Circle of Lebanon

From the gloom of the Egyptian Avenue, the visitor emerges, blinking, into the 'Circle of Lebanon'. This an open circle of vaults about fifteen feet below the level of the surrounding ground, at the centre of which was  a large Cedar of Lebanon. The tree was thought to have been around one hundred years old when the cemetery was laid out. It was part of the grounds of Ashurst House, sold in 1830 and demolished to provide a site for the present St Michael's Church. The tree's roots were corralled by a circle of twenty vaults.

In August 2019 significant decay was found in the Cedar, which was declared to be at a high risk of catastrophic collapse. Unfortunately it was necessary to remove it competely and it has been replaced with a new tree, but it will be many years before this looks as spectacular as the original.

The outer range was originally a grassy bank with an imperial staircase leading up to ground level opposite the Duke of St Albans' vault. However, this was removed and new stairs added elsewhere when the Beer Mausoleum was built in the late 1870s. At the same time the outer range of vaults in the classical style was added by Thomas Porter, who also produced a design for a bridge across to the cedar and circles of graves beneath its canopy. Happily perhaps these were never built as the impact on the cedar may have been unfortunate.