Inventory Site Record

When it was built in 1895, Golders Green Cemetery was the only major development in the area, which at that time was predominantly country villas set in the rural landscape. The cemetery is divided into two distinct areas, the north-eastern section for Sephardic Jews, which has distinctive prostrate slabs, their simplicity in contrast to the upright, more ostentatious monuments and tombs in the south-western section for members of the West London Synagogue. The cemetery buildings consist of two brick Prayer Halls connected by an archway, and a half-timbered lodge.

Previous / Other name:

West London Synagogue Cemetery/Golders Green Cemetery for Sephardi Jews

Site location:

Hoop Lane

Postcode:

NW11 7NL

What 3 Words:

waving.bared.snap

Type of site:

Cemetery

Borough:

Barnet

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

Winter: Sunday to Thursday 8am-4pm, Friday to 2 hours before Shabbat; Summer: Sunday to Friday 8am-5pm.

Special conditions:

Facilities:

toilets

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Golders Green (Northern). Bus 82, 102, 260, H2.

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/04/2002

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.wls.org.uk/Cemeteries

When it was built in 1895, Golders Green Cemetery was the only major development in the area, which at that time was predominantly country villas set in the rural landscape. This situation changed when Golders Green Underground Station opened in 1907, due to a large extent to the persuasive powers of an American financier, Charles Yerkes, who convinced people that the station would bring development to the area. Yerkes had built streets and elevated railways in Philadelphia and Chicago.

Golders Green Cemetery is divided into two distinct areas, the north-eastern section for Sephardic Jews, which has distinctive prostrate slabs, their simplicity in contrast to the upright, more ostentatious monuments and tombs in the south-western section for members of the West London Synagogue. The cemetery buildings consist of two brick Prayer Halls connected by an archway, and a half-timbered lodge. Tombs of note in the West London Synagogue section include the huge classical ensemble for Henry Bischoffsheim of 1908, the sarcophagus for Emanuel Belilios of 1905, and the simple black headstone to the cellist Jacqueline du Pré who died in 1987.

Sources consulted:

Hugh Meller & Brian Parsons, 'London Cemeteries, An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer', 4th edition (The History Press, 2008); Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England: London 4: North' (Penguin, 1998)

Grid ref:

TQ251881 (525182,188133)

Size in hectares:

6.68

Site ownership:

West London Synagogue (West) / Spanish & Portuguese Jews' Congregation (East)

Site management:

West London Synagogue

Date(s):

1895

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

None

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

Not known

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

Yes

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

Golders Green Cemetery, Prayer Halls, July 2000. Photo S Williams

Click a photo to enlarge.