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52-664: 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. Its grounds are a mixture of historic monumental cemetery and modern lawn cemetery , but it also has catacombs , cremation plots and

104-406: A columbarium for cinerary ashes. The cemetery's crematorium still operates, but all the conventional and cremated remains burial plots have been allocated and hence it is closed to new burials pending further agreement under current burial legislation. The Main gate is located on Norwood Road near the junction with Robson Road, where Norwood Road forks into Norwood High Street and Knights' Hill. It

156-617: A Mr Lidell, a pupil of John Nash , before an architectural competition was launched in November 1831. This attracted 46 entrants, and in March 1832 the premium was awarded, despite some opposition, for a Gothic Revival design by Henry Edward Kendall ; this decision was, however, eventually overturned as the Company directors (appointed after the Bill received Royal Assent) asserted their control and preference for

208-476: A commercial business for the first time, replacing the practice of burying the dead in churchyards or on private farmland. One effect of the law was the development of a large concentration of cemeteries along the border between the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn , often called the "Cemetery Belt". By the 1860s, rural cemeteries could be found on the outskirts of cities and smaller towns across

260-448: A different style. One of the competition judges and a company shareholder, John William Griffith , who had previously produced working drawings for a boundary wall, ultimately designed the cemetery's two chapels and the main gateway. Meanwhile, Paul had been elected treasurer in place of Carden, who was reduced to the position of registrar. In February 1833 Carden was suspended from the board of directors for making statements prejudicial to

312-467: A new committee established in February 1830, including Andrew Spottiswoode , MP for Saltash , sculptor Robert William Sievier , banker Sir John Dean Paul , Charles Broughton Bowman (first committee secretary), and architects Thomas Willson (who had previously proposed an ambitious Metropolitan Sepulchre project) and Augustus Charles Pugin , gained more financial, political and public support to fund

364-424: A rural area outside of Quebec City, Canada, upon his first design, the highly acclaimed Green-Wood Cemetery , in what at the time was a rural section of Brooklyn . All three of Douglass' rural, garden cemeteries have been conferred a historic status, by their respective nations. Its architect, Charles Baillargé, took inspiration from Green–Wood Cemetery, as well, for his design of this garden cemetery, in what at

416-536: A rural setting in open countryside, as it lay outside London at that time. Its design and location attracted the attention of wealthy – and aspirational – Victorians, who commissioned many fine mausoleums and memorials for their burial plots and vaults. The site of the cemetery was part of the ancient Great North Wood , from which Norwood took its name. Although many trees had been cleared, a number of mature specimens were included in Tite's original landscaping. A tree survey of

468-512: A single mass grave. In 1969, 11,500 remains were taken from the closed burial ground of St George's, Hanover Square in Bayswater , to West Norwood Cemetery and cremated, for burial here. A Victoria Cross recipient from the Indian Mutiny , South Africa -born Joseph Petrus Hendrik Crowe , was originally buried here in 1876 but following the discovery of his grave in neglected condition his body

520-433: A strong Brick Wall, and having a walk round, and two cross walks, decently planted with Yew-trees." In 1830, George Frederick Carden , editor of The Penny Magazine , successfully petitioned Parliament about the parlous state of London's over-full church burial yards. Over time they passed a number of laws that effectively halted burials in London's churchyards, moving them 'to places where they would be less prejudicial to

572-412: Is a mixture of cleared, manicured, and mature landscaping, and includes Anglican and unconsecrated burial grounds, a crematorium , memorial gardens, columbarium , recordia , chapel, vaults and catacombs on top of a gently rolling hill, with views across south London. The larger plots on the central higher ground and by the main drives were originally sold as prime locations and are the site of some of

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624-492: Is in the London Borough of Lambeth ( SE27 ). The local authority is the current owner. The site, with some of its neighbouring streets, forms part of a conservation area . Believed by some to hold the finest collection of sepulchral monuments in London, the cemetery features 69 Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings and structures, including a dedicated Greek Orthodox necropolis with 19 listed mausoleums and monuments. It

676-629: Is one of the Magnificent Seven metropolitan lawn cemeteries of the Victorian era , and its extensive Gothic Revival architecture qualifies it as one of the significant cemeteries in Europe. Lambeth Council have recognised it as a site of nature conservation value within the Borough in addition to its outstanding value as a site of national historic and cultural interest. English Heritage have placed it on

728-505: Is well represented, including the Ralli family , Panayis Vagliano , Rodocanachi family , Michalinos Family and Princess Eugenie Palaeologue . In 1847 some 12,000 remains were taken from the burial vault beneath the Enon Chapel near The Strand , which, after a public health scandal, was bought by George Walker, a prominent surgeon, who had the bodies removed to Norwood Cemetery for reburial in

780-540: The Civil War and cemeteries often had the stench of decomposing corpses. After several yellow fever epidemics, many cities began to relocate cemeteries outside city limits, as it was believed to be more hygienic. As early as 1711, the architect Sir Christopher Wren advocated for the creation of burial grounds on the outskirts of town, "inclosed with a strong Brick Wall, and having a walk round, and two cross walks, decently planted with Yew-trees". An early influence on

832-607: The National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens , describing it as the first cemetery to be designed in the Gothic Revival style. The entrance gate is set within railings, painted a historically accurate 'spice' brown. Railings and walls were kept high to dispel fears of body snatchers . There is a second entrance nearby, normally kept locked, in Norwood High Street which is close to West Norwood railway station . It

884-504: The Romantic aesthetic taste for pastoral beauty, Mount Auburn was developed as a "domesticated landscape" popularized by 19th century English landscape design. Its plan included retention of natural features like ponds and mature forests with added roads and paths that followed the natural contours of the land, as well as the planting of hundreds of native and exotic trees and plants. United States Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story delivered

936-515: The lawn cemetery . Presently, many of these historic cemeteries are designated landmarks and are cared for by non-profit organizations. David Bates Douglass , a military and civilian engineer, working in the capacity as a consulting architect, designed the landscape layout of Albany Rural Cemetery , 1845–1846. He modeled his design of the Albany Rural Cemetery, as well as his subsequent and final one, Mount Hermon Cemetery (1848), in

988-414: The puritanical pessimism depicted in earlier cemeteries. Statues and memorials included depictions of angels and cherubs as well as botanical motifs such as ivy representing memory, oak leaves for immortality, poppies for sleep and acorns for life. From their inception, the new cemeteries were intended as civic institutions designed for public use. Before the widespread development of public parks ,

1040-733: The 'General Cemetery Company'. Public meetings were held in June and July 1830 at the Freemasons' Tavern, and Carden was elected treasurer. On 11 July 1832, the Act of Parliament establishing a 'General Cemetery Company for the interment of the Dead in the Neighbourhood of the Metropolis' gained Royal Assent. Paul was a partner in the London banking firm of Strahan, Paul, Paul and Bates. He found and conditionally purchased

1092-772: The 54 acres of land at Kensal Green for £9,500. The Act incorporating the General Cemetery Company authorised it to raise up to £45,000 in shares, buy up to 80 acres of land and build a cemetery and a Church of England chapel. However, Paul and Carden were already embroiled in a dispute regarding the design of the cemetery, where Paul favoured the Grecian style and Carden the Gothic style. A succession of architects were contemplated, including Benjamin Wyatt (who declined), Charles Fowler (proposal not taken up), Francis Goodwin , Willson, and

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1144-464: The Dissenters' chapel in 1915 as a crematorium with access from the main hall or/and from the west. A Tousoil Fradet & Cie gas cremator was installed in the basement of the crematorium hall, with its regenerator installed in a vacant portion of the adjacent catacombs. A short length of track led from the basement of the hall into the crematorium for the use of a metal 'introducer' bier. This furnace

1196-681: The Rural Cemetery movement was the New Burying Ground in New Haven, Connecticut (later named Grove Street Cemetery ). The New Burying Ground was established in 1796, and was the first example in the U.S. of a non-sectarian cemetery outside of church and city control in a park-like setting. In 1804, the first rural cemetery, the Père Lachaise Cemetery , opened in Paris . The new design took

1248-844: The South Cemetery ( Südfriedhof ) in Kiel dates from 1869, the Riensberger Friedhof in Bremen dates from 1875, the 1881 Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde in Berlin, the 1881 Südfriedhof in Leipzig , and the Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg . The Ohlsdorf was transformed from a treeless, sandy plain into 92 acres of sculpted, wooded landscape by its first director, architect Wilhelm Cordes. In 2016 it stands as

1300-716: The U.S. such as Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia , and Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn . Many were accompanied by dedication addresses similar to Storys', which linked the cemeteries to the mission of creating a Christian republic . In 1847, the New York State Legislature passed the Rural Cemetery Act which authorized commercial burial grounds in New York . The law led to the burial of human remains becoming

1352-488: The Victorian cookery writer. The cemetery was founded by its own Act of Parliament of 1836 and consecrated for its first burials in 1837. By 2000, there had been 164,000 burials in 42,000 plots, plus 34,000 cremations and several thousand interments in its catacombs (see also Catacombs of London ) . As early as 1711, Sir Christopher Wren advocated the creation of burial grounds on the outskirts of town, "inclosed with

1404-504: The West Norwood Conservation Area, while the entrance arch, the fine railings by Bramah and 64 monuments were listed as Grade II and II*. However, space for new burials had largely been exhausted by the inter-war years, and, deprived of this regular source of income, the cemetery company was unable to properly afford its upkeep or the repair of buildings damaged by wartime bombing. Lambeth Council compulsorily purchased

1456-512: The cemetery in 1965, and controversially extinguished past rights and claimed ownership over the existing graves. Lambeth changed some of the character of the grounds through "lawn conversion", removing at least 10,000 monuments (including some of the listed monuments) and restarted new burials, reselling existing plots for re-use. Consistory Court cases fought in the Southwark Diocese in 1995 and 1997 found this to be illegal. It brought about

1508-498: The cemetery in 2005 identified one oak which is thought to date from 1540 to 1640. Fourteen more oaks, a maple and an ash tree were identified that predate the foundation of the cemetery in 1836. In the first years of the cemetery's operation, these were joined by coniferous trees and evergreen holm oaks. In 1842, a section of the cemetery was acquired by London's Greek community for a Greek Orthodox cemetery, and this soon filled with many fine monuments and large mausoleums, memorialising

1560-592: The cemetery out of the control of the church, using an attractive park built on a grand scale, architectural design and careful planting inspired by the English garden movement. The first rural cemetery in the United States was Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts , founded by Dr. Jacob Bigelow and Henry Dearborn of The Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1831. The City of Boston became concerned about

1612-503: The cemetery. Spencer John Bent , Victoria Cross recipient for action in World War I, who was cremated here, is commemorated in a garden of remembrance. More than 200 people buried in the cemetery are recorded in the Dictionary of National Biography . The Friends of West Norwood Cemetery have recorded and compiled biographies for many more of these with: There are also many notables of

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1664-416: The cessation of new burials and forced the restoration of a handful of the damaged or removed monuments. In addition it required Lambeth to publish an index of cleared and resold plots, so that the descendants of historic owners can identify and request restitution of their family's plot. As a consequence of the courts' findings, Lambeth now operates the cemetery in accordance with a scheme of management under

1716-493: The consecrated grounds were overseen by the Diocese of Winchester , and then Rochester , before coming under the authority of Southwark from 1905. Architect William Tite was a director of the cemetery company and designed the landscaping, some monuments, and was eventually interred there himself. This was the first cemetery in the UK to be designed in the new Gothic style. It offered

1768-478: The correct furnace. After the war, the Dissenter's chapel was rebuilt in a more modern style as a crematorium, recordia, and columbarium over its catacombs and furnaces. Its equipment has been updated several times, and its cremators are still used on a daily basis. Lambeth Council does not allow publication of images of the crematorium chapel or cremators on any internet website including Misplaced Pages. A War Memorial in

1820-541: The country. These cemeteries were decorated with tall obelisks, spectacular mausoleums, and magnificent sculptures. By 1861, the rural cemetery movement began to decline partly due to the high cost of maintaining large landscapes but also due to the development of public parks. Many landscape designers, including Frederick Law Olmsted who designed Central Park in New York City , borrowed ideas from rural cemeteries. As more public parks opened, fewer people went to cemeteries for leisure and relaxation activities. Due to

1872-425: The dedication address on September 24, 1831. Mount Auburn also began the practice of allowing the purchase of family plots large enough to allow the burial of several generations of a single family. Mount Auburn quickly grew as a popular site for both burials and public recreation, attracting locals as well as tourists from across the country and Europe. Mount Auburn inspired dozens of other rural cemeteries across

1924-587: The development of the garden cemetery movement in Britain and the foundation of London's pioneering example: Kensal Green Cemetery . Carden, later editor of the Penny Magazine , was apparently inspired by a visit to Paris 's Père-Lachaise Cemetery in 1821, and saw an opportunity to replace overcrowded, insanitary church graveyards with appealing suburban cemeteries catering for the affluent middle and upper classes. His first prospectus, issued in 1825, failed, but

1976-465: The early 19th century, urban burial grounds were generally sectarian and located on small plots and churchyards within cities. With the rapid increase in urban populations due to the Industrial Revolution , urban cemeteries became unhealthily overcrowded with graves stacked upon each other, or emptied and reused for newer burials. The practice of embalming did not become popular until after

2028-516: The form of a Cross of Sacrifice is the first memorial a visitor encounters, between the main gate and the inner gate. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists 136 Commonwealth war service burials of World War I and 52 of World War II , plus 18 cremations during the latter war. There is also one Belgian war burial and two Greek civilian victims of the Lusitania sinking. There are many British and Indian Army officers buried in various parts of

2080-619: The grander Anglican monuments and mausolea , while the Greek Orthodox necropolis in the North East contains a high density of neoclassical architecture . Many of these mausolea are listed , such as the Grade II mausoleum for Sir Henry Doulton 's family, constructed appropriately of pottery and terracotta. As a contrast, just a few yards to the west of the crematorium is the very simple headstone to Isabella Mary Mayson Beeton, aka Mrs Beeton ,

2132-496: The health hazards caused by decomposing corpses in cemeteries in the middle of the city. A citizens' group led by Bigelow pulled together residents to discuss the design and location of a cemetery outside city limits. The search for a site took six years and land was eventually purchased on a farm known as Sweet Auburn along the Charles River about four miles from Boston. Coinciding with the growing popularity of horticulture and

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2184-548: The health of the inhabitants'. In 1836, a specific Parliamentary statute enabled the South Metropolitan Cemetery Company to purchase land from the estate of the late Lord Thurlow in what was then called Lower Norwood and create the second of the ' Magnificent Seven ' cemeteries. The new cemetery was consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester on 7 December 1837, receiving its first burial soon after. Until 1877,

2236-547: The history of Anglo-Hellenic families . Grade II*-listed St Stephen's Chapel within the Greek section is sometimes attributed to architect John Oldrid Scott . The Greek necropolis is overseen by the trustees of the Cathedral of Saint Sophia . Another enclosure in the south-east corner was acquired by St Mary-at-Hill in the City of London for its own parish burials. The Dissenters' chapel

2288-639: The joint control of all interested parties, that includes Lambeth, the Diocese, the Friends of West Norwood Cemetery and conservation bodies such as Historic England . While the Anglican catacombs were a popular place for interment, those below the Dissenter's chapel remained largely empty. With the rise of the cremation movement the Cemetery Company identified this as a new source of revenue, and chose to rebuild part of

2340-513: The largest rural cemetery in the world, and has been the largest cemetery in Europe since its opening in 1875. As of 1911, rural cemeteries were still unusual in Germany. Other examples include the Waldfriedhof Dahlem in Berlin, 1931. George Frederick Carden George Frederick Carden (1798 – 18 November 1874) was an English barrister, magazine editor and businessman, credited with

2392-497: The rural cemetery provided a place for the general public to enjoy outdoor recreation amidst art and sculpture previously available only for the wealthy. The popularity of rural cemeteries decreased toward the end of the 19th century due to the high cost of maintenance, development of true public parks and perceived disorderliness of appearance arising from independent ownership of family burial plots and different grave markers. Lawn cemeteries became instead an attractive design. In

2444-469: The scale of death caused by the American Civil War (almost 2% the U.S. population died in the war), the U.S. government outsourced many burials to privately owned rural cemeteries. Since family plot owners could do as they wished with their lots, rural cemeteries that began as orderly and scenic ended up as cluttered and unkempt. Rural cemeteries began to fade out of popularity and were replaced by

2496-618: The time was the rural outskirts of the city of Québec. The development of the American movement paralleled the creation of the landscaped cemeteries in England , with Mount Auburn inspiring the design of London 's first non-denominational cemetery at Abney Park (1840), one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries . Among the first of the Parkfriedhof established in German-speaking Europe,

2548-462: The time, such as Sir Henry Tate , sugar magnate and founder of London's Tate Gallery , Arthur Anderson , co-founder of P&O , Paul Julius Baron von Reuter , founder of the news agency , and the Revd. Charles Spurgeon , Baptist preacher, Isabella Beeton (the famous cookery writer), who died at 28 in childbirth, Lloyd Jones , Co-operative Society activist, to name but a few. The Greek diaspora

2600-472: Was augmented over the next few years by two more cremators, designed by the cemetery superintendent Lockwood and the engineering company of Youngs. This equipment is located entirely underground, and used the original Bramah hydraulic lift of the catacombs to lower the coffin from the Crematorium Chapel at ground level, where a 'marshalling yard' of narrow gauge railway track allowed the bier to be moved to

2652-465: Was damaged by a V-1 flying bomb during World War II and rebuilt in 1956. In 1960 the grand Episcopal chapel was levelled, to be replaced by a memorial rose garden over its catacombs. The main office at the front of the cemetery was also damaged by another flying bomb; it was rebuilt after the war in a style more sympathetic to its Gothic surroundings. Between 1978 and 1993, the cemetery achieved several levels of official recognition by being included in

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2704-487: Was exhumed and reburied in his native town of Uitenhage in 1977. West Norwood Cemetery is one of the Magnificent Seven . It is one of the two cemeteries located south of the river Thames (the other being Nunhead Cemetery ). The cemetery is easily reached by public transport: Rural cemetery The rural cemetery movement mirrored changing attitudes toward death in the nineteenth century. Images of hope and immortality were popular in rural cemeteries in contrast to

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