HomeBalmoral Cemetery
Address: Stockman’s Lane, Belfast, BT9 7JA (entry is via Stockman's Lane, just off Lisburn Road).Contact information: Call the Cemeteries and Crematorium Central Office on 028 9027 0296. It is open from 8.30am until 5pm (Monday to Thursday), 4.30pm (Friday) and 12.30pm (Saturday).
Opening hours: The cemetery is open by appointment only. Call us on 028 9027 0296 to arrange an appointment.
Access information: Take Metro 9 A-C, 90 or 92 from Belfast city centre. There is no car parking available at the cemetery, which contains level ground throughout for those with disabilities.
About the cemetery
Balmoral Cemetery, situated in south Belfast, opened to the public in 1855. The graveyard, originally known as Belfast Cemetery, Malone, became public property in 1953.Today, although burials no longer take place in the cemetery, it is a recognised historical site and can be opened for visitors. A guided tour can be arranged, on request, by contacting Musgrave Park on 028 9038 1581. This service dependent on the availability of staff, so please ring in advance of your visit.
Photo gallery
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Balmoral Cemetery opened in 1855 after Reverend Henry Cooke and Reverend Joseph Mackenzie of Malone were refused permission to carry out a ‘proper’ Presbyterian funeral in another churchyard. The pair decided to set up their own burial ground on land belonging to Reverend Mackenzie, beside Stockman’s Lane.The new cemetery was controlled by a board of trustees which included three Presbyterian ministers. Burials were mostly of subscribing and non-subscribing Presbyterians but the graveyard was also used by other denominations.
By the 1920s, the site had fallen into disrepair and, in 1953, it was taken over by Belfast Corporation (now the council).
Famous burials
Amongst those buried in Balmoral Cemetery are:- Reverend Joseph Mackenzie (1811-1883) - co-founder of the site
- Reverend Henry Cooke (1788-1868) - co-founder of the site. Cooke was a prominent Presbyterian noted for his conservative views. His funeral was described as being ‘probably the largest ever to take place in Belfast’ at the time. A statue of Cooke, known locally as the Black Man, was erected in College Square East in 1876.
- Dr Wilberforce Arnold (1838-1891) - founder of the Presbyterian Orphan Society
- William Batt (1840-1910) - architect who designed the front gate lodge for Botanic Gardens
If you are interested in historic monuments, there is more information in our heritage directory
