Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries
Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries (also known as Ladywell and Brockley Cemetery) were opened within one month of each other in 1858 and are sited on adjacent plots of previously open land. The two component parts are characteristic examples of the first wave of Victorian public cemeteries and are now part of the Brockley Conservation Area.
The cemeteries occupy 37 acres (150,000 m2) of land wholly within the London Borough of Lewisham and are owned and managed by the Cemeteries and Crematorium Services of the Borough. They are also nature conservation sites of Borough Importance Grade 1 and a haven for wildlife, plants and wildflowers.
Until 1948, the two cemeteries were completely separate, being divided by a wall. Ladywell Cemetery, which was previously known as Lewisham Cemetery, stands to the east of the wall and Brockley Cemetery, formerly Deptford Cemetery, lies to the west. Both cemeteries hold a wealth of historical interest. Evidence of Deptford's seafaring past can be found in the many inscriptions and adornments on the headstones.
Notable burials
- Joseph Henry Blackburne (1841–1924), dominated the English chess scene in late 19th century
- Horatio Henry Couldery (1832–1918), one of the best-known Victorian painters of animals
- Jane Clouson (1854–1871), murdered girl with a monument paid for by public donations
- Ernest Dowson (1867–1900), poet and decadent movement artist
- Sir William Eames (1821–1897), marine engineer
- Sir John Gilbert (1817–1897), illustrator, drawing for the Illustrated London News and designed a cover for Punch
- Sir George Grove (1820–1900), first director of the Royal College of Music, 1882, and author of 'Dictionary of Music and Musicians'
- Sir William Hardy (1807–1887), Deputy Keeper of Public Records, 1878-1886
- George Lacy Hillier (1856-1941), an English racing cyclist and pioneer of British cycling
- David Jones (1895–1974), war poet and artist
- Fernando Tarrida del Mármol (1861–1915), Cuban anarchist writer
- Margaret McMillan (1860-1931), educational reformer
- Sir Alexander Nisbet (1812–1892), Inspector General of the Royal Navy and honorary physician to the Queen
- William Stephens[disambiguation needed] (1817–1871), Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of England
- E. H. Windred (1875-1953), painter of racing pigeons
War graves
Both cemeteries contain war graves of Commonwealth service personnel registered and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
Brockley Cemetery contains 195 war graves from World War I and 19 from World War II. The majority of the graves lie in a War Plot. On the cemetery's west side, a Screen Wall memorial lists those whose graves could not be marked by headstones.[1]
Ladywell Cemetery contains 219 war graves from World War I and 18 from World War II. A War Graves plot contains 100 graves, the names of those buried there being listed on a Screen War Memorial in Plot D, as well as those buried elsewhere in the cemetery whose graves could not be marked by headstones. The CWGC also maintain a Commemorative Plot, in Plot B, on which 46 headstones have been erected.[2]
References
- Brockley Conservation Area. Character Appraisal. Conservation & Urban Design Team. Submitted to the Mayor & Cabinet Meeting on 14 December 2005
- A Guide To The Flora, Fauna and Local History to be found in Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries: Lewisham Council
External links
- Lewisham Council Cemeteries and Crematoriums: http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/birthsdeathsmarriagesCP/deaths/Pages/Cemeteries-and-crematoriums.aspx
- Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries
- North West Kent Family History Society: http://www.nwkfhs.org.uk/ladywell.htm
- Find A Grave / Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=638915
- London Gardens Online / Brockley Cemetery: http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.asp?ID=LEW006
- London Gardens Online / Ladywell Cemetery: http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.asp?ID=LEW029
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Brockley: http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/42003/BROCKLEY%20CEMETERY
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Ladywell: http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/42006/LEWISHAM%20(LADYWELL)%20CEMETERY