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Inventory Site Record

Alperton Cemetery (Brent)

Brief Description

Alperton Cemetery was opened as Wembley Cemetery in 1917 and the first interment took place in 1918. The pair of chapels linked by a porte-cochère were built in 1937, a modest red brick building but having good stained glass in the burial chapel. The Columbarium was opened in the other chapel in 1942. The cemetery has paths laid out in a grid pattern, with a variety of trees throughout. There is a war grave section maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Practical Information
Previous / Other name:
Wembley Cemetery
Site location:
Clifford Road/Bridgewater Road, Alperton
Postcode:
HA0 1AF
What 3 Words:
pose.wells.title
Type of site:
Cemetery
Borough:
Brent
Open to public?
Yes
Opening times:
9am-4pm (Jan/Feb/Nov/Dec) - 5pm (Oct) - 6pm (Mar) - 7pm (April, Sept) - 8pm (May - August). Chapel opened for London Open House - 2000)
Special conditions:
Facilities:
Toilets
Events:
Public transport:
Tube: Alperton (Piccadilly). Bus: 79, 83, 224, 226, 245, 297, 487.
Research updated:
01/07/2009
Last minor changes:
19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.brent.gov.uk

Full Site Description

Alperton Cemetery was opened in 1917 during WWI, and until 1946 it was called Wembley Cemetery. It is sited between the Grand Union Canal and Bridgewater Road and backs onto Sudbury Golf Course. The first interment took place in 1918. The cemetery has a formal layout of paths in a grid pattern. The pair of cemetery chapels, linked by a porte-cochère , were built in 1937 at a cost of £4,700, designed by the Borough Surveyor for Wembley UDC. It is a modest red brick building with Portland stone dressing and a Welsh slate roof. The budget allowed for fine stained glass in the burial chapel, showing a fortressed city. The Columbarium was dedicated in the other chapel in May 1942. At the cemetery entrance are brick and stone gate piers, an area of beds with ornamental planting, and a lodge to the north. The cemetery has a variety of trees throughout, with lines of Lombardy poplar and avenues along the paths, including ornamental cherry trees. There is a war grave section maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and also a children's section. It was Winner of the Cemetery of the Year Award in 2007.

Sources consulted:

LB Brent Cemeteries Dept website; Ian Yarham, Meg Game 'Nature Conservation in Brent, Ecology Handbook 31' (London Ecology Unit, 2000); Hugh Meller & Brian Parsons, 'London Cemeteries, An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer', 4th edition (The History Press, 2008)

Further Information (Planning and Conservation)
Grid ref:
TQ174840 (517470,184130)
Size in hectares:
4
Site ownership:
LB Brent
Site management:
Cemeteries and Mortuaries Service
Date(s):
1917
Designer(s):
Borough Surveyor for Wembley UDC (Cecil R W Chapman)
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:
Yes - Local Importance
Green Belt:
No
Metropolitan Open Land:
Yes
Special Policy Area:
No
Other LA designation:
None
Photos

Alperton Cemetery

Alperton Cemetery, June 2001. Photo: S Williams

Alperton Cemetery, Entrance, June 2001. Photo: S Williams
2001
Alperton Cemetery, June 2001. Photo: S Williams
2001
Alperton Cemetery, War Graves, June 2001. Photo: S Williams
2001
Alperton Cemetery, June 2001. Photo: S Williams
2001

Click a photo to enlarge.

Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.