Kensal Green Cemetery is an early-Victorian cemetery located in the heart of London, England, crossing into both the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Founded in 1832, Kensal Green Cemetery spans 72 acres (29 hectares) and it is the final resting place for more than 250,000 individuals in over 65,000 graves. The cemetery is nestled next to a canal and includes two conservation areas. There are three chapels for people of all faiths and social standing.
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
History
Epidemics
Kensal Green Cemetery was 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.
Rural Cemeteries
Rural cemeteries became the solution for the health crisis. Kensal Green Cemetery's founder, Barrister George Frederick Carden, was inspired by the garden-like Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, which he visited in 1821. He wanted to create a tranquil and sanitary place for the middle and upper classes to be buried.
Most of the monuments, statues, and mausoleums at Kensal Green Cemetery are in the Gothic style. Coffins were sometimes carried down the adjacent canal on barges to Kensal Green Cemetery for funerals.
Nature at Kensal Green Cemetery
In addition to graveside visitors, bird-watchers and nature enthusiasts gather at Kensal Green Cemetery. The lush greenery and the nearby canal at Kensal Green Cemetery have attracted a great variety of wildlife. The cemetery is home to more than 33 species of birds[1].
Kensal Green Cemetery also includes rare flora and fauna, many mature trees, a wide variety of grasslands, and colorful wildflowers. There are mutiple rows of Rose Trees, each in their own plot.
Kensal Green Cemetery is listed on the "Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England", a classification system for historic parks and gardens, similar to registries used for historic buildings.
"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. The oldest of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries is Kensal Green Cemetery.
A poem for Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery was featured in a poem by Gilbert Keith Chesterton called "The Rolling English Road" in his book The Flying Inn[2]:
For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.
Notable burials
Kensal Green Cemetery monuments range from huge mausoleums for the wealthy to smaller headstones for commoners. More than 500 British aristocrats are buried there, including Major-General Sir William Casement, a member of the Supreme Council of India. In 1844, Casement contracted cholera while in Kashipur so he made plans to return to London. In the meantime, he was warned by members of the Supreme Council to delay his departure due to uprisings in the Madras Army. Casement passed away the night before his scheduled trip home. Even so, his monument is one of the finest in Kensal Green Cemetery.
Charles Dickens chose Kensal Green Cemetery as the final resting place for his beloved sister-in-law, Mary Hogarth. Many of his literary acquaintances are buried at Kensal Green.
Another notable person buried at Kensal Green Cemetery is Charles Blondin, a master tightrope walker. In 1859, Blondin crossed 160 feet above the Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Subsequently, he challenged his skills by re-crossing the Niagara more than 300 times – on stilts, with a wheelbarrow, blindfolded, carrying a man on his back, and sitting down to fry an egg halfway across.[3]
- Charles Babbage(1791 - 1871), 'the father of computing'
- Howard Staunton(1810 - 1874), designer of the modern standard chess set
- Andrew Ducrow (1793 - 1842), equestrian circus proprietor
Explore more about famous cemeteries
- London's Magnificent Seven Cemeteries, BillionGraves Blog
- Documenting Cemeteries with BillionGraves webinar at 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 webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
References
- ↑ "Kensal Green Cemetery and St Mary's Cemetery". London Bird Club Wiki. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ "Chesterton: The Flying Inn". All Manner of Thing. 2015-01-19. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ Publisher, The (2013-12-18). "The great Blondin once cooked an omelette on a tightrope". Historical articles and illustrations. Retrieved 2024-08-20.