The Jewish Burial Ground in Combe Down recently held a special open day event which was attended by the Chairwoman of Bath & North East Somerset Council, Councillor Karen Walker.
Cllr Karen Walker with Christina Hilsenrath, Chair of the Burial Ground Committee
The Bath Jewish Burial Ground is one of many religious sites which developed in the Georgian era as visitors to Bath increased in number.
Around 100 people from Bath’s 18th and 19th-century Jewish community are thought to be buried at the site.
It was established in 1812 by the small Jewish community and is situated just outside the Bath’s southern boundary in Combe Down.
The burial ground is run by the local organisation ‘The Friends of Bath Jewish Burial Ground’.
It was set up in 2005 by the Combe Down Heritage Society and the local Jewish community.
The aim of the group is to conserve the site for public access and to restore the small Georgian building that lies within to house an educational resource.
The site in Combe Down | Photo courtesy of Friends of Bath Jewish Burial Ground
Councillor Karen Walker (Independent, Peasedown) said: “I’m hugely grateful to the committee and local Jewish community for inviting me along last weekend.
“The burial ground truly is a hidden gem – part of Bath’s past (and present!) that I’m pleased to see is being preserved and celebrated.”
