During the early 19th century burial conditions in London had become deplorable and Parliament authorised the opening for seven private cemeteries that would be situated in inner London, one of these was Kensal Green Cemetery.

Kensal Green Cemetery was opened in 1833 and continues to be a working cemetery today. Throughout its 72-acres people of an array of faiths and buried within its walls and surprisingly the cemetery is still owned and managed by the same company since its inception, the General Cemetery Company.

Kensal Green was the site for London's first garden cemetery and was inspired by Paris' Pere-Lachaise and was designed in the spirit of the English country park. Today the cemetery enjoys a wealth of mature trees, wildflowers, insect life, birds and even foxes, some of which reside in the two conservation areas and adjoining canal. The piece de resistance of the cemetery's gardens however are the carefully laid out rose gardens that features row after row of rose trees, all individually accessible.

The cemetery features over 100 Grade I and Grade II listed buildings and monuments. Among the impressive building on view there is a number of chapels for a variety of denominations including an Anglican chapel, Non-conformist mortuary chapel, All Souls Chapel as well as a colonnade/catacomb. The monuments include a great many dedicated to members of the royal family, including Princess Sophie who passed away in 1848, the Duke of Cambridge (1902) and a cross designed by Princess Louise for her late nurse Mary Ann Thurston who died in 1896, the last Royal funeral took place in 1904.

Famous people who have been laid to rest at the Kensal Green Cemetery include Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Charles Babbage, Howard Staunton, Ossie Clarke, Owen Jones, WH Smoith, Anthony Trollope, William Makepeace Thackeray, Leslie Ward and Fanny Kemble.

The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery organise tours every Sunday at 2pm meeting at the Anglican Chapel in the middle of the cemetery, those joining the tours will be expected to pay a donation. Find out more about Kensal Green Cemetery.

How to get there

If travelling by tube the closest underground stations are at Kensal Green and Ladbroke Grove.

If on the bus the 18, 23, 52, 70, 295 and 316 all serve the area. There is limited parking available in front of the main gate on Harrow Road.

Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington is a 32-acre18th Century parkland that in 1840  became a non-denominational cemetery that was part of the Magnificent Seven; a chain of cemeteries around London that would help ease the deplorable burial conditions in London's church graveyards.

What is unusual about Abney Park Cemetery is that it was the first ever non-denominational cemetery and featured the first non-denominational chapel in Europe, making it both a controversial and popular place of interest in the 19th Century when became one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries.

The park had been intended by its founders as a place of education and preservation, however, by the 1880s burial had become the main function of the park and after a court case the park was sold to a commercial cemetery company who replace much of the beautiful arboretum with standardised gardens.

The park houses many Victorian monuments including a two Cross of Service monuments and an Egyptian Revival style entrance that features sacred lotus flowers and hieroglyphics. Despite everything, some trees featured in the arboretum have survived and the cemetery is today adorned with mature trees and was named as the first statutory local nature reserve in the borough of Hackney. A range of birds, butterflies and woodland mammals thrive in the cemetery making it a beautiful place to visit.

Today Abney Park is a local nature reserve and centre for arts and stone masonry training. It also offers a school classroom and associated out-doors activities. Some parts of Abney Park are still, occasionally, buried in as a courtesy to people who once held family plots from the private cemetery company before it closed in 1978

Famous people buried at the Abney Park Cemetery include William and Catherine Booth, Joanna Vassa, Samuel Morley, Mary Hays, Eric Walrond and Thomas William Robertson in addition to many service men from Stoke Newington who died in the World Wars.

Abney Park features many fantastic echoes of the past, though some are not so welcome, one of two unexploded bombs remaining in Stoke Newington still resides in Abney Park, so keep your eyes open!

Find out more about the Abney Park Cemetery.

How to get there

The closest tube stations are a fair walk away at Manor House, Finsbury Park and Arsenal.

If travelling by bus the 73, 67, 76, 106, 243 and 276 all serve the area.

During the early 19th century burial conditions in London had become deplorable and Parliament authorised the opening for seven private cemeteries that would be situated in inner London, one of these was West Norwood Cemetery.

The 42-acre cemetery was opened in 1837 and some Victorian monuments and gravestones are Grade II listed as are the iron railings surrounding the cemetery and its Sir William Tite designed entrance arch. The site did feature two Gothic chapels at on top of the hill in the cemetery, however these were badly damaged during World War II and were replaced with a Crematorium and a memorial garden.

As a working cemetery West Norwood was supplied with a regular source of income, however, when space for new burials ran out the cemetery company was unable to afford its upkeep  and Lambeth Council compulsorily purchased it in 1965 and then set about controversially changing the character of the grounds, removing monuments and reusing burial plots. A court case led to the reinstitution of some of the monuments and today the cemetery only admits cremations and is looked after by the local Friends of West Norwood Cemetery.

Those buried in the cemetery include Mrs Beeton, Sir Henry Doulton, Dr William Marsden, Baron Julius de Reuter, Charles Spurgeon and Sir Henry Tate.

The grand Victorian cemetery benefits from beautiful views of South London and a variety of trees, shrubs and spring flowers. Wildlife comes in the shape of foxes, owls, squirrels and even hawks!

Tours of the cemetery are held on the first Sunday of every month by the Friends of West Norwood Cemetery. Find out more about West Norwood Cemetery.

How to get there

The closest over land train station is a short walk away at West Norwood Railway Station.

If travelling by bus the 2, 68, 196, 315, 322, 432, 468 and X68 all serve the area.

During the early 19th century burial conditions in London had become deplorable and Parliament authorised the opening for seven private cemeteries that would be situated in inner London, one of these was Nunhead Cemetery.

Nunhead Cemetery may be one of the lesser-known Victorian cemeteries but it is often hailed as the most beautiful. It was opened in 1840 but like many other Victorian cemeteries fell into disrepair. After an extensive restoration project the cemetery was reopened in 2001 revealing its many monuments and Anglican chapel in all their glory. Visitors to the cemetery can now see the fantastic gothic monuments of the rich and powerful sitting side-by-side along smaller public burial plots.

The cemetery is a haven for nature and local wildlife, much of the original Victorian planting still exists and the open space is dominated by an impressive avenue of Lime trees. Part of the cemetery is now a dedicated nature reserve and woodland making it the perfect place to spot one of the 16 species of butterfly found in the cemetery not to mention the foxes!

Another reason for visiting the cemetery is for its outstanding views that take in many famous London landmarks including the London Eye, Big Ben and St Paul's Cathedral.

Each Sunday there is a conducted tour of the cemetery starting from the Linden Grove gates at 2.15pm

Find out more about Nunhead Cemetery.

How to get there

The closest tube station is a bus ride away at New Cross, but you can jump on the overground train to Nunhead.

If travelling by bus the 78, 343 and P12 serve the surrounding areas.

Images by Andy Favell