There are a number of cemeteries in Greater London. Among them are the Magnificent Seven, seven large Victorian-era cemeteries. There are also a number of crematoria. A number of cemeteries have listed buildings or structures, or have been placed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by English Heritage. Others have secured Green Heritage Site accreditation or may be on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Magnificent Seven cemeteries were the first commercial cemeteries constructed around the outskirts of London. They are all of special historical value and are on the English Heritage lists.
| Name | Date opened | London Borough | Postal area | Area acres [1] | Graves (interments) | Closed | Remarks | "Friends" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abney Park Cemetery | 1840 | London Borough of Hackney | N16 | 32.5 | (200,000) | Yes | It became the main burial place of English nonconformists when Bunhill Fields closed | Yes |
| Brompton Cemetery | 1840 | Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | SW10 | 38 | 35,000+ (205,000) | No | Owned and maintained by The Royal Parks | Yes |
| Highgate Cemetery | 1839 (East) 1854 (West) | London Borough of Camden, Haringey and Islington | N6 | 38 | 53,000+ (170,000) | No | Divided into East and West cemeteries | Yes |
| Kensal Green Cemetery | 1833 | Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | W10 | 70 | 65,000+ (250,000) | No | Also known as the General Cemetery of All Souls. The oldest of the Magnificent Seven and still in operation. | Yes |
| Nunhead Cemetery | 1840 | London Borough of Southwark | SE15 | 49 | (270,000) | Yes | Also known as "Cemetery of all Saints" | Yes |
| Tower Hamlets Cemetery | 1841 | London Borough of Tower Hamlets | E3 | 33 | (350,000) | Yes | Also known as Bow Cemetery. Closed in 1966 | Yes |
| West Norwood Cemetery | 1837 | London Borough of Lambeth | SE27 | 39.5 | 42,000+ (200,000) | CF | Originally known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. The first cemetery in the world designed in the Gothic Revival style | Yes |
Abbreviations used in the column closed
There are many Jewish cemeteries in London; they are not included here but some of them are listed at Jewish cemeteries in the London area.
| Name | Date opened | Location | Postal area | Area acres [1] | Closed | Notes | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery | 1858 | London Borough of Brent | NW10 | 30 | No | Next to Kensal Green Cemetery and the West London Crematorium | Yes |
| St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery | 1861 | London Borough of Waltham Forest | E11 | No | – | ||
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Huguenot Burial Ground | Now a public park and no longer regarded as a cemetery. Part of the Huguenot history of Wandsworth. |
| Moravian Burial Ground | Not a traditional cemetery. |
| Royal Hospital Chelsea Burial Ground | Part of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Many monuments for Chelsea pensioners. |
| Royal Hospital Greenwich Cemetery | Part of the Royal Naval Hospital; in 1847 East Greenwich Pleasaunce was opened as the hospital's graveyard, with remains being disinterred from the original Hospital graveyard in 1875 to allow for railway construction. The graveyard is now a public park. |
| St Paul's Cathedral | Burials and memorials are not considered a "regular" cemetery. |
| Westminster Abbey | As a Royal Peculiar it is not considered a "regular" cemetery. |
Many of these cemeteries were former graveyards and carry the name of the church they belonged to.
| Name of the cemetery | Period in service | Location | Postal area | Remains moved to | M* | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Bones Graveyard | ????–1853 | Redcross Way | SE1 | M | Also known as the Halloween Graveyard | |
| Enon Chapel | 1823–1842 | St. Clement's Lane | WC2 | West Norwood Cemetery | ? | Later renamed Clare Market Chapel |
| St Benet Gracechurch | 1181–1868 | Gracechurch Street | EC3M | City of London Cemetery and Crematorium | M | Also known as Grass Church |
| St James' Gardens [3] | 1788–1853 | Euston Station | NW1 2RT | Excavated remains have been moved to multiple locations | Grave of Captain Matthew Flinders discovered. [4] | |
M*, if a memorial or something similar was erected to commemorate the former burial ground or cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a 40-acre (16 ha) rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and ecological interest.
The Waverley Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on top of the cliffs at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Opened in 1877 and built by R. Watkins and P. Beddie, the cemetery is noted for its largely intact Victorian and Edwardian monuments. It is regularly cited as being one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. The cemetery contains the graves of many significant Australians including the poet Henry Lawson. Also known as General Cemetery Waverley, it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 28 October 2016.
Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is a local nature reserve and historic cemetery in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets within the East End of London. It is regarded as one of the seven great cemeteries of the Victorian era, the "Magnificent Seven", instigated because the normal church burial plots had become overcrowded.
Nunhead Cemetery is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in London, England. It is perhaps the least famous and celebrated of them. The cemetery is located in Nunhead in the London Borough of Southwark and was originally known as All Saints' Cemetery. Nunhead Cemetery was consecrated in 1840 and opened by the London Cemetery Company. It is a Local Nature Reserve.
Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England.
Flagstaff Gardens is the oldest park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, first established in 1862. Today it is one of the most visited and widely used parks in the city by residents, nearby office workers and tourists. The gardens are notable for their archaeological, horticultural, historical and social significance to the history of Melbourne.
The Willesden United Synagogue Cemetery, usually known as Willesden Jewish Cemetery, is a Jewish cemetery at Beaconsfield Road, Willesden, in the London Borough of Brent, England. It opened in 1873 on a 20-acre (0.08 km2) site. It has been described as the "Rolls-Royce" of London's Jewish cemeteries and is designated Grade II on Historic England's Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The cemetery, which has 29,800 graves, has many significant memorials and monuments. Four of them are listed at Grade II. They include the tomb of Rosalind Franklin, who was a co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.
Undercliffe Cemetery is located between Otley Road and Undercliffe Lane in the Bolton and Undercliffe ward, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The cemetery stands atop a hillside overlooking the city and contains some very impressive Victorian funerary monuments in a variety of styles. It is a notable example of a Victorian cemetery where a number of rich and prominent local residents have been buried, notably mill owners and former mayors. Undercliffe Cemetery is grade II* listed by English Heritage in their Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemetery and is located on forty-four hectares of land at the corner of Frederick Street and Mount Coot-tha Road approximately four and a half kilometres west of Brisbane. It was previously known as Brisbane General Cemetery. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 31 December 2002.
Boroondara General Cemetery, often referred to as Kew cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Victoria, Australia, created in the tradition of the Victorian garden cemetery. The cemetery, located in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, is listed as a heritage place on the Victorian Heritage Register.
The cemetery has had various titles including The Cemetery by the Common, Hill Lane Cemetery and is currently known as Southampton Old Cemetery. An Act of Parliament was required in 1843 to acquire the land from Southampton Common. It covers an area of 27 acres (11 ha) and the total number of burials is estimated at 116,800. Currently there are 6 to 8 burials a year to existing family plots.
The Gore Hill Memorial Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery located on the Pacific Highway in St Leonards, Sydney, Australia. It was established on 19 May 1868 by the New South Wales politician, William Tunks, and is one of the oldest and most significant remaining cemeteries in metropolitan Sydney. The first interment was in 1877, and until its closure for burials in 1974, 14,456 burials took place. Most burials took place between 1900 and 1930. It is also known as the Gore Hill Cemetery. The cemetery is situated on Crown land and is managed by a not for profit community organisation, Northern Cemeteries, through a Board of Trustees. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 25 May 2001.
The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium is a cemetery and crematorium in the east of London. It is owned and operated by the City of London Corporation. It is designated Grade I on the Historic England National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
There are many Jewish cemeteries in the London area; some are included in the List of cemeteries in London. This list includes those cemeteries and also some just outside the Greater London boundary. Jews are also buried at other, not specifically Jewish, cemeteries. Between 1832 and 1841 the "Magnificent Seven" private cemeteries were opened, primarily to relieve Central London's Anglican churchyards. Later, some of them also encompassed burials for people from other faiths; many Jews of international renown are buried at Highgate Cemetery. Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey, opened in 1852, designated approximately half of the original cemetery to non-Anglicans, including Jews.
The English coastal city of Brighton and Hove, made up of the formerly separate Boroughs of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, has a wide range of cemeteries throughout its urban area. Many were established in the mid-19th century, a time in which the Victorian "cult of death" encouraged extravagant, expensive memorials set in carefully cultivated landscapes which were even recommended as tourist attractions. Some of the largest, such as the Extra Mural Cemetery and the Brighton and Preston Cemetery, were set in particularly impressive natural landscapes. Brighton and Hove City Council, the local authority responsible for public services in the city, manages seven cemeteries, one of which also has the city's main crematorium. An eighth cemetery and a second crematorium are owned by a private company. Many cemeteries are full and no longer accept new burials. The council maintains administrative offices and a mortuary at the Woodvale Cemetery, and employs a coroner and support staff.
The two Camberwell cemeteries are close to one another in Honor Oak, south London, England. Both have noteworthy burials and architecture, and they are an important source of socioeconomic data in recording the historical growth and changing demography in the community for the Southwark area since 1855.
Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at the corner of South Street and Anzac Avenue, Harristown, Queensland, Australia. It was surveyed in May 1850, and is one of the earliest surviving cemeteries in Queensland. The cemetery is large, containing over 45,000 burials. It has been run by the City of Toowoomba, and its successor the Toowoomba Regional Council, since 1974; previously it was run by government-appointed trustees. Many prominent people associated with the Darling Downs are buried in the cemetery, and all sections of the cemetery remain in use. Notable Toowoomba stonemasons R. C. Ziegler & Son, Henry Bailey, Walter Bruce, John H. Wagner and the Bruce Brothers are all associated with monuments within the cemetery.
Richmond Cemetery is a cemetery on Lower Grove Road in Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. The cemetery opened in 1786 on a plot of land granted by an Act of Parliament the previous year. The cemetery has been expanded several times and now occupies a 15-acre (6-hectare) site which, prior to the expansion of London, was a rural area of Surrey. It is bounded to the east by Richmond Park and to the north by East Sheen Cemetery, with which it is now contiguous and whose chapel is used for services by both cemeteries. Richmond cemetery originally contained two chapels—one Anglican and one Nonconformist—both built in the Gothic revival style, but both are now privately owned and the Nonconformist chapel today falls outside the cemetery walls after a redrawing of its boundaries.
Hull General Cemetery was established by a private company in 1847 on Spring Bank in the west of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. In 1862 the Hull Corporation established a cemetery adjacent, now known as Western Cemetery, and in c. 1890 expanded the cemetery west across Chanterlands Avenue onto an adjacent site.