A Welsh family has transformed Richard Burton's "forgotten" Swiss grave, which lay abandoned and covered in weeds for years. Expat Philip Jennings, originally from Cardiff, said he was saddened when he saw the Hollywood legend's neglected burial site in his local newspaper in June.
The 69-year-old said: "There's a local newspaper here called Lacote. About two weeks ago now there was a whole page article under the headline which basically said: 'Has Richard Burton been forgotten?'. The photographer had been down to the old cemetery in Céligny, Switzerland, and it showed Richard Burton's gravestone and surrounding area looking very sad and neglected."
Hollywood hellraiser Burton was famous for his colourful private life as his mastery of acting before he died in 1984 at the age of just 58. Although his screen roles and marriages to Elizabeth Taylor made him one of the biggest stars in Tinseltown he came from humble beginnings in the small mining village of Pontrhydyfen near Port Talbot.
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Horrified by what had become of the actor's resting place Philip, along with his wife Birgit and mother Maureen – who was visiting from her home in Llanrumney – decided to visit the grave themselves. He said: "We are Welsh and can't tolerate a situation where Richard Burton has been forgotten about and his grave stone has been neglected. We came down and had a look ourselves and it confirmed the sad state it was in. It needed some physical labour to clear the weeds and the moss."
Determined to restore the grave Philip contacted his local authority to ask if he could help. He said: "As far as I know there is no family of Richard Burton local here so I went to the local commune (similar to a council). I called the mayor's office said: 'I'm Welsh and very disappointed about the state of Richard Burton's grave. Would you mind if I came along and restored it?'. They said yes as long as I didn't use any chemicals in the process."
Not wasting any time Philip and his family started their work on Monday, July 4. Less than a week later the plot has been completely transformed. Philip said: "We went down with my mother who is 89. We got out the rakes and spades and cleaned the site up. It's now restored to as it was. We tidied up the area and it's been amazing.
"Our first job was to get all the weeds off because it was covered. There were dead leaves and ivy growing all over it. It's made out of lovely granite – I don't know if it's Welsh granite – but it was covered so much that you could hardly read his name. The surrounds of the grave were covered in more weeds and muck so it took me a morning with a rake and a bucket. After we cleared the site we planted red and white flowers. We've now given the granite a scrub so you can read the name properly. It's given it a completely new lease of life. It looks dignified and it looks restored."
Philip said he shared his story on social media and was inundated with messages and calls from people thanking the trio for their hard work. He said "I sent a tweet out about it and I got something like 5,000 impressions. My next-door neighbour said she read the story and ended up in tears. t's been a bit of a talking point in the area. I've had calls, texts, and emails from people I've never met saying thank you – it seems to have given people a bit of a lift."
During the project Philip said he'd got talking with a local journalist who told him the story of how the grave ended up in such a sorry state. He said: "Richard Burton lived in Céligny from the 1950s until his death. He had a gardener who became a close friend of his and a drinking partner as well. Richard Burton considered him to be one of his closest friends.
"Richard Burton had visited frequently the old cemetery here. It's a very nice spot and it reminded him of Wales. He would go there and read his books. It reminded him of being back home in Wales because it's a shaded area with a babbling brook just a few steps away from where he was buried. Upon his death his gardener said he would take care of his grave. However he passed away in 2019 at the age of 97."
Since 2019 Philip said he understands nobody took over from the gardener to look after the plot. Philip said he will now take on that role and wants the actor's surviving family members to know the grave is in good hands.
He said: "I don't know what the family connection is in Wales but I've promised to take care of it now. Maybe his family are getting on or maybe they have grandchildren or great-grandchildren. It would be nice if they knew that a Welshman is prepared to do the job of what his gardener did. For me it's no burden."
Philip's mum Maureen said she had visited the grave on a number of occasions before it fell into ruin. She said she feels proud of her family for revamping Richard's grave. She said: "From the beginning and now nearly to the end what a difference. It was really, really sad. When I come over here I normally come to visit Richard but this time it was so sad. We've come together and we've done a bit of work for Richard Burton – he's a Welsh boy and he deserves it. it's fantastic seeing it now – I feel proud of it and I think if everyone in Wales could see it now they would be oh so proud. He's one of us."
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