A typical mausoleum, Kensal Green Cemetery

The grave of Baldomero de Bertodano, Kensal Green Cemetery

The tomb of Charles Spencer Ricketts, Kensal Green Cemetery

Andrew Ducrow's grave, Kensal Green Cemetery

Kensal Green Cemetery is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a bu ...

in the

Kensal Green Kensal Green is an area in north-west London. It lies mainly in the London Borough of Brent, with a small part to the south within Kensington and Chelsea. Kensal Green is located on the Harrow Road, about miles from Charing Cross. To the w ...

area of Queens Park in the

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an Inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the ...

in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister

George Frederick Carden George Frederick Carden (1798 – 18 November 1874) was an English barrister, magazine editor and businessman, credited with the development of the garden cemetery movement in Britain and the foundation of London's pioneering example: Kensal Green ...

.The Founding of Kensal Green Cemetery
Accessed 7 February 2014 The cemetery opened in 1833 and comprises of grounds, including two conservation areas, adjoining a canal. The cemetery is home to at least 33 species of bird and other wildlife. This distinctive cemetery has memorials ranging from large

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be cons ...

s housing the rich and famous to many distinctive smaller graves and includes special areas dedicated to the very young. It has three chapels and serves all faiths. It is one of the

Magnificent Seven cemeteries The "Magnificent Seven" is an informal term applied to seven large private cemeteries in London. They were established in the 19th century to alleviate overcrowding in existing parish burial grounds as London’s population grew during the Vic ...

in London. The cemetery was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem "

The Rolling English Road "The Rolling English Road" is one of the best-known poems by G. K. Chesterton. It was first published under the title "A Song of Temperance Reform" in the ''New Witness'' in 1913. It was also included in the novel by Chesterton, ''The Flying Inn' ...

" from his book '' The Flying Inn'': "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green." Despite its Grecian-style buildings, the cemetery is primarily Gothic in character, due to the high number of private Gothic monuments. Due to this atmosphere, the cemetery was the chosen location of several scenes in movies, notably in '' Theatre of Blood''. The cemetery is listed Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. It remains in use.

Location

The cemetery is in London's

. Its main entrance is on Harrow Road (west of where Ladbroke Grove and Chamberlayne Road meet). Its other entrance, Alma Place (the West Gate, almost opposite Greyhound Road) is also on the north side. Alma Place leads to the West London Crematorium (whose owner and operator is the same) and

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery St Mary's Catholic Cemetery is located on Harrow Road, Kensal Green in London, England. It has its own Catholic chapel. History Established in 1858, the site was built next door to Kensal Green Cemetery. It is the final resting place for ...

, which are in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The cemetery lies between Harrow Road and the

Paddington Arm The Paddington Canal or Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal is a canal to Paddington in central London, England. It runs from the west of the capital at Bull's Bridge in Hayes. Little Venice — its only junction — is with the Re ...

of the

Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter ...

to the south which has long been separated by a wall. A set of defunct gates is set in the southern wall which adjoins the canal where barges took a proportion of earth from excavating graves and occasionally coffins carried by barge were unloaded.

History and description

Establishment and design

George Frederick Carden had failed with an earlier attempt to establish a British equivalent to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

's Père Lachaise Cemetery in 1825, but a new committee established in February 1830, including

Andrew Spottiswoode Andrew Spottiswoode (19 February 1787 – 20 February 1866) was a Scottish printer, publisher and politician, MP for from 1826 to 1830, and from 1830 to 1831. Life He was the fourth son of John Spottiswoode (died 1805) of Spottiswoode, Berwick ...

, MP for Saltash, sculptor

Robert William Sievier Robert William Sievier FRS (24 July 1794 – 28 April 1865) was a notable British engraver, sculptor and later inventor of the 19th century. Engraver and sculptor Sievier showed an early talent for drawing, and studied under John Young and Edw ...

, banker Sir John Dean Paul, Charles Broughton Bowman (first committee secretary),Kensal Green Founders
Accessed 10 February 2014 and architects Thomas Willson (who had previously proposed an ambitious

Metropolitan Sepulchre The Metropolitan Sepulchre was a massive pyramidal necropolis proposed for construction in Primrose Hill in London in the 19th century as a way of addressing the shortage of burial space in the London area. Designed by the architect Thomas Wills ...

project) and Augustus Charles Pugin, gained more financial, political and public support to fund the "General Cemetery Company". Public meetings were held in June and July 1830 at the Freemasons' Tavern, and Carden was elected treasurer. Paul, a partner in the London banking firm of Strahan, Paul, Paul and Bates, found and conditionally purchased the of land at

for £9,500. 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 Charles Fowler (17 May 1792 – 26 September 1867) was an English architect, born and baptised at Cullompton, Devon. He is especially noted for his design of market buildings, including Covent Garden Market in London. Life Education and earl ...

(proposal not taken up), Francis Goodwin, Willson, and 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. 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. The Act 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. Company directors appointed after the Bill received Royal Assent asserted their control and preference for a different style. One of the competition judges and a company shareholder, John Griffith of Finbury, who had previously produced working drawings for a boundary wall, ultimately designed the cemetery's two chapels and the main gateway"Kensal Green"
Survey of London: volume 37: Northern Kensington (1973), pp. 333–339. Accessed 10 February 2014. and 15,000 trees were supplied and planted by Hugh Ronalds from his nursery in

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings wh ...

. Founded as the General Cemetery of All Souls, Kensal Green, the cemetery was the first of the " Magnificent Seven" garden-style cemeteries in London. It was consecrated on 24 January 1833 by Charles James Blomfield, the Bishop of London, receiving its first funeral the same month. In the early 1850s, after a series of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...

epidemics in London caused an examination of London's burial facilities, health commissioner

Edwin Chadwick Sir Edwin Chadwick KCB (24 January 18006 July 1890) was an English social reformer who is noted for his leadership in reforming the Poor Laws in England and instituting major reforms in urban sanitation and public health. A disciple of Ut ...

proposed the closure of all existing burial grounds in the vicinity of London other than the privately owned Kensal Green Cemetery, north-west of the city, which was to be

nationalised Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...

and greatly enlarged to provide a single burial ground for west London. (A large tract of land on the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

around south-east of London in Abbey Wood was to become a single burial ground for east London.) The Treasury was sceptical that Chadwick's scheme would ever be financially viable, and it was widely unpopular. Although the

Metropolitan Interments Act 1850 Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a ty ...

authorised the scheme, it was abandoned in 1852. A typical statuary detail, Kensal Green Cemetery

Layout

The overall layout is on an east–west axis, with a central path leading to a raised chapel towards the west. The entrance is to the north-east and the largest monuments line the central path to the chapel. The

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

was allotted 39 acres and the remaining 15, clearly separated, acres were given over to Dissenters, a distinction deemed crucial at the time. Originally there was a division between the Dissenters' part of the cemetery and the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

section. This took the form of a "sunk fence" from the canal to the gate piers on the path. There were also decorative iron gates. The small area designated for non-Anglican burials is approximately oval in shape and was formerly made prominent by a wider central axis path that terminated with the neo-classical chapel with curved

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...

s. The Anglican Chapel dominates the western section of the cemetery, being raised on a terrace beneath that is an extensive

catacomb Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred ...

; there is a hydraulic

catafalque A catafalque is a raised bier, box, or similar platform, often movable, that is used to support the casket, coffin, or body of a dead person during a Christian funeral or memorial service. Following a Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, a catafalqu ...

for lowering coffins into the catacomb. It is still in operation today; burials and cremations take place daily, although cremations are now more common than interments. The cemetery is still run by the General Cemetery Company under its original

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliame ...

. This mandates that bodies there may not be exhumed and cremated or the land sold for development. Once the cemetery has exhausted all its interment space and can no longer function as a cemetery, the mandate requires that it shall remain a memorial park. The General Cemetery Company constructed and runs the West London Crematorium within the grounds of the cemetery. While borrowing from the ideals established at Père Lachaise some years before, Kensal Green Cemetery contributed to the design and management basis for many cemetery projects throughout the British Empire of the time. In Australia, for example, the

Necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...

at Rookwood (1868) and Waverley Cemetery (1877), both in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

, are noted for their use of the "gardenesque" landscape qualities and importantly self-sustaining management structures championed by the General Cemetery Company. The cemetery is the burial site of approximately 250,000 individuals in over 65,000 graves, including upwards of 500 members of the British nobility and 970 people listed in the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

''. Many monuments, particularly the larger ones, lean precariously as they have settled over time on the underlying London clay.

Notable structures

Many buildings and structures within Kensal Green are listed. The Anglican Chapel is listed Grade I, while the

Dissenters' Chapel, Kensal Green Dissenters' Chapel, Kensal Green, is a working chapel with gallery attached in Kensal Green Cemetery, North Kensington, London. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is unde ...

is listed Grade II* and the colonnade/catacomb and perimeter walls and railings are listed Grade II. Of the many tombs, memorials and mausoleums, eight are listed Grade II*, while The Reformers' Memorial is listed Grade II. The Tomb of Charles Spencer Ricketts is listed Grade II* and was designed by

William Burges William Burges (; 2 December 1827 – 20 April 1881) was an English architect and designer. Among the greatest of the Victorian art-architects, he sought in his work to escape from both nineteenth-century industrialisation and the Neoc ...

The Anglican Chapel

The Anglican Chapel is at the centre of the cemetery, and contains several tombs. The chapel was damaged during the Second World War but was restored in 1954. Under the chapel is a

, one of the few in London. The catacomb is currently not maintained but can be visited as part of a guided tour. It still has a working coffin-lift or

, restored by The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery in 1997.

Dissenters' Chapel

Situated in the eastern corner of the cemetery this

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

structure was for the use of all non-Anglican denominations and of non-believers. Only part of the cemetery was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different gro ...

, and Dissenters could opt to be buried in the non-consecrated areas following a service here. The cemetery became favoured by nonconformists, free-thinkers, non-Christians and atheists, and thus this chapel became popular. The Dissenters' Chapel had become derelict and partly roofless, so in 1995 was leased to the

Historic Chapels Trust The Historic Chapels Trust is a British Registered Charity set up to care for redundant non-Anglican churches, chapels, and places of worship in England. To date, its holdings encompass various nonconformist Christian denominations and Roma ...

who undertook £447,000 of restoration. The chapel currently serves as the office of The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery, but is also available for funeral services. Reformers Monument, Kensal Green Cemetery (detail)

Reformers Monument, Kensal Green Cemetery (detail)

The Robert Owen Memorial, Kensal Green Cemetery

The Reformers' Memorial

The Reformers' Memorial was erected in 1885. It was erected at the instigation of Joseph Corfield "to the memory of men and women who have generously given their time and means to improve the conditions and enlarge the happiness of all classes of society". The monument has lists of names of reformers and radicals on its north and east sides (together with further names added in 1907 by Emma Corfield). It is paired with the

Robert Owen Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh people, Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditio ...

memorial, and a second instance of a non-funerary memorial in the cemetery's nonconformist section. The memorial was amended to include

Lloyd Jones Lloyd Jones or Lloyd-Jones may refer to: People Sports * Lloyd Jones (athlete) (1884–1971), American athlete in the 1908 Summer Olympics *Lloyd Jones (figure skater) (born 1988), Welsh ice dancer * Lloyd Jones (English footballer) (born 1995), E ...

to recognise his contribution. "THIS MEMORIAL IS RAISED AS A TOKEN OF REGARD TO THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHOSE NAMES IT BEARS BY JOSEPH W. CORFIELD, AUGUST 1895." "THE REFORMERS' MEMORIAL ERECTED TO THE GLORY OF MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE GENEROUSLY GIVEN THEIR TIME AND MEANS TO IMPROVE THE CONDITIONS AND ENHANCE THE HAPPINESS OF ALL CLASSES OF SOCIETY. THEY HAVE FELT THAT A FAR HAPPIER AND MORE PROSPEROUS LIFE IS WITHIN THE REACH OF ALL MEN, AND THEY HAVE EARNESTLY SOUGHT TO REALIZE IT. THE OLD BRUTAL LAWS OF IMPRISONMENT FOR FREE PRINTING HAVE BEEN SWEPT AWAY AND THE RIGHT OF SELECTING OUR OWN LAW MAKERS HAS BEEN GAINED MAINLY BY THEIR EFFORTS. THE EXERCISE OF THESE RIGHTS WILL GIVE THE PEOPLE AN INTEREST IN THE LAWS THAT GOVERN THEM, AND WILL MAKE THEM BETTER MEN AND BETTER CITIZENS." A great number of people are mentioned on the monument. These are, in order shown on the monument: *FRONT FACE (EAST):

( New Lanark),

John Bellers John Bellers (1654 – 8 February 1725) was an English educational theorist and Quaker, author of ''Proposals for Raising a College of Industry of All Useful Trades and Husbandry'' (1695). Life Bellers was born in London, the son of the Quaker ...

Robert Dale Owen Robert Dale Owen (7 November 1801 – 24 June 1877) was a Scottish-born Welsh social reformer who immigrated to the United States in 1825, became a U.S. citizen, and was active in Indiana politics as member of the Democratic Party in the Indi ...

, Abraham Combe, Joseph Lancaster, William Thompson,

John Minter Morgan John Minter Morgan (1782–1854), was an English author and philanthropist. Early life John Minter Morgan was born in London in April 1782. His father, John Morgan, a wholesale stationer at 39 Ludgate Hill, and a member of the court of assist ...

, William Pare, William Galpin, Henry Travis MD, Alex Campbell, James Rigby, W. D. Saull, Julian Hibbert, Rev. Charles Kingsley, Lady Noel Byron,

Frances Wright Frances Wright (September 6, 1795 – December 13, 1852), widely known as Fanny Wright, was a Scottish-born lecturer, writer, freethinker, feminist, utopian socialist, abolitionist, social reformer, and Epicurean philosopher, who becam ...

, Thomas Spence, Allan Davenport, Mary Hennell, Francis Place, Harriet Martineau, George Odger,

*SOUTH FACE: Elizabeth Fry, Sarah Martin, Mary Carpenter, Benjamin Flower,

Henry Fawcett Henry Fawcett (26 August 1833 – 6 November 1884) was a British academic, statesman and economist. Background and education Henry Fawcett was born in Salisbury, and educated at King's College School and the University of Cambridge: enteri ...

Barbara Bodichon Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon (born Barbara Leigh Smith; 8 April 1827 – 11 June 1891) was an English educationalist and artist, and a leading mid-19th-century feminist and women's rights activist. She published her influential ''Brief Summary ...

, Maria Grey, Arnold Toynbee,

W. K. Clifford William Kingdon Clifford (4 May 18453 March 1879) was an English mathematician and philosopher. Building on the work of Hermann Grassmann, he introduced what is now termed geometric algebra, a special case of the Clifford algebra named in his ...

, Edward T. Craig, C. Dobson Collet,

Charles Bradlaugh Charles Bradlaugh (; 26 September 1833 – 30 January 1891) was an English political activist and atheist. He founded the National Secular Society in 1866, 15 years after George Holyoake had coined the term "secularism" in 1851. In 1880, Bradl ...

Richard Congreve Richard Congreve (4 September 1818 – 5 July 1899) was the first English philosopher to openly espouse the Religion of Humanity, the godless form of religious humanism that was introduced by Auguste Comte, as a distinct form of positivism. Cong ...

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He w ...

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and pol ...

, F. Power Cobbe,

Herbert Spencer Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English philosopher, psychologist, biologist, anthropologist, and sociologist famous for his hypothesis of social Darwinism. Spencer originated the expression " survival of the f ...

, Wathen M.W. Call,

Francis Newman Francis Newman (circa 1605 – 18 November 1660) was an English colonist in America. He served as Governor of the New Haven Colony from 1658 to 1659. Early life and career Newman was born in England in 1605 and married Mary Newman Street Leete ...

, Hodgson Pratt,

Lydia Becker Lydia Ernestine Becker (24 February 1827 – 18 July 1890) was a leader in the early British suffrage movement, as well as an amateur scientist with interests in biology and astronomy. She established Manchester as a centre for the suffrage mo ...

, Josephine Butler, Anna Swanwick, C. Jacob Holyoake, J. Kells Ingram *NORTH FACE:

Joseph Priestley Joseph Priestley (; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator, and liberal political theorist. He published over 150 works, and conducted ...

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...

William Hone William Hone (3 June 1780 – 8 November 1842) was an English writer, satirist and bookseller. His victorious court battle against government censorship in 1817 marked a turning point in the fight for British press freedom. Biography Hon ...

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...

, Major Cartwright,

Richard Carlile Richard Carlile (8 December 1790 – 10 February 1843) was an important agitator for the establishment of universal suffrage and freedom of the press in the United Kingdom. Early life Born in Ashburton, Devon, he was the son of a shoemaker w ...

, William Lovett, William Carpenter, Henry Hetherington, John Frost, William Cobbett, W. J. Fox, Richard Moore,

William Howitt William Howitt (18 December 1792 – 3 March 1879), was a prolific English writer on history and other subjects. Howitt Primary Community School in Heanor, Derbyshire, is named after him and his wife. Biography Howitt was born at Heanor, Derbysh ...

, Samuel Bamford, Henry Hunt, George Thompson, David Williams, Thomas Wooller,

Ebenezer Elliott Ebenezer Elliott (17 March 1781 – 1 December 1849) was an English poet, known as the ''Corn Law rhymer'' for his leading the fight to repeal the Corn Laws, which were causing hardship and starvation among the poor. Though a factory owner himse ...

, Ernest Jones, Alex Macdonald, Richard Cobden, Robert Cooper. The entry for Robert Owen reads: The cenotaph to Robert Owen, who was buried in Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales, is fittingly at the side of the Reformers' Memorial. "ROBERT OWEN PHILANTHROPIST BORN MAY 14TH. 1771. DIED NOVR. 17TH. 1858." "1879 ERECTED BY SUBSCRIPTION IN MEMORY OF ROBERT OWEN OF NEW LANARK, BORN AT NEWTOWN, N. WALES 1771. HE DIED AND WAS BURIED AT THE SAME PLACE 1858, AGED 87 YEARS. ––––––––––––– HE ORIGINATED AND ORGANIZED INFANT SCHOOLS, HE SECURED A REDUCTION OF THE HOURS OF LABOUR FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN FACTORIES. HE WAS A LIBERAL SUPPORTER OF THE EARLY EFFORTS IN FAVOUR OF NATIONAL EDUCATION AND LABOURED TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION. HE WAS ONE OF THE FOREMOST ENGLISHMEN 'sic''WHO TAUGHT MEN TO ASPIRE TO A HIGHER SOCIAL STATE BY RECONCILING THE INTERESTS OF CAPITAL AND LABOUR. HE SPENT HIS LIFE AND A LARGE FORTUNE IN SEEKING TO IMPROVE HIS FELLOW MEN BY GIVING THEM EDUCATION, SELF-RELIANCE AND MORE WORTH. ::HIS LIFE WAS SANCTIFIED BY HUMAN AFFECTION AND LOFTY EFFORT. ::::J. W. CORFIELD" "MR. OWEN'S WRITINGS ––––––––––––––––– REPORT TO THE COUNTY OF LANARK. NEW VIEWS OF SOCIETY. TWELVE LECTURES. LECTURES ON MARRIAGE. LECTURES ON A NEW STATE OF SOCIETY. THE BOOK OF THE NEW MORAL WORLD. SIX LECTURES AT MANCHESTER. MANIFESTO OF ROBERT OWEN. SELF SUPPORTING HOME COLONIES. LETTERS TO THE HUMAN RACE. REVOLUTION IN MIND AND PRACTICE. ROBERT OWEN'S JOURNAL. LIFE OF ROBERT OWEN." The memorial is listed as grade II.

The Catacombs

The cemetery has three catacombs for the deposit of lead-sealed, triple-shelled coffins and cremated remains. Catacomb A, beneath the North Terrace Colonnade is now sealed. Catacomb Z, beneath the Dissenters' Chapel at the eastern end of the cemetery, suffered significant bomb damage during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and is also closed to further deposits. Catacomb B, beneath the Anglican Chapel in the centre of the cemetery, has space for some 4,000 deposits, and still offers both private

loculi Loculi ( sc, Lòcula) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northeast of Cagliari and about northeast of Nuoro. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 538 and an area o ...

and shelves or vaults for family groups. The catacomb extends under the entire footprint of the chapel and its colonnades. There are six aisles, within which each vault is numbered, running consecutively to number 216 at the south-western end of aisle 6. Deposit within the catacombs of Kensal Green has always been more expensive and prestigious than burial in a simple plot in the grounds of the cemetery, although less costly than a brick-lined grave or

. Without the further expense and responsibility of a monument above the grave, the catacombs have afforded a secure, dignified and exclusive resting place for the well-to-do, particularly the unmarried, the childless and young children of those without family plots or mausolea elsewhere.

War graves

The cemetery contains the graves of 473 Commonwealth service personnel of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

—half of whom form a war graves plot in the south-west corner, the remainder in small groups or individual graves scattered throughout the grounds—and 51 of the

Second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ea ...

who are all dispersed. In the First World War plot, at Section 213, a Screen Wall memorial lists casualties of both

world war A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

s whose graves could not be marked by headstones, besides five Second World War servicemen who were cremated at Kensal Green (also known as West London) Crematorium. The highest-ranking person buried here who is commemorated by the

CWGC The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mi ...

is General

Sir Charles Douglas Charles Douglas may refer to: * Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry (1698–1778), Scottish nobleman * Charles Douglas, 6th Marquess of Queensberry (1777–1837), Scottish peer * Charles Douglas, 5th Lord Mordington 18th-century Scottish peer ...

(1850–1914), Chief of the Imperial General Staff in early months of the First World War.

Notable burials

Henry Ainley Henry Hinchliffe Ainley (21 August 1879 – 31 October 1945) was an English actor. Life and career Early years Ainley was born in Morley, near Leeds, on 21 August 1879, the only son and eldest child of Richard Ainley (1851–1919), a textile ...

(1879–1945), actor *

Harrison Ainsworth William Harrison Ainsworth (4 February 18053 January 1882) was an English historical novelist born at King Street in Manchester. He trained as a lawyer, but the legal profession held no attraction for him. While completing his legal studies in ...

(1805–1882), author * Thomas Allom (1804–1872), artist and architect * Frederick Scott Archer (1813–1857), sculptor, photographer. Inventor of the

Collodion process The collodion process is an early photographic process. The collodion process, mostly synonymous with the "collodion wet plate process", requires the photographic material to be coated, sensitized, exposed, and developed within the span of about ...

* Charles Phillip Brown (1798–1884), an Englishman known for writing the first

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

dictionary and for his contributions towards the Telugu language and Andhra people * George Percy Badger (1815–1888), English Anglican missionary and scholar of oriental studies * Betsy Balcombe (1802–1871), as a young girl, a close friend and confidante of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

during his imprisonment on St. Helena Island * Michael William Balfe (1808–1870), composer Frederick Scott Archer's grave

Frederick Settle Barff Frederick Settle Barff (6 October 18221823 in his obituary. – 11 August 1886) was an English chemist, ecclesiastical decorator, and stained glass manufacturer, much interested in theology. Peile, J. (1913) ''Biographical Register of Christ's Coll ...

(1822–1866), chemist, inventor of Bower–Barff process * James Barry (1795–1865), surgeon * George Birkbeck (1776–1841), doctor, academic and adult education pioneer *

Suzanne Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans Suzanne Marie Adèle Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans (née Fesq; 4 May 1921 – 12 February 2010), known professionally as Suzanne St Albans, was a British writer and painter. Early life and family Suzanne Marie Adèle Fesq was born on 4 May ...

(1921–2010), writer and painter * William Behnes (1795–1864), sculptor *

Julius Benedict Sir Julius Benedict (27 November 1804 – 5 June 1885) was a German-born composer and conductor, resident in England for most of his career. Life and music Benedict was born in Stuttgart, the son of a Jewish banker, and in 1820 learnt compos ...

(1804–1885), composer * Maria Björnson (1949-2002), theatre designer * Charles Blondin (1824–1897), acrobat, tightrope-walker *Sir

George Bowen Sir George Ferguson Bowen (; 2 November 1821 – 21 February 1899), was an Irish author and colonial administrator whose appointments included postings to the Ionian Islands, Queensland, New Zealand, Victoria, Mauritius and Hong Kong.R. B. ...

(1821–1899), colonial administrator and 9th

Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the British Crown in Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and commander-in-chief of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kon ...

* Diamantina, Lady Bowen (c. 1832/1833 – 1893), grand dame *

John Braham John Braham may refer to: *John Braham (MP) (1417), MP for Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency), Suffolk *John Braham (tenor) (1774–1856), English opera singer *John Joseph Braham, Sr. (1847–1919), Anglo-American composer and conductor *John Bra ...

(1774–1856), singer *

George Bridgetower George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (11 October 1778 – 29 February 1860) was a British musician, of African descent. He was a virtuoso violinist who lived in England for much of his life. His playing impressed Beethoven, who made Bridg ...

(1782–1860), West Indian-Polish violin virtuoso and friend of Beethoven * Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais (1795–1840), chess master *

Howe Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo Howe Peter Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo (18 May 1788, London – 26 January 1845, Tunbridge Wells), was an Irish peer and colonial governor, styled Viscount Westport until 1800 and Earl of Altamont from 1800 to 1809. Early life Howe Browne was ...

(1788–1845) * Samuel George Bonham (1803–1863), 1st Baronet * J. Lewis Bonhote (1875–1922), zoologist, ornithologist and writer *

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "on ...

(1806–1859), engineer, son of Marc Isambard Brunel and Sophia Kingdom (also buried here) * Marc Isambard Brunel (1769–1849), engineer, father of Isambard * William Burn, eminent Scottish architect (1789–1870) * Peter Burrowes (1753–1841) Irish politician *

Decimus Burton Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was one of the foremost English architects and landscapers of the 19th century. He was the foremost Victorian architect in the Roman revival, Greek revival, Georgian neoclassical and R ...

(1800–1881), architect * Sir Augustus Wall Callcott (1779–1844), painter * Lady Maria Callcott (1785–1842), travel writer *

(1798–1874), founder of the cemetery * John Edward Carew (1785–1868), sculptor * Anthony Carlisle (1768–1840), surgeon and scientist *Sir Ernest Cassel (1852–1921), merchant banker *

John Hobart Caunter John Hobart Caunter (21 June 1792 – 14 November 1851) was an English cleric and writer. Serving briefly in India as a cadet, he entered the Church and was for 19 years the Incumbent Minister of Portland Chapel in Marylebone, London. He wrote ...

(1792–1851), writer and clergyman * William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland (1800–1879), landowner and eccentric * Frederic Chapman (1823–1895), publisher * Marigold Frances Churchill, daughter of Sir Winston and Lady Clementine Churchill, who died from a fever in 1921 at age three (the monument by

Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill, (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the '' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as ″the greatest artist-cr ...

was listed Grade II in 2001). In 2019 the Churchill family acted on a long held desire to reunite Marigold's remains with the rest of her family in Bladon churchyard. The empty grave and monument will remain at Kensal Green. * Henry Savile Clarke (1841–1893), dramatist and critic * Thomas John Cochrane (Sir) (1789–1872) Cemetery plot number 21777, 1st governor of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

1825–34, Member of Parliament for

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

1839–41, Admiral of the fleet 1865–72 * Timothy Augustine Coghlan (1856–1926) Australian statistician, engineer and diplomat * Wilkie Collins (1824–1889), author *James Combe (d. 1867), engineer of

Temple Works Temple Works is a former flax mill in Holbeck, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was designed by the engineer James Coombe a former pupil of John Rennie; the painter David Roberts; and the architect Joseph Bonomi the Younger. It was built i ...

, Leeds *

Joshua Compston Joshua Richard Compston (1 June 1970 – 5 March 1996) was a London curator and progressive thinker, whose company Factual Nonsense was closely associated with the emergence of the Young British Artists (YBAs). Early life and career beginnings ...

(1970–1996), curator * Montague Corry, 1st Baron Rowton (1838–1903), secretary to Disraeli and philanthropic founder of Rowton Houses *

Anne Crawford Imelda Anne Crawford (22 November 1920 – 17 October 1956) was a British film actress, born in Palestine of a Scottish father and an English mother, and brought up in Edinburgh. Biography A contemporary of Margaret Lockwood and Phyllis Calver ...

(1920–1956), actress * Rev John Cumming (1807–1881), author *UK Major General Sir

Alexander Cunningham Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newl ...

KCIE CSI, archaeologist, aide-de-camp to Governor General Lord Aukland of India, executive engineer to the king of Oudh (India), chief engineer of Burma, Colonel of the Royal Engineers. * James Dark (1795–1871), proprietor of

Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County ...

* Philmore 'Boots' Davidson (1928–1993) Trinidadian musician. Introduced the steel band to Britain *Admiral

Ross Donnelly Admiral Sir Ross Donnelly, KCB (1764 – 30 September 1840) was an Irish Royal Navy officer who is known for his service during the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars. He was first lieutenant on HMS ...

(1761–1840) * John Doubleday (about 1798–1856), restorer at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

who reassembled the Portland Vase *

Andrew Ducrow Andrew Ducrow (1793–1842) was a British circus performer, often called "Colossus of equestrians". He was the originator of horsemanship acts and proprietor of Astley's Amphitheatre and remains one of the few giants of equestrian drama whose na ...

(1793–1842), circus performer and horse-rider * Willie Edouin (1841–1908), comedian, actor and theatre manager * Sir George Elliot (1784–1863), naval officer *Dr

John Epps Dr John Epps (15 February 1805 – 12 February 1869) was an English physician, phrenologist and homeopath. He was also a political activist, known as a champion of radical causes on which he preached, lectured and wrote in periodicals. Life Ear ...

(1805–1869), phrenologist * John Edward Errington (1806–1862) civil engineer *

Edward Francis Fitzwilliam Edward Francis Fitzwilliam (1824 – 20 January 1857) was an English composer and music director. Fitzwilliam, born at Deal, Kent on 2 August 1824, was the son of Edward Fitzwilliam, an actor, by his wife, Fanny Elizabeth Fitzwilliam, actress. ...

(1824–1857), composer *

Fanny Fitzwilliam Frances "Fanny" Elizabeth Fitzwilliam (''née'' Copeland) (26 July 1801 – 11 September 1854) was an English actress. Life She was the actress daughter of Robert Copeland, manager of the Dover theatrical circuit. As "Miss Copeland" she made ...

(1801–1854), actress, singer and theatre manager * Ann Foster (1827–1882), widow of John Foster of Hobart, Member of the Tasmanian Legislative Assembly. Formerly Ann Dinham, she was transported to Tasmania in 1852 and was one of few Australian convicts to return to her native land (Grave No. 28305) * Henri Jean-Baptiste Victoire Fradelle (1778–1865), Franco-English Victorian painter *

Erich Fried Erich Fried (6 May 1921 – 22 November 1988) was an Austrian-born poet, writer, and translator. He initially became known to a broader public in both Germany and Austria for his political poetry, and later for his love poems. As a writer, he mo ...

(1921–1988), Austrian poet and essayist *

Henry Gauntlett Henry John Gauntlett (9 July 1805 in Wellington, Shropshire – 21 February 1876 in London) was an English organist and songwriter known in British music circles for his authorship of many hymns and other pieces for the organ. Biography Henr ...

(1810–1876), composer * John Gibson (1817–1892), architect. RIBA Gold Medal recipient 1890 *Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert (1785–1853) *

George Bellas Greenough George Bellas Greenough FRS FGS (18 January 1778 – 2 April 1855) was a pioneering English geologist. He is best known as a synthesizer of geology rather than as an original researcher. Trained as a lawyer, he was a talented speaker and his ...

(1778–1855), geologist * George Grossmith (1847–1912), actor and comedian *

Philip Hardwick Philip Hardwick (15 June 1792 in London – 28 December 1870) was an English architect, particularly associated with railway stations and warehouses in London and elsewhere. Hardwick is probably best known for London's demolished Euston Arch ...

(1792–1870), architect *

Philip Charles Hardwick Philip Charles Hardwick ( London 1822–1892) was an English architect. Life Philip Charles Hardwick was born in Westminster in London, the son of the architect Philip Hardwick (1792–1870) and grandson of architect Thomas Hardwick (junior) ...

(1822–1892), architect * Fairlie Harmar Viscountess Harbeton RA (1876 - 1945) painter and suffragette * Henry Hawkins, 1st Baron Brampton (1817–1907) * Catherine Hayes (1818–1861), opera singer * Henry Herman (1832–1894), English dramatist and novelist *Rev Ridley Herschell (1807–1864) *Major General Sir John Hills

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

CB KCB (1834–1902) * Thomas Hood (1799–1845), poet, humorist and journalist *

Henry Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham Henry Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham (7 February 1837 – 4 May 1898) was an English peer, styled Lord Howard from 1845 to 1889. He was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford, and served as a cornet in the Oxfordshire Yeomanry. On 31 Octo ...

(1837–1898) *Sir Neville Howse (1863–1930), the first Australian recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

, and one of 13 holders of the award buried in this cemetery * Joseph Hume (1777–1855), MP and political campaigner *James Henry

Leigh Hunt James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet. Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centre ...

(1784–1859), Romantic critic, essayist and poet *

Austen Hurgon Austen Hurgon (1867 – 24 June 1942) was an actor, singer, theatre director and librettist for several successful Edwardian musical comedies of the 1900s and 1910s. Early life Born as Richard Cornelius Horgan in London in 1867 to Irish pare ...

(1862–1942), theatrical director *

Frank Linsly James Frank Linsly James FRGS (21 April 1851 – 21 April 1890) was an English explorer. He was the son of American parents: Liverpool-based merchant Daniel James and Sophia Hall (Hitchcock) James. He was born and raised in Liverpool; the 1861 censu ...

(1851–1890), exhumed in 1917 and re-interred in the family plot at West Dean, West Sussex *Sir Leander Starr Jameson (1853–1917), former Prime Minister of Cape Colony and architect of the Jameson Raid – initially buried in a vault here, later reburied in

Matobo Hills The Matobo National Park forms the core of the Matobo or Matopos Hills, an area of granite kopjes and wooded valleys commencing some south of Bulawayo, southern Zimbabwe. The hills were formed over 2 billion years ago with granite being forced ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

Lionel Johnson Lionel Pigot Johnson (15 March 1867 – 4 October 1902) was an English poet, essayist, and critic (although he claimed Irish descent and wrote on Celtic themes). Life Johnson was born in Broadstairs, Kent, England in 1867 and educated at Wi ...

(1867–1902), poet, member of the Rhymer's Club and an influence on W. B. Yeats *

Charles Kemble Charles Kemble (25 November 1775 – 12 November 1854) was a Welsh-born English actor of a prominent theatre family. Life Charles Kemble was one of 13 siblings and the youngest son of English Roman Catholic theatre manager/actor Roger Kemble, ...

(1775–1854), actor and theatre manager *

Fanny Kemble Frances Anne "Fanny" Kemble (27 November 180915 January 1893) was a British actress from a theatre family in the early and mid-19th century. She was a well-known and popular writer and abolitionist, whose published works included plays, poetry ...

(1809–1893), famous British actress and author * Halina Korn (1902–1978), Polish painter and sculptor *

Marian Kukiel Marian Włodzimierz Kukiel (pseudonyms: ''Marek Kąkol'', ''Stach Zawierucha''; 15 May 1885 in Dąbrowa Tarnowska – 15 August 1973 in London) was a Polish major general, historian, social and political activist. One of the founders of Zwi ...

(1885–1972), Polish General and Minister for War in exile during World War II * Michael Lane (1802–1868), civil engineer *

William Garrett Lewis William Garrett Lewis (1821–1885) was a Baptist preacher and pastor of Westbourne Grove Church in Bayswater, London for 33 years. He was an apologist author of two books, ''Westbourne Grove Sermons'' and ''The Trades and Industrial Occupations ...

(b. before 1834; d. 1885) pastor of Westbourne Grove Church * Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957), painter and author, co-founder of the Vorticist movement * Joseph Locke (1805–1860), civil engineer * John St. John Long (1798–1834), quack doctor * John Claudius Loudon (1783–1843), Scottish botanist and writer on cemeteries *

John Graham Lough John Graham Lough (8 January 1798 – 8 April 1876) was an English sculptor known for his funerary monuments and a variety of portrait sculpture. He also produced ideal classical male and female figures. Life John Graham Lough was born at Bl ...

(1789–1876), sculptor *

Sir John Louis, 2nd Baronet Admiral Sir John Louis, 2nd Baronet (1785 – 31 March 1863) was an officer in the Royal Navy. Naval career John Louis, son of Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis, 1st Baronet, entered the Navy in 1795, was promoted to lieutenant in 1801, to co ...

(1785–1863) *Sir

Andrew Lusk Sir Andrew Lusk, 1st Baronet (18 September 1810 – 21 June 1909) was a Scottish born businessman and Liberal politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1885. Biography Lusk was the son of John Lusk of Barr, Ayrshire and his wife ...

, 1st Baronet (1810–1909) Lord Mayor of London 1873–74 * John Robinson McClean (1817–1873), politician * Vice Admiral Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure CB (1807–1873) discoverer of the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the ...

1850–53

Alexander McDonnell Alexander McDonnell may refer to: *Alexander McDonnell (chess player) (1798–1835), Irish chess master *Alexander McDonnell (engineer) (1829–1904), locomotive engineer of the Great Southern & Western Railway (Ireland), & North Eastern Railway (En ...

(1798–1835), chess master *

Richard Graves MacDonnell Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell (; 3 September 1814 – 5 February 1881) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, judge and colonial governor. His posts as governor included Governor of the British Settlements in West Africa, Governor of Saint Vincent, Gove ...

(1814–1881), colonial administrator and 6th

*Sir James McGrigor (1771–1858), Scottish botanist *Sir Donald Friell McLeod (1810–1872) *

William Macready William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English actor. Life He was born in London the son of William Macready the elder, and actress Christina Ann Birch. Educated at Rugby School where he became headboy, and where now the ...

(1793–1873), actor *Sir

George Makins Sir George Henry Makins (3 November 1853 – 2 November 1933) was an English surgeon. He was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, the son of George Hogarth Makins, MRCS, and educated at The King's School, Gloucester, St Thomas' Hospital and Ha ...

(1853–1933), surgeon * Edward Maltby (1770–1859), bishop of Durham *

Florence Marryat Florence Marryat (9 July 1833 – 27 October 1899) was a British author and actress. The daughter of author Capt. Frederick Marryat, she was particularly known for her sensational novels and her involvement with several celebrated spiritual me ...

(1833–1899), novelist, editor, actress and playwright * Kitty Melrose (1883–1912), actress * Archibald Menzies (1754–1842), botanist, surgeon * Ras Andargachew Messai (1902–1981),

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

n ruler * Kate Meyrick (1875–1933), night club owner *

John Maddison Morton John Maddison Morton (3 January 1811 – 19 December 1891) was an English playwright who specialised in one-act farces. His most famous farce was '' Box and Cox'' (1847). He also wrote comic dramas, pantomimes and other theatrical pieces. Biog ...

(1811–1891), playwright * John Lothrop Motley (1814–1877), American historian * Billy Murdoch (1854–1911), Australian cricket captain *

John Trivett Nettleship John Trivett Nettleship (11 February 1841 – 31 August 1902) was an English artist, known as a painter of animals and in particular lions. He was also an author and book illustrator. Life He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire on 11 Februa ...

(1841–1902), painter and author *

Feargus O'Connor Feargus Edward O'Connor (18 July 1796 – 30 August 1855) was an Irish Chartist leader and advocate of the Land Plan, which sought to provide smallholdings for the labouring classes. A highly charismatic figure, O'Connor was admired for his ...

(1796–1855), MP, Chartist Leader & social reformer * Patrick Joseph O’Connor (1887–1959), Footballer with Belfast Celtic, captain of Ireland & Manchester United (1914), Manager of

Barcelona FC Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

during

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

*Admiral

Robert Otway Admiral Sir Robert Waller Otway, 1st Baronet, GCB (26 April 1770 – 12 May 1846) was a senior Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who served extensively as a sea captain during the Napoleonic War and later supported the Brazilian ...

(1773–1846) *

(cenotaph only) (1771–1858), industrialist and major social reformer * John Thomas Perceval (1803–1876), army officer, writer and campaigner * Jacob Perkins (1766–1849), American inventor * George Perry (1793–1862), composer *

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

(1930–2008), playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, poet and political activist * Frederic Hervey Foster Quin (1799–1878), physician * Sir Terence Rattigan (1911–1977), playwright * Emidio Recchioni (1864–1933), Italian anarchist and businessman * Robert Reece (1838–1891), comic playwright and librettist * Emil Reich (1854–1910), Austro-Hungarian-born historian * John Rennie the Younger (1794–1874) civil engineer Monument of Dwarkanath Tagore at London

* Dwarkanath Tagore (1794–1846), Bengali industrialist and benefactor *

John Wigham Richardson John Wigham Richardson (7 January 1837 – 15 April 1908) was a British shipbuilder on Tyneside during the late 19th and early 20th century. Career Richardson was born on 7 January 1837, the son of devout Quakers Edward Richardson and Jan ...

(1837–1908), shipbuilder *

Charles Ritchie, 1st Baron Ritchie of Dundee Charles Thomson Ritchie, 1st Baron Ritchie of Dundee, (19 November 1838 – 9 January 1906) was a British businessman and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1874 until 1905 when he was raised to the peerage. He ser ...

(1838–1906), politician, former Chancellor of Exchequer * Henry Sandham (1842–1910), artist *

Eileen Sharp Eileen Nora Sharp (20 September 1900 – 25 March 1958) was an English singer and actress probably best known as the principal mezzo-soprano with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1923 to 1925. For a few years after that, she continued to ac ...

(1900 –1958), singer and actress * Byam Shaw (1872–1919), artist * John Shaw Jr. (1803–1870), architect and brother-in-law of Philip Hardwick listed above *

Sir William Siemens Sir Carl Wilhelm Siemens (4 April 1823 – 19 November 1883), anglicised to Charles William Siemens, was a German-British electrical engineer and businessman. Biography Siemens was born in the village of Lenthe, today part of Gehrden, near Han ...

(1823–1883), industrialist *

(1794–1865), sculptor (also member of Cemetery board) *

John Benjamin Smith John Benjamin Smith (7 February 1794 – 15 September 1879) was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1847 to 1874. Life Smith was the son of Benjamin Smith, a merchant of Manchester. He was himself a merchant ...

(1794–1879), MP *

John Mark Frederick Smith Major-General Sir John Mark Frederick Smith (11 January 1790 – 20 November 1874) was a British general and colonel-commandant of the Royal Engineers. He was also the Conservative Member of Parliament for Chatham from 1852 to 1853 and 1857 t ...

(1790–1874), British Army general * William Henry Smith (1792–1865), businessman * Alexis Benoît Soyer (1810-1858), Chef and Humanitarian. * Howard Staunton (1810–1874), prominent chess player *

John McDouall Stuart John McDouall Stuart (7 September 18155 June 1866), often referred to as simply "McDouall Stuart", was a Scottish explorer and one of the most accomplished of all Australia's inland explorers. Stuart led the first successful expedition to tra ...

(1815–1866), explorer in Australia Thackeray -grave Kensal Green Cemetery-16Aug2006

* William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863), writer *

Bert Thomas Herbert Samuel Thomas (13 October 1883 – 6 September 1966) was a British political cartoonist contributing to ''Punch'' magazine and the creator of well-known British propaganda posters during the First and Second World Wars. Career Th ...

(1883–1966), cartoonist * Lydia Thompson (1838–1908), dancer and actress * Thérèse Tietjens (1831–1877), opera singer *

Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal Sir Nicolas Conyngham Tindal, PC (12 December 1776 – 6 July 1846) was a celebrated English lawyer who successfully defended the then Queen of the United Kingdom, Caroline of Brunswick, at her trial for adultery in 1820. As Chief Justice ...

(1776–1846), Solicitor General and Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas *

Steve Peregrin Took Steve Peregrin Took (born Stephen Ross Porter; 28 July 1949 – 27 October 1980) was an English musician and songwriter, best known for his membership of the duo Tyrannosaurus Rex with Marc Bolan. After breaking with Bolan, he concentrated on ...

(1949–1980), English musician and songwriter (best known as a founding member of Tyrannosaurus Rex) *

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...

(1815–1882), novelist *

Sir Thomas Troubridge, 3rd Baronet Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Thomas St Vincent Hope Cochrane Troubridge, 3rd Baronet CB (25 May 1815 – 2 October 1867) was an officer of the British Army who served with distinction during the Crimean War. Born into a distinguished family with ...

(1815–1867), British army officer * J. Stuart Russell (1816–1895), theologian and author * James Malcolm Rymer (1814–1884), writer *

William Vincent Wallace William Vincent Wallace (11 March 1812 – 12 October 1865) was an Irish composer and pianist. In his day, he was famous on three continents as a double virtuoso on violin and piano. Nowadays, he is mainly remembered as an opera composer of n ...

(1812–1865), composer *

Thomas Wakley Thomas Wakley (11 July 179516 May 1862) was an English surgeon. He gained fame as a social reformer who campaigned against incompetence, privilege and nepotism. He was the founding editor of ''The Lancet'', a radical Member of Parliament (MP) a ...

(1795–1862), surgeon, campaigner and founder of ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles ...

'' *

John William Waterhouse John William Waterhouse (6 April 184910 February 1917) was an English painter known for working first in the Academic style and for then embracing the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. His artworks were known for their de ...

(1849–1917), artist * John Whichcord Jr. (1823–1885), architect * Jane Williams (1798–1884), subject of poems by

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achi ...

* Alfred Wigan (1814–1878), actor-manager * William Williams (1788–1865), radical MP *

Walter Clopton Wingfield Major Walter Clopton Wingfield (16 October 1833 – 18 April 1912) was a Welsh inventor and a British Army officer who was one of the pioneers of lawn tennis.Tyzack, AnnThe True Home of Tennis''Country Life'', 22 June 2005J. Perris (2000Grass ...

(1833–1912), pioneer of lawn tennis The cemetery is remarkable for the number of Fellows of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

who are buried there, of whom the following is a small sample: *

Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Babbage is considered ...

FRS (1816) (1791–1871), mathematician and computer scientist * George Bishop FRS (1848) * William John Broderip FRS (1828) * Robert Brown FRS (1839) (1773–1858), botanist, discoverer of

Brownian motion Brownian motion, or pedesis (from grc, πήδησις "leaping"), is the random motion of particles suspended in a medium (a liquid or a gas). This pattern of motion typically consists of random fluctuations in a particle's position insi ...

* Samuel Hawksley Burbury FRS (1890) *

George Busk George Busk FRS FRAI (12 August 1807 – 10 August 1886) was a British naval surgeon, zoologist and palaeontologist. Early life, family and education Busk was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was the son of the merchant Robert Busk and his ...

FRS (1850) (1807–1886), naval surgeon, zoologist and palaeontologist *

Alexander John Ellis Alexander John Ellis, (14 June 1814 – 28 October 1890), was an English mathematician, philologist and early phonetician who also influenced the field of musicology. He changed his name from his father's name, Sharpe, to his mother's maiden n ...

FRS (1864) * Hugh Falconer FRS (1845) (1808–1865), naturalist * David Forbes FRS (1858), mineralogist * Thomas Galloway FRS (1848) * John Hall Gladstone FRS (1853) * Joseph Glynn FRS (1838) * John Gould FRS (1843) *

William Robert Grove Sir William Robert Grove, FRS FRSE (11 July 1811 – 1 August 1896) was a Welsh judge and physical scientist. He anticipated the general theory of the conservation of energy, and was a pioneer of fuel cell technology. He invented the Grove volt ...

Sir, FRS (1847) * Edmond Herbert Grove-Hills FRS (1911) * Frank McClean FRS (1895) *

George Newport George Newport FRS (4 February 1803, Canterbury – 7 April 1854, London) was a prominent English entomologist. He is especially noted for his studies utilizing the microscope and his skills in dissection. Biography He was the first of four c ...

FRS (1846) * Reverend Baden Powell, FRS (1824) father of

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

and

Agnes Baden-Powell Agnes Smyth Baden-Powell (16 December 1858 – 2 June 1945) was the younger sister of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, and was most noted for her work in establishing the Girl Guide movement as a female counterpart to her older bro ...

Joseph Sabine Joseph Sabine FRS ( ; 6 June 1770 – 24 January 1837) was an English lawyer, naturalist and writer on horticulture. Life and work Sabine was born into a prominent Anglo-Irish family in Tewin, Hertfordshire, the eldest son of Joseph Sabine ...

FRS (1799) *

George James Symons George James Symons FRS (6 August 1838 – 10 March 1900) was a British meteorologist who founded and managed the ''British Rainfall Organisation'', an unusually dense and widely distributed network of rainfall data collection sites throughou ...

FRS (1879) * Edward Troughton FRS (1810) * Edward Turner FRS (1830), chemist *

Nathaniel Wallich Nathaniel Wolff Wallich FRS FRSE (28 January 1786 – 28 April 1854) was a surgeon and botanist of Danish origin who worked in India, initially in the Danish settlement near Calcutta and later for the Danish East India Company and the British ...

FRS (1829) *Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS FRSE (1802–1875) inventor of the

Wheatstone bridge A Wheatstone bridge is an electrical circuit used to measure an unknown electrical resistance by balancing two legs of a bridge circuit, one leg of which includes the unknown component. The primary benefit of the circuit is its ability to provid ...

Royal burials

;British *Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex and son of King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

* Princess Sophia, sister of Prince Augustus Frederick and daughter of King George III *

Prince George, Duke of Cambridge Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (George William Frederick Charles; 26 March 1819 – 17 March 1904) was a member of the British royal family, a grandson of King George III and cousin of Queen Victoria. The Duke was an army officer by professio ...

, grandson of George III and commander-in-chief of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

;Overseas *Maharani

Jind Kaur Maharani Jind Kaur ( – 1 August 1863) was regent of the Sikh Empire from 1843 until 1846. She was the youngest wife of the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh, and the mother of the last Maharaja, Duleep Singh. She was renowned f ...

, of the Sikh Empire, mother of the last Punjabi Maharaja

Duleep Singh Maharaja Sir Duleep Singh, GCSI (4 September 1838 – 22 October 1893), or Sir Dalip Singh, and later in life nicknamed the "Black Prince of Perthshire", was the last ''Maharaja'' of the Sikh Empire. He was Maharaja Ranjit Singh's youngest son, ...

– temporarily deposited in the catacomb below the Dissenters' Chapel following her death in exile in 1863 before her body was allowed to return to the Punjab for cremation. Following the discovery of a slab commemorating Jind Kaur (now in the Ancient House Museum, Thetford), a memorial was erected here in 2009. File:The tomb of Prince Augustus Frederick, Kensal Green Cemetery.JPG, Tomb of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex File:The tomb of Princess Sophia, Kensal Green Cemetery.JPG, Tomb of Princess Sophia Image:DukeOfCambridgeKensalGreen01.jpg, Funerary monument, Duke of Cambridge

Notable cremations

* Major Herbert James (1888–1958), VC winner at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles s ...

. *

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary '' Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is ofte ...

(1915–1982), actress (most of her ashes were scattered around the islet of Dannholmen off the fishing village of

Fjällbacka Fjällbacka is a locality situated in Tanum Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 859 inhabitants in 2010. Fjällbacka is mostly known as a summer tourist resort, with a long history, and as the setting for many of best-selling Swe ...

on the west coast of Sweden where she spent most summers from 1958 to her death in 1982, with the remainder of her ashes buried at Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm, Sweden next to her parents). *

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...

(1946–1991), singer in the rock band

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, is commemorated by a small plinth under his birth name, Farrokh Bulsara. * Sir Anthony Nutting (1920–1999), former diplomat and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

MP. *

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakesp ...

(1946–2016), actor and director. * Pete Burns (1959–2016), Singer–songwriter and Tv personality *

Christine Keeler Christine Margaret Keeler (22 February 1942 – 4 December 2017) was an English model and showgirl. Her meeting at a dance club with society osteopath Stephen Ward drew her into fashionable circles. At the height of the Cold War, she became s ...

(1942–2017). * Gary Rhodes (1960–2019), chef

The Friends Of Kensal Green Cemetery

Although the cemetery is owned and run by the General Cemetery Company, The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery is a charitable organisationEntry
on the

Charity Commission , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , ...

website whose purpose is the preservation, conservation and restoration for the public benefit of Kensal Green Cemetery. The charity organises tours and other events in the cemetery and has published books about the cemetery. The office of the Friends is in the Dissenters Chapel. The Friends group is a member o
The National Federation of Cemetery Friends

Sources

* Records held at Kensal Green Cemetery *

References

External links

*
Friends of the Cemetery.

Aerial view from 1938
from the English Heritage "Britain from Above" archive {{Authority control * 1832 establishments in England Anglican cemeteries in the United Kingdom Cemeteries in London Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in England Grade I listed parks and gardens in London Grade II* listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Grade II listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Parks and open spaces in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Burial sites of the Spencer-Churchill family Kensal Green Rural cemeteries