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Jean Pateman with Friends of Highgate Cemetery successor Tom Richardson |
Cemetery’s old guard goes
New management style promised as veteran chairman departs
IT is being called a long-overdue putsch by some delighted members, while others say it was a case of bowing out gracefully.
But whether she jumped or was pushed, Jean Pateman’s four-decade-long chairmanship of Friends of Highgate Cemetery has come to an end.
A joint announcement made on Tuesday by Mrs Pateman and her successor, retired businessman Tom Richardson, confirmed a decision made on Sunday by the board of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust.
Mrs Pateman became involved with the cemetery in 1975 but the way the burial ground has been run has provoked criticism recently. A guide book has named it the country’s most unfriendly tourist destination.
Aged 88, she will now stand aside from the everyday management of the cemetery and instead takes the title of president emeritus.
She said: “Nobody goes on indefinitely, but nobody wanted to do it until recently. I have stuck it out, hoping we would find someone prepared to be a proper chairman.”
Although Mrs Pateman decided not to put herself forward for re-election, she said the way the decision was taken was a departure. She added: “The board has chosen its own chairman, which has never been the case previously. In the past the members had done that.”
Mrs Pateman is to continue to work for the cemetery. She said: “I have saved the Friends around £100,000 a year, and I am happy to continue to help.”
Others say there has been a “massive, collective sigh of relief’’ over the change at the cemetery.
The new chairman has lived in Highgate for more than 40 years – his daughter, who died in a car accident in 1990, is buried at the cemetery. He said many working practices would now change.
Mrs Pateman had warned that the cemetery, where Karl Marx is buried, would have to cap visitor numbers, to prevent disturbance to mourners. But Mr Richardson disagrees. “Jean has strong opinions about this but I believe she is wrong,” he said. “We have around 40,000 to 50,000 visitors a year, and only between 30 and 40 funerals.
“None of the grave owners I have spoken to says there is a problem.”
He added: “There have been criticisms about style and frankly it looks bad for the cemetery. I want to undo that.” His aim is to rebuild membership – down from 2,000 to about 900 – and bring in more volunteers. |
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