Motorway memorials

Back in the 19th century, Symonds Street Cemetery looked like the picture above (from the cemetery's interpretive sign). That was before the 1960s, and the development of the motorway system through Grafton and Newton Gullies.

 

Today, there are two areas in what remains of the cemetery where the remains which were removed for the motorway and were cremated at Waikumete Crematorium were then returned and reinterred. This is all that remains of the Catholic section.

The Catholic section used to look like this:

Today, it looks like the photo below. Everything from the fence to St Benedict's Church, is motorway.

The Anglicans were also losers to the motorway. Most of their section was carved away as well. The cremated remains are to be found beneath their own memorial wall.

 

 

 

 

It almost seems like a war memorial -- but, hence the title to this post, to me it's more a memorial to the effect a motorway had on our history.