Southampton sisters Sisters restore Titanic survivors' headstones

Twins Vicky Smith and Emma Stevens, who make up The Graveside Sisters, have restored five headstones from those onboard the Titanic’s maiden voyage.

The Royal Titanic Society’s members raised money to commission the Southampton-based siblings and pay for the restoration.

Read more: Meet the twin sisters who spend hours restoring graves to their former glory

A before and after comparison taken by The Graveside Sisters after their restoration of Andrew Orr Cunningham's headstone and grave. (Image: The Graveside Sisters) Vicky Smith said: “This is different because it’s to do with our history.

"We’re from Southampton, the boat sailed from Southampton and all of the graves of the survivors we have restored so far were living in Southampton.

"Some were from different places, but they all settled down in Southampton."

They most recently tended to Andrew Orr Cunningham, who is buried alongside his wife Emily in Hollybrook Cemetery.

Mr Cunningham was born in Lanarkshire in Scotland, but moved down to Southampton and worked on the Titanic as a bedroom steward stationed on C-deck aft.

A before and after comparison taken by The Graveside Sisters after their restoration of Andrew Orr Cunningham's headstone and grave. (Image: The Graveside Sisters) The Scot, who was 38-years-old at the time, jumped onto Lifeboat Four and rowed four miles through the night before climbing onto Carpathia in the early morning.

Vicky was humbled to play a tiny role in his journey.

READ MORE: Newspaper front page documenting Titanic tragedy sold at auction

Vicky said: "We met up with the Royal Titanic Society who told us stories about the [graves] we were doing, supplied us with details and it's been amazing to learn.

"We've had such a great response from everybody."

The Graveside Sisters began restoring graves as a hobby back in 2020, as lockdown restrictions preventing separate households from meeting indoors led the twins to meet outside for walks.

The Graveside Sisters, Emma Stevens and Vicky Smith. (Image: The Graveside Sisters) They found themselves noticing how rundown headstones were while strolling through cemeteries and now the sisters have turned their pandemic pastime into a business.

Families can commission the twins to restore headstones and watch the process.

Vicky said: “We’re often met by members of families while we work.

"The most special ones we do are for children. Parents are very careful for what they choose for the headstones for the children, to reflect what they were like when they were little and it’s special to hear about that."