldn't buy the house personally, Id find it a bit creepy and my DD who has anxiety would be freaked out by it.

Show quote history

Is Night of the Living Dead not reanimated corpses?

I wouldn't buy, for this reason haha

SecondUsername4me · 21/11/2023 08:16

Having watched Ghosts, the ghosts tend to linger where they died, not where they are buried, so that element wouldn't bother me Grin

I love walking round graveyards. Someone near me walks round ours with his bungalow cat on a lead.

Lindy2 · 21/11/2023 08:18

We back onto a graveyard.

In the Spring it's full of daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops and is stunning. There are squirrels, bats, badgers and deer as well as many different birds and foxes.

We find it lovely and it's probably the only green space near us that's safe from having more houses built on it.

SecondUsername4me · 21/11/2023 08:18

LylaLee · 21/11/2023 07:46

The only problem for me would be if the cemetery was higher than the land the house sits on.

Why is that a problem?

Show quote history

I suppose it would mean the bodies would be lay at or above ground level for you.

spookehtooth · 21/11/2023 08:19

Great views, not going to do an extension and reduce sunlight, and as it's attractive to wildlife what's not to like?

SWSO · 21/11/2023 08:20

Reugny · 21/11/2023 01:13

No.

You wouldn't have any noise disturbance from that side.

😂

AgnesX · 21/11/2023 08:20

If it was a good house and location then yes. Used to live backing on to a cemetery and it was perfectly ok.

It's the living that cause problems.

YYURYYUCICYYUR4ME · 21/11/2023 08:22

I'd see it as a positive, much nicer neighbours than most!!

HopefullyHopeless · 21/11/2023 08:25

Wouldn't put me off. As PPs have said, not overlooked and very unlikely to be developed would be huge plus points.

citychick · 21/11/2023 08:25

we live between 2 cemeteries. we are separated by roads and there are lots of other houses around. We have no issues with the cemeteries, only the visiting foxes who live there and their travels around our area, but it's not a daily occurrence. Funeral traffic can get busy at times, but it's not a huge concern. The occupants of the cemetery are no problem at all. 😁

CurlewKate · 21/11/2023 08:26

My pils lived near a huge and very old cemetery. We have such happy memories of it because it was where fil taught all his grandchildren to ride their bikes in between the amazing mill owners' mausoleums and Victorian angels.

Sgtmajormummy · 21/11/2023 08:30

We had just that situation with the house I grew up in. Five bedrooms on one salary, so compromises had to be made.

I used to walk to school through the huge green cemetery and greet the gravediggers on my way. Later on we used it to ride our bikes to the municipal park on the other side (local thug, me). Luckily the park keeper’s lodge was a minute from my house for easy access.
Our garden backed onto a huge cedar hedge and some overgrown graves, so not a busy area. Occasionally we’d see black smoke rising from the crematorium and say “that must have been a bad’un”.

It was fun when I brought a group of girlies home for a birthday party at 4pm in November!

Doingmybest12 · 21/11/2023 08:31

Not necessarily put me off but it would be an extra consideration regarding how it feels, who is in and out of there , what view it was from down stairs, neglected or not. I assume it would mean a similar consideration for others. But no different to say if there is a school behind or a supermarket or a factory or a car park or a playing field etc .

CharlotteStreetW1 · 21/11/2023 08:32

We had a maisonette that backed on to the church and cemetery. It was at the top of a hill so sometimes we would take a cup of tea and sit and take in the views. It was lovely. And I loved the bells too.

(On one occasion though our cat came with us and he was totally feaked out and stuck to us like glue!)

Jewelspun · 21/11/2023 08:32

It wouldn't put me off as the occupants of the land are dead. It's the living that cause any problems.

Besides, think of the location, it's the dead centre of the town.

RedHelenB · 21/11/2023 08:34

Olinguito · 21/11/2023 01:12

We're house hunting at the moment and like the look of a house that backs onto a cemetery. There is a substantial garden wall and high trees on the other side blocking the view of graves. The back garden has the advantages of being quiet and not overlooked.. However, would the proximity of a cemetery put you off, and do you think it would be difficult to sell in future?

Plus point for me.

viques · 21/11/2023 08:35

My first workplace was next to a cemetery which had originally been used as a plague pit, but cleaned up its act and had lots of iInteresting people buried there. The only spooky thing was that it was a starling roost and the sound of the starlings as they swooped in and settled for the night sounded like children crying.

I now live in a road with a lovely little church and churchyard at the end of it. The only downside is the tossers who flytip over the hedge and their equally tossery friends who think the hedge is a public urinal. I enjoy yelling at them loudly from across the road and hoping they are surprised enough to lose aim and piss on their shoes, when that happens I chalk it up as a good day.

grass67 · 21/11/2023 08:38

I know they are generally safe from building, but I know three where the bodies were exhumed and moved, two for houses and one for a roundabout. I don't agree with moving graves, but it does happen.