Enfield, London
Enfield is a large town in north London, England, north of Charing Cross. It had a population of 333,587 in 2021. It includes the areas of Botany Bay, London, Botany Bay, Brimsdown, Bulls Cross, Bullsmoor, Bush Hill Park, Clay Hill, London, ...
. It was opened in 1938 and consists of of land, most of which is dedicated to the gardens of remembrance. The crematorium is a local listed red brick building.
History
Enfield Crematorium was opened by the Tottenham and Wood Green Burial Board in 1938, and the landscaping of its grounds forms a cohesive whole with the main buildings, which include a pair of chapels connected by a triple-arched
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game
** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware
** Arcad ...
. An avenue of
horse chestnut
The genus ''Aesculus'' ( or ), with notable species including buckeye and horse chestnut, comprises 13–19 species of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae. They are trees and shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with ...
s leads from the entrance lodge; formal gardens were created to the east of the crematorium, while a more informal sunken Garden of Remembrance to the north west. A
yew
Yew is a common name given to various species of trees.
It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus '' Taxus'':
* European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'')
* Pacific yew or western yew ('' Taxus ...
-lined approach from Great Cambridge Road is flanked by a series of hedged and walled geometrical gardens.
The site contains two red-brick gabled and pan-tiled chapels connected by a triple-arched arcade and either side of a central clock tower designed by Sir Edward Guy Dawber and a triple tiered fountain. It has the capacity for larger services as each chapel can accommodate up to 150 seats. The outer areas contain a courtyard for viewing floral tributes, connected with
cloister
A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...
ed walkways. There is also a small Room of Remembrance for visitors who wish to view the
Book of Remembrance
A book of remembrance is a book commemorating those who have died, usually listing their names in date or alphabetical order. They are often compiled to commemorate war dead and others who have died on military operations. Another use is to com ...
.
The Garden of Remembrance contains an octagonal
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...
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 mil ...
to the memory of 55 British service personnel who died during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and were cremated here.Cemetery Report.
Notable cremations
*
David Byron
David Garrick (29 January 1947 – 28 February 1985), better known by his stage name David Byron, was a British singer who was best known in the early 1970s as the original lead vocalist of the rock band Uriah Heep. Byron possessed a powerfu ...
(1947–1985), musician
*
Arthur Martin-Leake
Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Martin-Leake, (4 April 1874 – 22 June 1953) was an English physician, officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps and a double recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the en ...
(1874–1953),
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
recipient, with Bar (ashes buried at High Cross, Hertfordshire)
* Bobby Smith (1933–2010), footballer
*
Theodore Veale
Corporal Theodore William Henry Veale VC (11 November 1892 – 6 November 1980) was a British Army soldier and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that c ...
(1892–1980),
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
recipient
*
Bobby Neill
Robert Neill (10 October 1933 – 15 February 2022) was a Scottish boxer who was British Featherweight Champion between 1959 and 1960.
Early life
Neill was born in Edinburgh on 10 October 1933,Enfield Book of Remembrance