Inventory Site Record

St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery was established in 1858 to serve the needs of the increasing numbers of Catholics in the area, particularly Irish immigrants. It lies to the west of Kensal Green Cemetery with which it shares a boundary wall, and it has a lodge, catacombs and chapel. There are many fine tombs and mausoleums, particularly in the northern part. The southern part remains in use for burial. There is very little formal planting, but a fine avenue of horse chestnut trees flanks the main drive and scattered trees include willow, maple, ash, lime and Lombardy poplar.

Previous / Other name:

St Mary's Cemetery

Site location:

Harrow Road, Kensal Green

Postcode:

NW10 5NU

What 3 Words:

bigger.horns.entry

Type of site:

Cemetery

Borough:

Hammersmith & Fulham

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

Mon-Sat 8am - 4pm (winter) / - 5pm (summer); Sun 9am - 4pm (winter) / - 5pm (summer); Christmas/Boxing Day 9a,-1pm

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Toilets

Events:

Public transport:

London Overground/Tube (Bakerloo): Kensal Green. Tube: Ladbroke Grove (Hammersmith & City) then bus. Bus: 18, 220

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/11/2011

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. https://sites.google.com/site/stmaryskensalgreen/

St Mary's Catholic Cemetery and St Patrick's Cemetery in Leytonstone (q.v.) are the only two exclusively Catholic cemeteries in London, other cemeteries having Catholic sections, and both are subsidiaries of the Secular Clergy Common Fund. Initially Catholics were buried in Kensal Green Cemetery (q.v.), which had been established in 1832 by the General Cemetery Company, but it was then decided to open a separate Catholic cemetery and an adjacent plot of 29 acres was purchased from the General Cemetery Company. St Mary's Catholic Cemetery opened for burials on 10 May 1858. The Chapel opened in 1860 and together with the cemetery lodge, upper and lower catacombs was designed by Samuel Nicholl; the chapel was restored in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The cemetery has a railed entrance on Harrow Road and railings along the canal and the railway, but a plain brick wall borders the cemetery along Scrubs Lane.

Many thousands of burials have taken place here, among them many notable people. In March 2000 Bob Moulder compiled a list of 'Persons of Note' buried here with a short biography of each, and this document is stored in the St Mary's Cemetery Office. It includes people in all walks of life, from politicians to gangsters, sportsmen and women to artists and writers; music hall performers to classical composers, priests to police chiefs, and much besides. Among those buried here are the Campbell family whose fine mausoleum of 1904 was designed by C H B Quennell; Mary Seacole, Jamaican nurse and herbalist in the Crimean War who died in 1881; Louis Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon's nephew (d.1881), and zoologist St George Jackson Mivart (d.1900). August Gagniere (d.1874) has a large sarcophagus that includes a relief portrait. The Conde de Bayona y Marques de Misa Mausoleum commemorates Manuel de Misa, owner of a sherry estate and a Spanish senator from 1877-1893, who died in London and was buried here in 1904. His widow Helena Busheroy de Misa was buried here in 1916. Dulcie Wornum, elder sister of the architect G Grey Wornum who provided new designs for Parliament Square (q.v.) in the 1950s, was buried here in 1933.

There are two war memorials in the cemetery, the Belgium War Memorial commemorating Belgian soldiers who were wounded in combat in WWI and evacuated to England but then died in hospital, and the Canadian War Memorial, which is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Sources consulted:

Hugh Meller & Brian Parsons, 'London Cemeteries, An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer', 4th edition (The History Press, 2008); St Mary's Cemetery website, History section and Burial Records/Persons of Note. See Hammersmith Council website Historical Sculptures Search

Grid ref:

TQ226825 (522630,182510)

Size in hectares:

10.07

Site ownership:

St Mary's Cemetery Trust

Site management:

St Mary's Cemetery Trust

Date(s):

1858

Designer(s):

Nicholl

Listed structures:

LBII: Emmet Family Mausoleum, Mortuary Chapel & railed forecourt of Conde de Bayone Marques de Misa, Vault of D Campbell and family, Belgian War Memorial

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:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

St Mary’s CA24 1989

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Borough Importance II

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

Yes

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

Open Space of Borough-wide Importance