West Norwood Cemetery

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.