Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England 'Ruined'
AO Edited

'Ruined'

A unique sculpture cemetery dedicated to the region's defunct businesses.

St Paul's, England

Fred Cherrygarden profile photo
Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
‘Ruined’   Picture Institute
‘Ruined’   Picture Institute
  Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Ruined   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
‘Ruined’   Picture Institute
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

To begin with, Brunswick Cemetery in Bristol was established circa 1770 and served as a Unitarian burial ground until 1963 when it became a public park. While it retained much of its historic features such as monuments, boundary walls, and a Georgian mortuary chapel, its past as a garden of remembrance was largely forgotten over time. 

In 2010, however, artist Hew Locke revitalized its role as a cemetery with a creative twist.

Now titled "Ruined," the former Unitarian cemetery is now home to a series of cast-iron grave markers, designed by Locke to evoke the long-forgotten histories of the dearly departed that they commemorate. Memorialized here are now-defunct, bankrupt, or taken-over companies of the past. Some of them are of local origin which contributed to the rise and fall of Bristol's trade in the days of the British Empire.

The work received a Planting Places Award in 2011 and is now also known as Brunswick Cemetery Gardens.

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

Sculptures History & Culture Art

Know Before You Go

The "cemetery" is open 24/7. Also worth noting, located a short walk away is "The Mild Mild West," the first known public artwork by the infamous artist Banksy.

From Brunswick Square, go through the alley on the right-hand side of the Unitarian Meeting House. The graves are on the far side of the cemetery, just to the right.

Community Contributors

Fred Cherrygarden profile photo

Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

jooniur profile photo

Edited By

jooniur

  • jooniur profile photo jooniur

Published

February 14, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
'Ruined'
11 Brunswick Square
St Paul's, England, BS2 8PE
United Kingdom
51.461068, -2.587691
Get Directions

Nearby Places

12 Portraits

Bristol, England

miles away

Bristol Bus Boycott Plaque

Bristol City, England

miles away

Lollipop Be-Bop

Bristol, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,548
Stories 145

Nearby Places

12 Portraits

Bristol, England

miles away

Bristol Bus Boycott Plaque

Bristol City, England

miles away

Lollipop Be-Bop

Bristol, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,548
Stories 145

Related Places

  • The sculpture/benches by Siameses Company.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Plaza Tlaxcoaque

    A small square that sheds its troubled recent history with its surrounding artworks, some of which are not without controversy.

  • Waiting for Poe

    Westford, Massachusetts

    'Waiting for Poe'

    This sculpture memorializes the town's connection to the famous horror author Edgar Allan Poe.

  • Dama Ibérica

    Valencia, Spain

    Dama Ibérica

    This sculpture in Valencia features 22,000 tiny, obsidian blue figures that pay homage to the Lady of Elche.

  • Biggest Jar in the World

    Guellala, Tunisia

    Biggest Jar in the World

    This jar honors the role that pottery has played in this Tunisian village over the past millennia.

  • America, America is a modernist sculpture by artist Barbara Neijna found along Tampa’s Riverwalk.

    Tampa, Florida

    'America, America'

    This sculpture is one of many stunning features along Tampa’s Riverwalk.

  • Easterhouse Phoenix

    Glasgow, Scotland

    Easterhouse Phoenix

    This remarkable sculpture symbolizes the regeneration in this Glasgow suburb.

  • 'Save Iraqi Culture'

    Baghdad, Iraq

    'Save Iraqi Culture'

    A surreal monument depicting a five-armed giant supporting a toppling cylinder seal.

  • The statue, 'Gzim och den frusna sjön' ('Gzim and the Frozen Lake'),  capturing the moment the boy learned he would be deported.

    Skellefteå, Sweden

    'Gzim och den frusna sjön' ('Gzim and the Frozen Lake')

    A sculpture capturing the emotional moment when a refugee boy realizes he is about to be deported.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.