Norwood cemetery
Gothic inner gates to the cemetery, designed by Sir William Tite
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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1836 |
| Location | West Norwood, London |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°25′59″N 0°05′53″W / 51.433°N 0.098°WCoordinates: 51°25′59″N 0°05′53″W / 51.433°N 0.098°W |
| Type | Public |
| Size | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| No. of graves | 42,000+ |
| No. of interments | around 200,000 |
| Website | Official website |
West Norwood Cemetery is a 40-acre (16 ha) 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 a columbarium for cinerary ashes. The cemetery's crematorium still operates, and cremation plots are still available, but all the conventional 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 is in the London Borough of Lambeth, (SE27). The local authority are the current owners. The site, with some of its neighbouring streets, forms part of a conservation area.
Reckoned to hold the finest collection of sepulchral monuments in London, it features 69 Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings and structures, including a dedicated Greek Orthodox necropolis with 19 listed mausoleums and monuments. It 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 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 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.
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Wikipedia