Hidden in the woods at Holmhurst St Mary are a few quiet graves — simple wooden crosses marking just a first name, age, and year of death. They belong to nuns from the old convent school, which shut down in 1981. Since then, the Diocese of Chichester has looked after the site.
Not far from the graves are some old sandstone walls, though the wooden gate has disappeared. When plans were submitted to redevelop the land, Hastings planners said the graveyard would be left “untouched,” though the surrounding gardens — which aren’t officially protected — would be reshaped for the new housing.
But notice has been received (albeit redacted) that forty-six sets of human remains were actually exhumed from the graveyard at the end of 2024. The bones were cremated, and the ashes placed in a sealed casket and reburied in the same place. That clearly doesn’t match the earlier claim that the graves wouldn’t be disturbed.
The Mother Agnes Trust has been told to put up a new memorial, though its design and wording still need approval before anything goes ahead.
The trees and old structures in this part of the gardens aren’t listed, so residents will have to wait and see what the final layout of this bit of the estate looks like.
