Graves and Cemeteries

How many OPR reviewers are actually following the guidelines on graves and cemeteries? I'm finding it incredibly difficult to get POIs within cemeteries accepted in the UK.

These guidelines on submitting Pokemon GO POIs says gravestones are permitted if they belong to famous or historical figures, are more than 50 years old and are open to the public. Memorials that don't contain burials are also accepted.

I've referenced this in local OPR Telegram chats and have been given many reasons why reviewers have been turning down my submissions, including for personal and religious reasons, and because some reviewers don't read the guidelines or just ignore them.

Is anyone else having trouble getting graves and memorials approved? Does anyone have any tips on improving a (already perfectly valid) submission's chances?

Also, what are people's thoughts on Commonwealth War Graves? I'd argue they're incredibly historically significant and are obviously over 50 years old (WWII ended 74 years ago now). They can also be found all over the globe. I submitted one quite a few months ago as I found the headstone quite striking and the fallen serviceman's story to be rather moving but it was rejected in record time.

Comments

  • AgentB0ssAgentB0ss ✭✭✭✭✭

    Give us some examples of your submissions. Likely they lack the history/description required to get gravestones passes. It has to be a historical/famous person not necessarily a famous event.

  • TheFarixTheFarix ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    Candidate:Memorial/Dedication Plaque

    Policy:Reject

    Suggested Vote:

    REJECT unless for a notable member of the community.

    Unfortunately, most memorials I've seen do not provide any explanation about who is being memorialized and why they are a notable member of the community. All I have to go on is a name, and in most cases I reject them citing this reason.

    I've also seen a couple of grave nominations with no explanation of who the person was. Naturally, those will get rejected as well. I also rejected cemeteries if there is no indication that they are historically significant. I had one stated that because it was over 100 years old, it was historically significant. However, age alone isn't how historically significance is determined.

  • 0X00FF000X00FF00 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I've got one locally-famous guy, checks off all the boxes. If you can figure out how to let me PM you I can give more information @AgentB0ss

    Multiple rejections, and slowly over time I'll have more attempts.

  • AgentB0ssAgentB0ss ✭✭✭✭✭

    I am /u/Tanis5313 on Reddit or if you have Discord I am Tanis5432#0214 either way is acceptable to PM me.

  • @adamblack93 I think your problem is trying to submit something on the general deny list. You have to really convince reviewers that it IS worthy, knowing they're gonna be set on that 1 star otherwise.

    Also, note the wording (I only added breaks):

    Do not submit gravestones unless

    • the object belongs to famous/historical figure
    • is more than 50 years old
    • AND is open to the public.

    The AND, to me, means that all 3 of these things must apply, and the first is probably your biggest hindrance. If you are absolutely dead set on portals in a cemetery, I'd recommend visually unique memorials over cemetery entrances/gravestones.

  • kholman1kholman1 ✭✭✭✭

    I normally will deny a gravestone unless it has an official historical marker my state has grave sites marked for historical people. Also I am not fond of people trying to submit statues and other objects in cemeteries that aren't historical. I will approve a cemetery if it has an est. date or a historical marker but other than that most newer cemeteries 1* .


  • The correct guideline is this:

    Candidate: Gravestone

    Policy: Reject

    Suggested Vote: *

    REJECT unless the gravestone belongs to a famous/historic person or notable member of the local community and is more than 50 years old and community norms for use of the cemetery are open to historic visits and other uses.


    Candidate: Cemetery

    Policy: Reject

    Suggested Vote: *

    REJECT unless the cemetery is historical or has special significance in the community (see guidelines for gravestones/markers).

    If the Graveyard is historically significant, it can be approved. The gravestones themselves should be rejected, so that players don't go into the graveyard, unless the gravestone is for a significant historical figure AND the cemetery is set up for tourist visitors.

  • They can also be found all over the globe. I submitted one quite a few months ago as I found the headstone quite striking and the fallen serviceman's story to be rather moving but it was rejected in record time.

    While the story and appearance may be notable, if the individual isn't historically significant, most people will reject it. Winston Churchill's grave? Sure. An unknown fallen soldier, not so much.

  • At one stage I was considering submitting some portals at a cemetery, but I didn't because I thought the chances of success weren't worth blowing submissions on. I'd be curious to know this community's thoughts, however, if they were to see something similar to below on OPR (especially Australian OPR reviewers):


    Title: Bunbury Cemetery Heritage Walk #7 - William Lemen Thomas

    Description: The gravestone of William Thomas is stop #7 on the Bunbury Cemetery Heritage Walk. Thomas opened the first ever pharmacy in Bunbury in 1905. He moved into politics, serving as MLA from 1911-1917 then Mayor of Bunbury from 1918 until his **** in 1921. (252/256 characters)

    Supporting statement: Meets all 3 criteria for gravestones. 1. Notable member of the local community via his work in politics. Multiple sites have details about his life. 2. Died 98 years ago. 3. Part of an official heritage walk. People invited to do self-guided or fully guided tours here. See bunburyheritagewalk.com.au (300/300 characters)


    I don't have my own photo of the grave as the town is 2 hours away from me, but there's an photo of the gravestone on the website here: http://bunburyheritagewalk.com.au/7-thomas-william-lemen-1872-1921/

  • One portal I've attempted quite a few times, which has been repeatedly rejected, is the "tomb" of Doctor William Smellie. Known as the "father of gynecology" or the "father of British midwifery" (which, as an aside, I think is just laughable as a title), Smellie developed several techniques and theories still used today in the field. Smellie was born in Lesmahagow in 1697 and educated in Lanark in the, and went on to study medicine at Edinburgh. His remains were interred at Lanark's cemetery. The tomb is much later, and it's unclear whether the tomb was built over the grave or if the remains are buried elsewhere.

    The cemetery where this tomb is found is split into four sections. Three of those sections are 19th century onwards, the section Smellie's tomb sits in dates back to the 12th century. The ruins of St Kentigern's Church, one of the oldest churches in South Scotland still in esit nearby the tomb. Tourists are encouraged to visit this section, and it is publicly accessible 24/7. There's also information boards (they've also been rejected, presumably because they are in a cemetery).

    Other graves and memorials I've tried include General Roy, one of the founders of Ordnance Survey, and the grave of a covenanter who was executed and initially buried in an unmarked grave - a headstone was erected later by the community but with no details, featuring only a skull and crossbones.

  • OGMagusOGMagus ✭✭✭

    These locations are culturally different - in my town there are 60+ year or signs marking prohibited behavior like "playing" or "skiing". Imagine those who wrote those signs knowing about cars rolling in late at night. Rememeber, mourning is different for everyone, and age doesn't matter that much. I'll reject everything below the Taj Mahal.

  • Personal opinion, I'll always find a justifiable way to reject anything in a graveyard.


    If I don't, I skip.

  • This is legit?

  • As I pointed out in the first place, POIs are acceptable within cemeteries if they meet criteria. The people who are dead-set against them in all circumstances shouldn't be using Wayfarer (need to get used to not calling it OPR now) if they don't feel like following guidelines.

  • Not sure how helpful this is since it's in the US, but I've been able to get 2 approved that I can recall.

    One was a founder of the town and had also served in the state legislature nearly 200 years ago.

    The other was a general in the US Civil War.

    The cemetery these are in isn't explicitly set up for visitors as the guidelines request, but it's the only cemetery in a small town.

  • In Scotland, or at least in my region, we have a lot of churches in cemeteries (either built to serve the cemetery or the cemetery has grown around it) - in these cases, I'd say visitors are expected regularly. How do we define whether a cemetery expects visitors other than mourners?

  • JayCeDJayCeD ✭✭
    edited October 2019

    I totaly agree with memorials an churches etc. on cemeterys. The Chros in my picture alone is 100% okay. But on the picture is an modern Gravestone from 2015, if I see it correkt. So the Waypoint includes a grave of some one unknowen les than 100 years dead.

  • I totaly agree with memorials an churches etc. on cemeterys. The Chros in my picture alone is 100% okay. But on the picture is an modern Gravestone from 2015, if I see it correkt. So the Waypoint includes a grave of some one unknowen les than 100 years dead.

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