Mitcham Road Cemetery, previously called Croydon 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 ...

located next to

Mitcham Common Mitcham Common is 182 hectares (460 acres) of common land situated in south London. It is predominantly in the London borough of Merton, with parts straddling the borders of Croydon and Sutton. It is designated a Site of Metropolit ...

near

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extens ...

, which is part of the

London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough in south London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of . It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; w ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Croydon Crematorium is located inside the cemetery, and are both managed by Croydon Cemeteries and Crematoriums. The cemetery is much larger than other ones in London. There is also a chapel located inside the cemetery.

History

The cemetery was opened in 1897, and extended twice, in 1935 and again in 1937. A tree-lined drive leads to a modern chapel and crematorium block with paved landscaping, which gradually gives way to the Victorian original, with its own chapel and a number of angels. The crematorium was built in 1937, and extended in 1962.

Notable burials and cremations

* Derek Bentley (1933-1953), controversially hanged in 1953 (remains moved from

Wandsworth Prison HM Prison Wandsworth is a Category B men's prison at Wandsworth in the London Borough of Wandsworth, South West London, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service and is one of the largest prisons in the UK. History The prison was ...

in 1966). His family successfully fought for "A Victim of British Justice" to be inscribed on his gravestone * William Hurlstone (1876-1906), composer *Sir Charles Flynn, Deputy Chairman of

HM Customs and Excise HM Customs and Excise (properly known as Her Majesty's Customs and Excise at the time of its dissolution) was a department of the British Government formed in 1909 by the merger of HM Customs and HM Excise; its primary responsibility was t ...

1936-38 * Tom Norman (1860-1930), businessman and showman, manager of

Joseph Merrick Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then wen ...

, the "Elephant Man" * Frederick George Creed (1871-1957), inventor of the

teleprinter A teleprinter (teletypewriter, teletype or TTY) is an electromechanical device that can be used to send and receive typed messages through various communications channels, in both point-to-point (telecommunications), point-to-point and point- ...

Ronnie Corbett Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show '' The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promin ...

(1930-2016), comedian (cremated) * Sandra Rivett (1934-1974), children's nanny, murder victim (according to inquest) of her employer's estranged husband Lord Lucan, was cremated here in 1974. * Meredith Kercher (1985-2007), murdered student In addition to these, the cemetery has a memorial to 34 boys and 2 masters from

The Archbishop Lanfranc School The Archbishop Lanfranc Academy is a coeducational secondary school located in the Thornton Heath area of Croydon, South London, named after Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1070 to 1089. History The school was founded in 1931 as a boys' ...

, who were killed in an aircraft crash near

Stavanger Airport, Sola Stavanger Airport ( no, Stavanger lufthavn; ), commonly just known as Sola, is an international airport located in Rogaland county, Norway. The airport is located southwest of the centre of the city of Stavanger inside the neighboring munici ...

, in 1961. Also cremated here were the remains of nearly 6,000 psychiatric inmates of

Cane Hill Hospital Cane Hill Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. The site is owned by GLA Land and Property. History The hospital has its origins as the third Surrey County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, designed by Charl ...

, who were exhumed from the hospital's deconsecrated cemetery on Portnail Road in 1981 as part of the redevelopment of its site.
'The Croydon Citizen'' online article, 'In memory of the soldiers of Cane Hill', by Sean Creighton, posted 27 April 2015.

War graves

War Memorial and WW2 Military Graves, Croydon Cemetery

The cemetery contains the graves of 195 Commonwealth service personnel of the World War I, First World War, scattered throughout the cemetery, and 150 from the

Second World War 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 ...

. Some of the Second World War-era graves form a war graves plot on Thornton Heath extension (Plot P.P.), which contains special memorials to two casualties whose graves could not be located.
CWGC Cemetery Report. A Portland stone memorial, erected by the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission 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 ...

, which faces the Garden of Rest at Croydon Crematorium, commemorates 59 Commonwealth service personnel of the Second World War who were cremated there. In 2015 a further memorial, next door to the war graves plot, was erected to commemorate 18 discharged British soldiers of the First World War who died at the

and were originally buried there until its site was redeveloped, following which their remains were exhumed and cremated here,
CWGC Cemetery Report, Croydon Crematorium. their ashes scattered in 'Location 1000' in the grounds.
Surrey in the Great War online article, The forgotten servicemen of Cane Hill, posted by Imogen Middleton, text by Brian Roote. In all 77 Commonwealth service personnel are commemorated at the Crematorium.

Transport links

The cemetery is located on the west edge of the Croydon borough and is not well connected by public transport, although inside the cemetery there is an extensive network of roads suitable for cars. London Buses route 264 stops outside the cemetery. Therapia Lane tram stop is a five-minute walk away from the cemetery and is on

Tramlink London Trams, previously Tramlink and Croydon Tramlink, is a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England. It began operation in 2000, the first tram system in the London region since 1952. It is manage ...

which serves Wimbledon, Croydon and

New Addington New Addington is a town in South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located 5 miles south east of Croydon, south of Addington Village and north of Biggin Hill. History Until the 1930s, the area now known as New Addingt ...

. The nearest mainline railway station is Thornton Heath station which is on the

Brighton Main Line The Brighton Main Line (also known as the South Central Main Line) is a major railway line in the United Kingdom that links Brighton, on the south coast of England, with central London. In London the line has two branches, out of and station ...

to London Victoria or London Bridge.

References

External links