Thank you - for helping save the graves of old Attercliffe !

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and to a Big Lottery Sharing Heritage Grant, Friends of Zion Graveyard Attercliffe were able to purchase the disused burial ground of Zion Congregational Church in 2018 and save it as a historic and natural heritage site for the benefit of generations to come. 

This site is the burial ground of anti-slavery campaigner Mary Anne Rawson and her family including her father Joseph Read who was the second generation owner of The Sheffield Smelting Company (TheSSCo), founded in 1760 as Read & Lucas.  Also buried here is a cross-section of the population of Attercliffe in the 1800s from a time when it was an important village prominent in the early days of Sheffield's metal industry. 

Looking for the burial place of an ancestor? The list of graves so far discovered along with a link to Find a Grave, can be downloaded here Zion Grave Index Aug 2023 v3.pdf  Please contact us through this website if you believe you are related to anyone on the list.

Access:  Our Events page gives details of planned events or please phone 07980 143776 to arrange a visit.

Our activities include:    

  •  Environment & Gardening group - caring for the graveyard and nurturing the wildlife.  The full report by Wildscapes gives guidance on native species suitable for this site.  Zion Graveyard Habitat Management Plan.pdf  
  • Zion Attercliffe Oral History Project -  to collect and record the memories of people who lived in this vibrant community.  Please contact us through this website if you have a story to share.
  • The Wincobank Attercliffe connection - find out more about the trail which led to the re-discovery of Zion Graveyard, read the HLF All Our Stories project blog  https://upperwincobankchapel.wordpress.com/.
  • History Research investigating the historical records of Zion Church and those buried in the graveyard. Help us collate the wealth of information we have collected.

For regular updates please follow us on  Facebook Friends of Zion Graveyard Attercliffe. 

Friends of Zion Graveyard Attercliffe is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission.  No 1188411







Volunteers welcome!

Volunteers are needed to help look after this hidden gem.
If you live in the area and can spare a couple of hours once a month please contact us through this website.