Inventory Site Record

The site juxtaposes the Victorian Hither Green Cemetery and the 1950s Hither Green Crematorium, which according to Hugh Meller illustrates 'the richness of the C19th cemetery and the vacuity of its C20th counterpart'. Hither Green Cemetery opened as Lee Cemetery in 1873 on former farmland and retains the ornamental entrance gates and pair of gothic chapels although the entrance lodge was later demolished. The well-planted cemetery has meandering paths and some fine monuments. By 1948 the cemetery extended to the south but the new area is a mere grid of paths and gravestones, with few trees. Adjacent and accessible from the cemetery, separated by hedging and a row of Lombardy poplars is Hither Green Crematorium, which opened in 1956, at which time further land was used for the cemetery.

Previous / Other name:

Lee Cemetery; Lewisham Crematorium

Site location:

Verdant Lane, Grove Park

Postcode:

SE6 1TP

What 3 Words:

line.crisp.liver

Type of site:

Cemetery

Borough:

Lewisham

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

Cemetery: 10am - 6pm (March-Oct), - 5pm (Nov-Feb). Crematorium: Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm (March-Oct), - 4.30pm (Nov-Feb); Sat/Sun 10am-4.30 or 3.30pm

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Toilets, car park

Events:

Public transport:

Rail: Grove Park then bus, Hither Green. Bus: 124, 284

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

14/08/2024

Last minor changes:

14/08/2024

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/birthsdeathsmarriages/deaths/Pages

Originally known as Lee Cemetery, Hither Green Cemetery opened in 1873, laid out by Francis Thorne, who was buried here in 1885. When it opened the cemetery occupied the northern part of the current site (see OS Map London CXXIX, 25ins to the mile, published 1897), at which time the surrounding area was largely open land and the cemetery was reached by Hither Green Lane. By 1914 the cemetery was renamed Hither Green Cemetery, and Hither Green Lane renamed Verdant Lane. To the south, on land later occupied by the extended cemetery, were allotment gardens. By 1948, additional land to the south of the original plot extended the cemetery and had a grid layout of paths and plots (OS 1:1250 TQ3972NE-A), the area to the south of which remaining in use as allotment gardens.

The original cemetery has heavily decorated iron entrance gates, good railings, meandering paths and drives, and is well-planted with ornamental evergreens, holly, yew, deodar, holm oak and other specimen conifers. Paths from the entrance lead to the two Gothic chapels with complex plans and intricate Decorated style tracery. The western Anglican chapel was designed by Thorne while the eastern Non-Conformist chapel, now disused and neglected, was built by William Webster. Most of the mature trees and shrubs are in the area around the pair of Gothic ragstone chapels, both of which survive, but the Gothic entrance lodge was demolished in the 1960s. Near the Non-conformist chapel is a notable mausoleum to John Taylor and family of 1903. Among those buried here is the well-respected local historian Leland Lewis Duncan (1862-1923) to whom the Lewisham Local History Society erected a gravestone to the right of the entrance in 1998 on the 75th anniversary of his death. In 1943 a huge crowd of 7,000 mourners gathered for the mass burial of 33 of the 44 victims of the bombing of Sandhurst Road School, Catford. Within the cemetery is a Second World War memorial and the graves of 39 Commonwealth service personnel from WWI and a further 198 from WWII. 

Beyond the original boundary of the Victorian cemetery, marked only by a ridge of tree stumps, is the cemetery extension, Crematorium and Garden of Remembrance, as shown on OS 1:10,560 Map TQ37SE-B published in 1968. Originally called Lewisham Crematorium, Hither Green Crematorium opened in 1956, and has a separate entrance lower down Verdant Lane through a semi-circular entranceway inscribed with its name. This leads to the large crematorium garden, which is formally landscaped on a small scale: dotted with small flowering trees and shrubs, blue cedars, willows, a somewhat bland long narrow water feature with some rocks, and paths with commemorative plaques.

Sources consulted:

John Archer, Ian Yarham, 'Nature Conservation in Lewisham', Ecology Handbook 30, London Ecology Unit, 2000 and Lewisham Walk 2 leaflet; Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London 2: South (Penguin) 1999; Hugh Meller & Brian Parsons, 'London Cemeteries, An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer', 4th edition (The History Press, 2008); South East London's Green Chain pack, 1998; Darrell Spurgeon, 'Discover Sydenham and Catford', (Greenwich Guide-books, 1999); Candy Blackham, 'Green Lewisham' (Clink Street Publishing. 2022)

Grid ref:

TQ395729 (539550,172950)

Size in hectares:

26

Site ownership:

LB Lewisham

Site management:

Crematorium and Cemeteries Department

Date(s):

1873; 1956

Designer(s):

Cemetery: Francis Thorne

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 - Borough Importance I

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

Yes

Special Policy Area:

Yes - Archaeological Priority Area Tier II (north part)

Other LA designation:

None