Columbarium At Lawnswood Cemetery

The Columbarium at Lawnswood Cemetery is a building completed in 1933 and dedicated in July 1934. It was designed by Colonel A.E. Kirk and finished by Messrs. Kirk and Tomlinson of Leeds. The structure is made of red brick and Portland stone, topped with a pantile roof and features marble details.

This tall, single-storey building is designed in a Classical style and includes a war memorial along with tiers of niches that hold cinerary urns. The portico extends into L-shaped colonnaded wings that enclose a paved area with low walls, facing northeast.

Inside, the chapel is apsidal and barrel-vaulted, with three recesses on each side that contain shelves for urns, some of which are covered by patterned bronze grilles. The chapel features round-arched clerestory windows, and the entrance has glazed bronze double doors with an overlight showcasing elaborate scrolled decoration and a keyed architrave, topped by a round window.

The high round-arched portico is supported by columns in antis and features an entablature with two urns, along with panelled reveals to the arch. The round arch motif is repeated in the colonnades, and the back walls are adorned with inscribed plaques. The ends of the wings return as round-arched doorways with stone architraves and bronze fanlights, all beneath a hipped roof. The exterior of both the wings and chapel also displays memorial plaques and inscribed stone panels.

The building is designed to accommodate 2,000 urns within its niches.