St Bartholomew’s Church, Prospect set for major expansion

For many it’s known as the supposed haunted cemetery, home to regular ghost tours. It’s now set for a major expansion and facelift to ensure it is the final resting place for generations to come.

A historic cemetery is set for a major expansion with 10,000 new burial plots across eight hectares.

St Bartholomew’s Church and Cemetery, which is perhaps better known for its ghost tours given its reputation as being haunted, has run out of room for fresh burials.

As well as the expansion Blacktown Council has revealed plans for a significant facelift, with new walkways, lighting and landscaping.

The church and cemetery were built in 1841 and it was the first church in Prospect. It is located just north of Ponds Road.

Locals on a ghost tour at Saint Bartholomew's Church, Prospect. Picture: Supplied

The cemetery contains the graves of many early settlers including explorer William Lawson. Blacktown Council conducted ghost tours at the site for a number of years.

On the ghost tour website, it states there is one troublesome ghost in particular and visitors have claimed to have been unable to move when they’ve approached his tombstone, while others have complained of nausea.

The St Bartholomew’s upgrades will be completed in two stages.

Stage 1 will be the face lift renovations which include new walkways, retaining walls and lighting.

Early undated portrait of Australia explorer William Lawson. Historical F/L Picture: Supplied

Gravestone of explorer William Lawson at St Bartholomew's Cemetery at Prospect. Pic Troy Bendeich. NSW / Religion

A Blacktown Council spokeswoman said: “The first stage of works is the preparation of land within the existing cemetery to make it usable for interment.

“The contractor started on site pre-Christmas with the removal of dumped contaminated fill along St Bartholomew’s Road.

“The main civil works (roadway, walkways, retaining walls, lighting, landscaping and water reticulation) will begin soon.”

It is expected this work will be completed in August 2022 – later than was first hoped due to wet weather and Covid impacting resources and the supply chain.

St Bartholomew's church and cemetery set for major upgrades and expansion

Stage 2 will see the expansion of St Bartholomew’s Cemetery to the east.

The council is proposing to expand over eights hectares of vacant land.

This will provide up to 10,000 additional burial plots over the next 40 years.

In addition in June 2019, a Development Application was approved enabling an additional vacant one hectare portion of the existing cemetery to be filled and embellished to provide up to 1,000 new burial sites, columbarium walls for ashes interment, a new access road, parking and associated works.