The latest edition of the Ballast Hills Burial Ground newsletter is now available to read online: December 2025 Newsletter.
December offers a moment to pause and take stock of the work that has unfolded across the project. Following a short break in November, this issue brings together activity that has continued behind the scenes, particularly across archive research, data development, and planning for the next phase through to June 2026.
This edition reflects a project that continues to grow in both scale and depth. New student interns and volunteers have joined the archive and digital work, strengthening the capacity to enhance catalogue records, develop research notes, and expand the project dataset. This collective effort supports a shared aim to make the evidence for Ballast Hills Burial Ground more accessible, more usable, and more meaningful for future research and interpretation.
Alongside this, attention has turned to how the project communicates its work. A small media refresh will begin in the new year, helping to connect the blog, Instagram, and Facebook more effectively. This will support clearer and more consistent sharing of research activity, discoveries, and opportunities to get involved.
This issue also continues the newsletter’s tradition of combining research with reflection. A seasonal contribution, Sonnet on the Shortest Day by Robert Gilchrist, offers a nineteenth century perspective rooted in the site itself. Historical research features, including work on Nonconformist clergy and burial practices, further deepen understanding of the people and beliefs connected to Ballast Hills.
Looking ahead, the project will continue to build on this foundation through archive research, public engagement, and collaborative interpretation. Opportunities to contribute, whether through research, writing, or sharing memories and materials, remain central to the project’s direction.
You can read the full December newsletter here.
As always, thank you to everyone who contributes time, knowledge, and interest. This work continues to develop through shared effort, and each contribution helps to shape how Ballast Hills Burial Ground is understood, remembered, and cared for now and in the future.