St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery
 St. Mary's Cemetery |
|
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1858 |
| Location | Kensal Green, London, England, UK |
| Country | England |
| Type | Roman Catholic |
| Size | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| Number of graves | 165,000 |
| Website | Official website |
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery is located at Kensal Green in London, and has its own Catholic Chapel.
Contents |
History [edit]
Established in 1858, the 29 acre (120,000 m²) site was built next door to Kensal Green Cemetery. It is the final resting place for more than 165,000 individuals of the Roman Catholic faith, and features a memorial to Belgian soldiers of the First World War, wounded in combat and evacuated to England, where they died in hospital.
There is also a War Memorial, in the form of a Cross of Sacrifice to the British, Irish, French and Canadian servicemen, with a Screen Wall memorial and a low kerb[clarification needed] listing of Commonwealth service personnel of both World Wars, whose graves in the cemetery could not be marked by headstones. In all, the cemetery contains 208 graves of Commonwealth service personnel of the First World War, and 107 graves of the Second World War.[1] Many Irish migrants who came to England during the Great Famine are buried here.[2]
Notable interments [edit]
- William Pitt Byrne (1806–1861), British newspaper editor and proprietor of The Morning Post
- Nicholas Wiseman (1802-1865) Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster (Note: later, in 1907, his remains and those of fellow Cardinal Archbishop Manning were transferred to the newly built (RC) Westminster Cathedral)
- Clarkson Frederick Stanfield (1793–1867) one of the 19th centuries' most prominent marine painters
- Dr Charles James Fox (1799-1874), medical Doctor
- Mary Seacole (1805–1881) nurse, humanitarian
- Carlo Pellegrini (1839–1889), caricaturist
- Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte (1813–1891), statesman, philologist
- Henry Edward Manning (1808-1892), Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster
- Francis Thompson (1859–1907), poet, literary critic
- Emily Wilding Davison (1872-1913), suffragette
- Major General Sir Luke O'Connor (1831-1915), VC winner in Crimean War
- Alice Meynell (1847–1922), poet/essayist
- Major Thomas Crean (1873-1923), VC winner in Boer War
- Victoria Monks (1884-1927), music hall artiste
- T.P. O'Connor (1848–1929), Irish journalist and politician
- Lieutenant Colonel James Henry Reynolds (1844-1932), VC winner and medical officer at Rorke's Drift
- Marmaduke Barton (1865-1938), pianist and professor at the Royal College of Music
- Louis Wain (1860–1939), artist
- Josef Jakobs (1898-1941), German spy
- Father Vincent McNabb, O.P. (1868–1943), Irish scholar and priest
- Sir Max Pemberton (1863–1950), British author, journalist and editor
- Krystyna Skarbek (aka Christine Granville) (1915–1952), Polish SOE agent and World War II heroine
- Sax Rohmer (1883–1959), author, creator of "Dr. Fu Manchu"
- Sir John Barbirolli (1899–1970), orchestral conductor
- Andrzej Kowerski (aka Andrew Kennedy), (1912–1988), decorated Polish soldier/spy
- George Carman QC (1929–2001), barrister
- Danny La Rue (1927-2009), cabaret artist, nightclub owner, actor
The Chapel [edit]
- The cemetery's Catholic chapel is used for funeral and memorial services. The walls have many memorial plaques.
- The chapel was used in the filming of Miranda episode "Before I die".
- The Chapel has one of two working coffin lifts in England, the other is in the Anglican Chapel of Kensal Green Cemetery. The coffin lift is used to lower coffins from the chapel into the lower catacombs which are located directly underneath the chapel.[3]
Access [edit]
The cemetery is open for visitors 365 days per year Monday - Saturday: 8am to 4pm (5pm April - October) Sunday: 9am to 4pm (5pm April - October)
Christmas Day & Boxing Day: 9am - 1pm
The cemetery office [edit]
All enquires should be directed to the Superintendent. Office hours: Monday - Friday: 9am - 3:30pm (4:30pm April - October). Visitors, especially those interested in their Catholic family history, may request the office staff consult the recently computerised records for all interments in St Mary's Catholic Cemetery (from 1858 to date).
References [edit]
- ^ CWGC Cemetery Report
- ^ "Kensal Green". British History Online. English Heritage. St Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Harrow Road. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
- ^ [1]
External links [edit]
- St Mary's Cemetery Official Website
- Pastscape (English Heritage National Monuments record online)
- Illustrated description and cemetery map - London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham PDF
