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Roselawn Cemetery

Visitor information

Address: 127 Ballygowan Road, Crossnacreevy, Belfast, BT5 7UD (entry is via Ballygowan Road). Telephone: Call the cemetery site office on 028 9044 8288. Opening hours: Roselawn Cemetery is open at the following times: - 1 to 31 March - 8am to 6pm (Monday to Saturday) and 10am to 6pm (Sunday) - 1 April to 30 September - 8am to 6pm (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday), 8am to 8pm (Tuesday and Thursday) and 10am to 6pm (Sunday) - 1 to 31 October - 8am to 6pm (Monday to Saturday) and 10am to 6pm (Sunday) - 1 November to 28 February - 8am to 4pm (Monday to Saturday) and 10am to 4pm (Sunday)

Roselawn Cemetery is Belfast’s main muncipal cemetery.

It opened in 1954 and is also home to the City of Belfast Crematorium

Roselawn is currently the only cemetery we operate with new burial plots available.

Key features

Roselawn Cemetery contains the remains of an ancient ráth or ringfort.

A ráth is a fortified settlement made of earth. The site at Roselawn is believed to be from the Iron Age or early Christian period.

History

After World War II, burial space at Belfast City and Dundonald Cemeteries was limited.

Belfast Corporation (now the council) was forced to look outside the city boundaries to find a suitable site for another graveyard.

They eventually bought land at Crossnacreevy from Down County Council and work began on
the new burial ground.

Roselawn Cemetery was laid out in 1952 as a ‘lawn’ cemetery and the ground was formally consecrated in 1954.

Roses were planted along the main driveway, giving the site its name. In 1961, the City of
Belfast Crematorium, the first of its kind in Ireland, opened its doors, with the first cremation
taking place in July 1961.

However, pressure on burial space continued and, in 1979, the cemetery was extended by 17 acres. Further land has been added over the years, and the site has been landscaped with lakes to make it more appealing to visitors.

Access information

Bus routes: Ulsterbus no.12, departing from Laganside Bus Centre, Oxford Street. Car parking: Permitted on most roads within the cemetery. There is a five miles per hour speed limit throughout the site. Disabled parking is available. Disabled access: Contains a good network of roads and on-road parking. Access to graves in the cemetery's older sections and many of the memorial trees is restricted. The cemetery site office has a ramp and a low-level counter. Accessible toilets are also available.

Famous burials

Among those buried in Roselawn Cemetery are Northern Ireland footballer George Best (1946-2005) and Unionist MP James Kilfedder (1928-1995).

The site also contains graves connected to the Troubles, including those of police and prison officers, soldiers and victims of the Abercorn Restaurant, Oxford Street and La Mon House
Hotel bombings.