Brompton Cemetery is one of the Magnificent Seven Cemeteries of London that were built to relieve the overload of burials in the inner-city cemeteries in the 1800s. Like many of the Magnificent Seven Cemeteries, Brompton Cemetery fulfills more than one purpose. In addition to being the final resting place for London’s deceased, it is also a park, nature reserve, and bee apiary.
Since the 1840s, there have been more than 200,000 burials in 35,000 graves at Brompton Cemetery. More than 700,000 people visit the cemetery each year.
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History
Brompton Cemetery was founded in 1840 by Stephen Geary, an architect, entrepreneur, and inventor. Before acquiring the name of Brompton Cemetery, it was called the West of London Cemetery and Westminster Cemetery.
Brompton Cemetery has been featured in multiple films, including a 2009 Sherlock Holmes movie. The Gothic chapel exterior was used as a model for a church in St. Petersburg, Russia in Goldeneye, a James Bond film.[1]
Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter, author of the well-known children's books about Peter Rabbit, lived near Brompton Cemetery from her birth in 1866 to her marriage in 1913. While it cannot be proven, many believe that Potter may have found inspiration for the names of the characters in her books at the cemetery. Graves with the names of Nutkins, Jeremiah Fisher, Tomas Brock, Mr. Tod, and several Mr. McGregors can be found in Brompton Cemetery.
Epidemics
Brompton Cemetery was one of several cemeteries created in response to a lack of space in existing cemeteries and churchyards. Between 1800 and 1850, London’s population swelled from 1 million to more than 2.3 million. Illness under these crowded conditions led to epidemics of typhus, influenza, scarlet fever, measles, diphtheria, cholera, and smallpox.
Traditionally, London burials had taken place inside of church buildings but as time went on, the church’s floors and walls were filled with bodies. To create more space, side chapels were added with more burial crypts. Eventually, the side chapels were also filled to capacity so burials were made outdoors in the churchyards.
Then as churchyards also became overcrowded, bodies were buried shoulder to shoulder or even stacked on top of one another. Coffins were often absent among the poor. Decaying matter leached into London’s water supply, which worsened epidemic conditions.
Architecture
Built in 1842, the Brompton Cemetery Chapel is the focal point of the cemetery’s architecture. It was originally used for funeral services. Today, the chapel is still used for funeral services but is also used for exhibitions, concerts, and storytimes. The angular, eight-sided base of the chapel building is symbolic of life on earth, while its lofty dome is symbolic of heaven.
The chapel is rated Grade 2 on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The rating of Grade 2 indicates that the site is of particular national, architectural, or historical importance. About 28% of registered English parks and gardens are rated Grade 2.
The Brompton Chapel was renovated in 2017. Restorations included repairs and remodeling to the lead-covered dome, the elegant interior, and the side rooms for offices and visitor services.[2]
Events
Here are some of the events held at the Brompton Cemetery Chapel:
- Walking for Health, a weekly walking group
- Gardening sessions
- Scent Stroll
- Sunday Tours
- Art exhibits with painting and sculptures
- Lectures on historic figures buried at Brompton Cemetery
- End-of-Year wildflower hunt
Nature
Brompton Cemetery is filled with natural wildflower fields with long grasses that attract bees and butterflies. Bee hotels have been installed along cemetery paths. There are even beekeeping workshops for the public and honey is available for sale.
Brompton Cemetery also has plentiful ivy growing across the fields and on the gravestones. This is great for bees since ivy flowers late in the year, providing food for the bees after other blooms have faded.
Like many English cemeteries, Brompton Cemetery has many yew trees. During the Middle Ages, whenever a new church, and accompanying graveyard were constructed, a yew tree was planted. It is theorized that the yew was a symbol of death and resurrection in Celtic culture due to its ability to re-sprout after years of inactivity. Others say that the yew trees were planted to keep farmers from letting their cattle roam in the burial grounds, since the berries produced by the yews are toxic [3].
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is the nickname for seven huge cemeteries that surround London:
- Kensal Green Cemetery, 1832
- West Norwood Cemetery, 1836
- Highgate Cemetery, 1839
- Abney Park Cemetery, 1840
- Nunhead Cemetery, 1840
- Brompton Cemetery, 1840
- Tower Hamlets Cemetery, 1841
Each is a unique masterpiece of park-like greenspace. Brompton Cemetery includes large family plots, mausoleums, a columbarium, and common graves where coffins are piled deep in the earth in layers.
Notable burials
Some of the notable burials at Brompton Cemetery include:
- Emmeline Pankhurst (1858 - 1928), political activist in the British suffrage movement
- Dr. John Snow (1813 - 1858), anesthesia pioneer who discovered the cause of cholera
- Alexander Anderson (1807 - 1877), a Royal Marines officer whose Brompton Cemetery memorial was created out of cannonballs
Explore more about famous cemeteries
- London's Magnificent Seven Cemeteries, BillionGraves Blog
- Documenting Cemeteries with BillionGraves, Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Cemetery Records Worldwide, BillionGraves, MyHeritage Catalog Collection
- The Seven Largest Cemeteries in the World, BillionGraves Blog
- Three Amazing Cemeteries, BillionGraves Blog
- 10 Cemeteries to See Before You Die, BillionGraves Blog
- 10 of the World's Most Beautiful Cemeteries, BillionGraves Blog
- Stories in Stone – Cemetery Research, Legacy Family Tree Webinars