Graveyards watch list

Famous burial places are among world's most endangered sites

The World Monuments Fund – a not-for-profit international organisation dedicated to the preservation of the world’s architectural heritage – has added a group of Edinburgh’s historic graveyards to its 2010 list of 100 most endangered sites.

The group of burial grounds are all within the city’s World Heritage Site and include Greyfriars, Canongate, Old Calton, New Calton, and St Cuthbert’s graveyards.

Buried within them are international figures such as the economist Adam Smith and the philosopher David Hume, as well as important characters from the history of the city such as the poet Robert Fergusson, James Craig and Greyfriars Bobby, the famously loyal Skye Terrier.

The World Monuments Watch list highlights threats to heritage sites, drawing international attention to efforts to save them.

An independent panel of experts select the final 100 sites from nominations around the world.

The challenges facing these graveyards are complex, but often come down to a question of ownership.

Headstones, tombs and memorials are owned by the families of the deceased but over hundreds of years, many have been forgotten and fallen into disrepair.

The Council and the churches are responsible for general maintenance, but there are no funds for repair.

While being included on this watch list does not bring funding, it opens the door to potential support from other preservation-minded organisations across the globe, and from the World Monuments Fund, which offers logistical advice and consulting services.

It is therefore hoped that the inclusion of Edinburgh’s graveyards will be the first step to realising some of the potential in these under-used historical sites.

To find out more about the World Monuments Fund, visit www.wmf.org.uk