St Marys Roman Catholic Cemetery |
| Hob Uid: 1506053 | |
Location :
Greater London Authority
Hammersmith and Fulham
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : TQ2267382509 |
| Summary : A Roman Catholic Cemetery situated to the west of Kensal Green Cemetery. Originally part of the unconsecrated area of Kensal Green Cemetery was to be used for Roman Catholic burials. However, an increase in the London Roman Catholic population as a result of Irish immigration and the closure of overcrowded churchyards prompted the need for a cemetery entirely devoted to the Roman Catholic faith. In 1858 the Roman Catholic church purchased a plot of land, 12.14 hectares in area, from the General Cemetery Company, owners of Kensal Green Cemetery (Monument HOB UID 1091415). The cemetery was opened for burials on the 10th May 1858 but the chapel and lodge were not built until 1860. Both buildings were designed by Samuel Joseph Nicholl (1826-1905) and Thomas John Willson (1824-1903). During the first eight years after opening, 12,500 burials took place. Now the cemetery contains 165,000 burials including the grave of Mary Seacole (1805-1881) Jamaican Crimean War nurse now regarded as of equal importance to Florence Nightingale (Monument HOB UID 1120237), Thomas Power O'Connor (1848-1929) Irish jounalist and Member of Parliament, Josef Jakobs (1898-1941) the last man to be executed as a spy at the Tower of London and Sir John Barbirolli (1899-1970) conductor of the Halle Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.The northeast quarter of the cemetery contains the funeral chapel, lodge, catacombs, the majority of the cemetery's 27 mausolea and the Belgian War Memorial. The First and Second World War memorial is situated in the southwest of the cemetery. In 1992 the cemetery was almost full so a restoration of the southern area, involving the raising of ground level to provide extra burial space, took place. This resulted in the removal of old and untended graves. Tombstones identified as of significant historical interest were retained and re-erected. |
More information : A Roman Catholic Cemetery situated to the west of Kensal Green Cemetery. Originally it was intended that an area within the unconsecrated area of Kensal Green Cemetery was to be used for Roman Catholic burials. However, an increase in the London Roman Catholic population mainly because of immigration from the Irish Famine in the 1840s and closure of overcrowded church yards prompted the need for a cemetery entirely devoted to the Roman Catholic faith. In 1858 the Roman Catholic church purchased a plot of land, 12.14 hectares in area, from the General Cemetery Company, owners of Kensal Green Cemetery (Monument HOB UID 1091415). The cemetery was opened for burials on the 10th May 1858 but the chapel and lodge were not built until 1860. Both buildings were designed by Samuel Joseph Nicholl (1826-1905) and Thomas John Willson (1824-1903). (1)
During the first eight years after opening, 12,500 burials took place. Now the cemetery contains 165,000 burials including the grave of Mary Seacole (1805-1881) Jamaican Crimean War nurse now regarded as of equal importance to Florence Nightingale (Monument HOB UID 1120237), Thomas Power O'Connor (1848-1929) Irish jounalist and Member of Parliament, Josef Jakobs (1898-1941) the last man to be executed as a spy at the Tower of London and Sir John Barbirolli (1899-1970) conductor of the Halle Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
The northeast quarter of the cemetery contains the funeral chapel, lodge, catacombs, the majority of the cemetery's 27 mausolea and the Belgian War Memorial (Monument HOB UID 1506397). The First and Second World War memorial (Monument HOB UID 1506485) is situated in the southwest of the cemetery. In 1992 the cemetery was almost full so a restoration of the southern area, involving the raising of ground level to provide extra burial space, took place. This resulted in the removal of old and untended graves. Tombstones identified as of significant historical interest were retained and re-erected. (2-4) |