An on-going project aims to preserve historic marble at Woodlawn and,give an angel back her wings.

The Butchart Angel

Fall 2007 Update: The angel's wings have been repaired and the statue is back on-site! Lime putty mortar repairs to the statue are completed and the angel stands again in Block E of Woodlawn. Click here for our photo gallery showing the repairs as they progressed, and explaining the conservation stonework procedures followed.


A small angel in an older part of the cemetery is known by many as The Butchart Angel. She stands close to the road and looks delicate and fragile, even though made of stone. This little angel has become the symbol of an ongoing monument restoration project for old marble and limestone monuments in Woodlawn. The angel is the memorial for Marion Butchart. The inscription on the monument reads...Marion, beloved daughter of John and Lillian Butchart, who died November 2, 1918, aged 6 years and 1 month. Oh how we miss the sunshine of her smile and the trip of her merry feet.

The little marble angel has broken wing tips and suffers considerable damage and deterioration. Until now, Sach Killam, restoration specialist at Woodlawn, has not had the skills nor the materials to repair the angel's wings. And Woodlawn, a not for profit organization, has had to channel monies available for restoration to addressing safety rather than sentiment.

Now, we are asking you to help us give an angel back her wings.

ANGEL FOUND! A generous donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, gave us the funds to complete the complicated repairs required to restore the Butchart angel. As of October 2006, the angel is under wraps while the repairs take the time to cure. Several other caring people have made donations towards restoration costs of other historic memorials in Woodlawn. THANK YOU! We still have many restoration projects we would like to complete. Please help us to preserve the past. It is important to us all.



As part of the Angel project, Woodlawn is currently completing a full survey of the entire cemetery to determine the exact amount of work required: both for monument safety and also for the conservation of historic marble slabs. Each monument is individually tested to establish a full data base of all monument requiring repair. . Preservation of the history embodied in the marble memorials of Woodlawn, most of which date from the first 60 years of Guelph's history, is a huge and difficult job. We currently estimate that there are between 200 and 300 thin marble tombstones requiring full repairs. A unique private mausoleum is loosing the battle of the elements and remaining fenced lots, once symbols of wealth and grandeur, are now neglected and decaying symbols of an age gone by. Although we have made great progress in safety repairs to granite, our conservation work for marble monuments has been slow. The scale of the need is beyond in-house financial capability at this time and, without new initiative and support, we may never manage to repair, restore and conserve all of the historic monuments in Woodlawn.

You can help.

Photos: We would appreciate copies of old photos of monuments and the landscape of Woodlawn. We use these to help in our repair work. They are a valuable resource used to study the weathering, aging and original placement of the historic tombstones.

Donations: Your donation is eligible for a charitable receipt. Your support will help us to maximize the amount of work that we can undertake and successfully complete.

Word of Mouth: With over 10,000 monuments to maintain, we can use all the help we can get. If you know people who may be interested in the project please spread the word!

Woodlawn has long been considered one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Ontario. Some trees and many monuments are over 100 years old. Many of the symbols of an earlier age, and the grave markers of many of the founders of our families and communities, will soon be lost to time. Can you help us? Be an angel.

For more information or to donate to this project please contact us at 519-822-1271. More information is available on request.