Putney Vale Cemetery
Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium in southwest London is located in Putney Vale, surrounded by Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park. It is located within 47 acres of parkland. The cemetery was opened in 1891 and the crematorium in 1938. The cemetery was originally laid out on land which had belonged to Newlands Farm, which was established in the medieval period.[1]
The cemetery has two chapels, one being a traditional Church of England chapel and the other being used for multi-denomination or non-religious services. It has a large Garden of Remembrance.[2] The burials are scattered throughout the grounds of the cemetery and a Screen Wall Memorial has been erected to record the names of those whose graves are not marked by headstones. Those who have been cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium also have their names recorded on these panels.
There are 87 Commonwealth burials from World War I and 97 from World War II in the cemetery. Several Victoria Cross recipients are buried here.
[edit] Notable burials and cremations
Funerals held at Putney Vale include those of:
- Dev Anand, Indian film actor
- Arthur Askey, comedian and actor
- Sir Stanley Baker, Welsh actor and film producer
- James Beck, actor noted for his role as Private Joe Walker, the Cockney spiv in the sitcom Dad's Army
- Lillian Board MBE, silver medal-winning Olympian
- Kate Carney, famed music hall singer and comedienne
- Howard Carter, archaeologist and Egyptologist, noted as a primary discoverer of the tomb of Tutankhamun.[3]
- Sandy Denny, singer, songwriter and member of Fairport Convention
- Henry Fielding Dickens, barrister and the eighth of 10 children born to author Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine.[4]
- Kenelm Lee Guinness, local resident and member of Guinness brewing family, early motor racer and entrepreneur behind the famous Putney Vale-made KLG spark plugs
- James Hunt, Formula One Grand Prix world champion[5]
- Hattie Jacques, comedy actress who appeared in many Carry On films[6]
- J. Bruce Ismay, controversial passenger and chairman of the company which owned RMS Titanic
- Alexander Kerensky, exiled former Russian prime minister and leading figure in the Russian revolution of 1917, until Vladimir Lenin was elected
- Rosa Lewis, hotelier and "Queen of Cooks"
- Daniel Massey, Canadian-British actor and Golden Globe award recipient
- Bobby Moore OBE, captain of West Ham United for more than 10 years and captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup
- Kenneth More, character actor post-Second World War
- Jennifer Paterson, TV chef of Two Fat Ladies fame
- Jon Pertwee, noted Doctor Who actor, cremated with a toy Worzel Gummidge affixed to his coffin[7]
- Roy Plomley, creator of Desert Island Discs
- Nyree Dawn Porter OBE, New Zealand-born actress Ngaire Porter
- Alfred Joseph Richards, First World War recipient of the Victoria Cross
- George Reid, former prime minister of Australia
- Sir Ronald Ross, discoverer of malaria transmission by mosquitoes
- Eugen Sandow, the Prussian known as the father of modern bodybuilding
- Richard Seaman, noted pre-Second World War Grand Prix drivers for Mercedes-Benz, who still maintain his grave
- Vladek Sheybal, a Polish character actor
- Joan Sims, comedy actress including Carry On films.
- Vesta Tilley, born Matilda Alice Powles, a male impersonator, who was a star in both Britain and the US for over 30 years.
[edit] References
- ^ [1] Putney Vale Cemetery on the Wildcroft Manor website
- ^ [2] Wandsworth Borough Council website
- ^ ""Howard Carter at Findagrave"". http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3665.
- ^ [3] The Children of Charles Dickens
- ^ ""James Hunt at Findagrave"". http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6871692.
- ^ ""Hattie Jacques at Findagrave"". http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8572212.
- ^ [4][5]
[edit] External links
- Photo Gallery of Putney Vale Cemetery
- Find A Grave at Putney Vale Cemetery
- Profile of Putney Vale Cemetery
- Putney Vale Cemetery on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website
- Putney Vale Crematorium at Remembrance Online
Coordinates: 51°25′47″N 0°14′18″W / 51.42972°N 0.23833°W
