The model citizen Mr Hudson was laid to rest on the Protestant side of Beckett Street Cemetery, Leeds, close to a brewer, a soot merchant, a manufacturer and a butcher of this town. His family came to be buried with him, and as the years passed they were joined by citizens from all stations of life in the 16-acre Victorian cemetery.

Soldiers from two world wars found their place in Beckett Street, as did hundreds of poorer people who were buried up to 12-deep in "guinea graves", for which they saved over many years, a few coppers at a time, rather than face the indignity of a pauper's grave.

The last burial at Beckett Street, opposite St James's Hospital, was several decades ago. Between its opening in 1843, after the corporation bought the land from wealthy banker William Beckett, and when it became full in the late 20th century, the cemetery came to accommodate 180,000 in 28,000 graves. These include 71 Commonwealth war graves.

The cemetery used to have two gates, two lodges, two chapels (one for Anglicans, and one for everyone else), two superintendents, its own staff to dig graves, maintain the grounds and keep records. But over the years much was lost. Finite resources had to go into looking after cemeteries that were still in use, and staff were needed elsewhere.

Although efforts have been made by the council in recent times to clear the rampaging overgrowth of weeds and invasion of ivy so that the landscape of the cemetery and its ornate Victorian masonry is once more visible, the place looks neglected, sad, visited only by the odd jogger or dog walker, or a Friend of Beckett Street Cemetery – a support group of 260-odd members dedicated to the preservation of this precious burial ground, one of the oldest municipal graveyards in the UK.

There are no fresh, or even faded, flowers on any of these graves, and yet this is a wonderful place, poetic even on the bleakest of wet November mornings.

A who's who of the local citizenry and a historical and sociological record of times gone by, the grand and the more lowly of society all lie here together, beneath an assortment of trees in a haven of quietude oblivious of the 21st century rat-race beyond its walls.

English Heritage say Britain's historic graveyards are "dying by a thousand drips". The graveyards owned by churches are neglected because churches need to spend every penny on keeping the church itself repaired. Full churchyards can be and often are passed on to the local authority to maintain, adding to their burden.

Technically, it is the duty of the family that buys each plot to maintain its appearance and the stability of the headstone, but many graves have not been used for decades, and these days families may no longer even live near them or be interested in visiting the graves of those who died generations ago.

Headstones are being laid flat in many places to avoid injury to the public, vandalism is rampant is some areas, and all too many graveyards that have fallen into disrepair have become meeting places for drunks and drug users, which means the rest of the population steers clear.

Councils, which have an obligation to provide burial grounds for those of us who still want to be interred (around 30 per cent of us still do), have a much more urgent problem on their hands than the maintenance of old historical graveyards: they are running out of land to bury those who are dying right now.

The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management would like to see our older graveyards brought back into some positive use by councils, possibly with the help of funds from the Lottery or elsewhere.

"They are valuable open green spaces, especially in an urban environment," says Alan José, of the ICCM. "They give a snapshot of another time, and their historical value is being lost. The problem with local authorities is that so many of the things they fund have to be seen to pay for themselves as far as possible. That's why other money will have to be found."

Health and safety have become a big issue in graveyards, and there have been a few deaths over the last couple of decades – including that of a child in Harrogate – where unstable masonry has fallen over.

"I think local authorities have over-reacted by laying any unstable gravestones down flat," says Roger Bowdler of English Heritage. "A lot of 'levelling' has gone on, and this just creates new hazards, including people tripping over. And in an aesthetic sense, so much is lost. Everyone wants someone else to do something about our neglected graveyards, and what's needed is for everyone, including ordinary people in the street, to say what we have is valuable and we don't want to lose it. The growing interest in family history means more people are visiting old graveyards, and that's great. But we need to have priorities, and decide what can be done that won't break the bank, and also demystify old crafts like masonry, so that younger people will be interested in learning about them and perhaps pursuing those sorts of job."

Julie Rugg, head of the Cemetery Research Group at York University, says English Heritage itself should be taking more of a lead in how to deal with the decrepit state of some of our historical graveyards and pushing to get special protection given to our most important historical graveyards.

When it comes to the idea of reusing land in burial places to ease pressure on land, we British are the only country in Europe where graves are not considered to be only for relatively short-term use. In Italy, graves are "leased" for 50 years, for example.

People here are not as bothered by the idea of reusing graves as you might suspect, says Dr Rugg. "Our research shows that many people are fine with the idea of reuse, so long as previous burials are still marked, and families are consulted. There is no other way to go. What people are resistant to is the loss of knowledge and information about their family members."

Reuse of graves can be carried out under existing legislation, and cemeteries in London have already started to go ahead with the scheme, which it is thought will be taken up countrywide, with local authorities handling the issue in their own way.

"We feel very strongly that there won't be much resistance to proposals to reuse graves," says Alan José. "Obviously, every effort would have to be made to find and inform relatives over a period of at least a year. And the scheme would start with graves that have not been used for the longest period. A proper audit of cemeteries would help, by finding some pieces of land that had actually never been used at all. "

Lynda Kitching, of the Friends of Beckett Street Cemetery, would like to see it used for educational trips chiming in with other Victorian studies.

"There's so much life here. A cemetery like this touches on history, citizenship, art and even nature. It could inspire many kinds of projects.

"Our aim is not just to do litter picking and plant bulbs but to work with the council to enhance the cemetery's value to the people of Leeds. A proper management plan is what is needed to open up what is a warm and human place to the whole community."