Margravine Cemetery, also known as Hammersmith Cemetery, is in the

London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham () is a London boroughs, London borough in West London and which also forms part of Inner London. The borough was formed in 1965 as the London Borough of Hammersmith from the merger of the former Metr ...

. The closest London Underground station is Barons Court.

History

Designed for the Hammersmith Burial Board by local architect George Saunders, Margravine Cemetery was opened in 1868 on a site previously occupied by market gardens and orchards, known as Fulham Fields. The first burial took place on 3 November 1869.London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Margravine Cemetery Management Plan 2009–2014, 2008, "" viewed 13 January 2013 Margravine closed for new burials in 1951, when the 16.5 acres of cemetery land were restored by the council and designated a 'Garden of Rest'.

Notable burials and monuments

The cemetery contains a number of distinctive monuments, three of which are

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

s. Most striking is the green bronze memorial to George Broad, who owned the foundry which made the Eros statue at

Piccadilly Circus Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End of London, West End in the City of Westminster. It was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly. In this context, a ''List of road junctions in the Unite ...

. Nearest

Charing Cross Hospital Charing Cross Hospital is district general hospital and teaching hospital located in Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The present hospital was opened in 1973, although it was originally established in 1818, approxim ...

, the Young family mausoleum is a single-storey building in

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

style. The third listed grave is that of an Australian gold prospector, with a

bas relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

of him, opposite the Young family mausoleum. A screen wall 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 ...

(who list it as Hammersmith Old Cemetery) in Section 31 lists all 191 Commonwealth service personnel buried in registered war graves in the cemetery – 186 from

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 ...

and 5 from

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 ...

. Two

J. Lyons and Co. J, or j, is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. J may also refer to: * Palatal approximant in the International Phonetic Alphabet * J, Cyrillic letter Je Astronomy * J, a provisional designation prefix for some objects discovered be ...

war memorials were relocated from their factory at Greenford to the cemetery in 2002. The World War I memorial is Grade II listed. There is a memorial to the 13 people killed – 11 of them women – in a 1918 explosion at Blake's munitions factory, Wood Lane. It was unveiled in 1920 and Grade II listed in 2017.

Notable burials

* George Broad, brass and bronze founder * Sir William Bull, 1st Baronet, solicitor and Conservative politician * Fanny Eaton (1835-1924), artist's model for the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossett ...

* Sir Henry Foreman (1852–1924),

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

politician * Peter Leitch (1820–1892), recipient of the

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 ...

Thomas Nicholas (antiquary) Thomas Nicholas (17 February 1816 The 1894 DNB gives his birth year as 1820. The DWB gives it as 1816. It is more recent and is more precise, and therefore seems more likely to be right. - 14 May 1879) was a Welsh antiquary and educator. Biog ...

(1816–1879), Welsh antiquary and educator * Edward Charles Williams (1807–1881), English landscape painter * George Wimpey (businessman) (1855–1913), founder of the construction firm of that name * John Betts (surgeon and philanthropist) (1799–1875), English medical doctor and educational philanthropist * William Stephen Bond (1845-1920) founder of W S Bond local funeral directors * Jeanne Deroin (1805-1894) Feminist, Socialist and Educationist * Ethel Webling (1859-1929) Painter and illustrator * Peggy Webling (1871-1949) playwright, novelist and poet

Conservation

The cemetery is now a part of the Barons Court Conservation Area, designated in April 1989. Hammersmith and Fulham council states in its 2008 management plan that the site is designated a Nature Conservation Area of Local Importance. It is a particularly useful space for viewing migrating songbirds, bees and butterflies.

References

External links