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GNADENTHAL CEMETERY

Location Day's Lane and Tobin's Lane PENSHURST, Southern Grampians Shire File Number 706 Level Stage 2 study complete

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Statement of Significance

What is significant?
The Gnadenthal Cemetery is a single denomination Lutheran Wendish Cemetery located on the east side of Day's (or Tobin's) Lane, about 1500 metres north of the township of Penshurst. The cemetery is divided into two sections, the older being towards the south-east corner and the newer being along the Day's Lane boundary and closer to the entrance gates. There are about 75 burials in the cemetery. The first burial took place in June 1861. The cemetery is in very good condition, and retains a very high degree of integrity.

How is it significant?
The Gnadenthal Cemetery is of historical and social importance to the districts of Penshurst, Tabor and Tarrington and the Southern Grampians Shire.

Why is it significant?
The Gnadenthal Cemetery is of historical significance as an enduring record of those who have lived and died in the Lutheran and Wendish communities of Tabour, Penshurst and Tarrington. It is of further historical importance as a reflection of passing phases, ways of life and death, particular events, and as documentary evidence. It is of particular historical interest in that it is a single denominational burial site.

The cemetery is of social significance for reflecting the customs and tastes of the tightly knit German community, for reflecting the strong Lutheran and Wendish religious values, and for reflecting different economic and social status within the community. It is also important as a place of passive recreation.

The Gnadenthal cemetery is of architectural significance for its range of tombstones, memorials and iconography reflecting the aesthetics of different periods and groups within the community. It is also of interest for its overall design and position within the broader landscape.