Brookwood: The living and the dead: Exploring minority burial grounds in Brookwood Cemetery

References to war violence and bereavement theme.

This 60-minute documentary tells the story of Brookwood, a Victorian cemetery established in 1852 when London's graveyards and burial grounds were full and the dead needed to find somewhere else to rest. Over the intervening 170 years Brookwood has become home to many faiths and peoples, from near and far. From Woking in Surrey which is close by, to Persia, Bangladesh, the Baltic States - the film features a marvellous 91 year old Latvian lady who survived Russian and Nazi occupation before settling in Essex over fifty years ago, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, and so on.

In the film we meet a Zoroastrian - Zoroastrians created their own space in Brookwood's 200 acres back in the 1860s, Latvian Lutherans, Muslims from East Africa and the Subcontinent, and Italian Catholics. All put down roots here in England and cherish their permanent resting place at Brookwood. Multiculturalism was well under way during Queen Victoria's reign.

Produced by Chris Haydon for Community TV Trust: http://www.communitytvtrust.org/

Part of "The living and the dead: Exploring minority burial grounds in Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey" a Lottery-funded 2 year project. Project lead: Dr. Ole Jensen, Associate Lecturer, Open University.

The project was implemented over a two-year period from September 2020 to September 2022. It was led by Woking Asian Business Forum (http://www.wabf.org.uk/), working with Brookwood Cemetery (https://brookwoodcemetery.com/), Surrey History Centre (https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-a..., The Lightbox (https://www.thelightbox.org.uk/) and Brookwood Cemetery Society (https://www.tbcs.org.uk/).