The Bishop of Blackburn is looking at public views over changing the religious status of burial land where children were laid to rest during the Second World War.

The Mayor of Ribble Valley Council, Coun Mark Hindle, has spoken about the condition of the Calderstones Hospital site near Whalley and the ‘Booth Hall Babies’ a number of times. He highlighted current talks regarding the land’s future at the latest full council meeting.

Unwell youngsters were moved from Booth Hall Hospital in Blackley, Greater Manchester, during bombing raids in the late 1930s, and taken to the Calderstones Hospital, in Ribble Valley. The site is now part of Lancashire’s Ribble Valley borough.

In total, the wider cemetery site is said to have the remains of more than 1,000 people, children and adults, including former hospital staff. It also has a separate military cemetery because it included the Queen Mary’s Military Hospital.

In recent years, part of the site’s future has been the focus of debate. Developers wanted to build a crematorium on part of it but because the land is consecrated, its status would need to be changed.

Previously, Coun Hindle has contrasted what he says is the well-kept military cemetery at one end with the ‘terrible state’ of another hospital section where children’s graves are located. He has also highlighted family and public sensitivities about the issues.

Speaking at the latest full council meeting, he said: “Over 70,000 troops went to the Calderstones Hospital for rehabilitation in two wars. Some died there and were buried in a number of cemeteries in this area including at Calderstones.

“Also buried there are babies who originally came from Booth Hall Hospital. So the cemetery is a very precious place for families.

“In the past decade, part of the cemetery was bought by private developers with the aim of building a crematorium. A planning application went to Ribble Valley Council. But nothing can be built on consecrated ground. But there is an application with the Bishop of Blackburn to de-consecrate at least part of it.”

Coun Hindle said considerations include the site’s ‘sanctity as a place of burial’ and people’s reactions to the issues. 

He has been working with other councillors, Aaron Wilkins-Odudu, John  Atherton and Ian Brown, to see if they can help. He added: “I’ve raised it because it’s quite an emotive issue.”

The Blackburn Diocese consultation began in February and has officially just ended.

A spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “In a public notice, with a comprehensive set of related papers, all available on our website since early February, the Bishop of Blackburn gave notice that the Archdeacon of Blackburn has applied for an order under section 92 of the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018 that a part of the consecrated land known as Calderstones Cemetery in the parish of Whalley Saint Mary shall not be subject to the legal effects of consecration.

“There has been a period of consultation and representations can be made in writing. This can be sent to the Bishop’s address on the notice.”

The exact numbers of children who died at Calderstones and were buried there may be uncertain. Some sources suggest 18 babies and children died there, with five returned home for funerals in Manchester.

In total, more than 200 children, along with nursing staff, were transferred to Calderstones from Booth Hall Hospital in Manchester in 1939.

Some children who died at Calderstones were buried in combined graves, according to some sources. Many headstones were removed in the early 2000s, reportedly on health-and-safety grounds.

The site’s management and ownership has changed over the years. Plans were drawn-up for a new cemetery and a crematorium but these did not go-ahead. The land’s status as consecrated ground was confirmed.

Separately, groups such as the Friends of Calderstones and Brockhall Cemeteries have been campaigning to restore the site’s features and archives.