Inventory Site Record

* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens

Putney Vale Cemetery was established on former farmland in 1887 when Putney Cemetery was full. The cemetery was laid out by Wandsworth Borough Council Surveyor, who also designed the cemetery chapels and lodge. Planting was carried out by J Melady & Sons of Barnes. It opened in 1891 and was later extended in 1909 and 1912. One of the chapels was converted to a Crematorium in 1938 by E J Elford, who also designed the Garden of Remembrance, laid out in 1935-38. The SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society) memorial garden was created 1996. The catacomb range was built in 2003.

Site location:

Kingston Road/Stag Lane, Kingston Vale

Postcode:

SW15 3DZ

What 3 Words:

clay.direct.these

Type of site:

Cemetery

Borough:

Wandsworth

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

Nov-Feb: Mon-Sat 8am-4pm/Sun 10am-4pm; Mar/Oct: closure at 5pm; April/Sept: closure at 6pm; May - August closure at 7pm. Christmas Day 10am-1pm

Special conditions:

Facilities:

toilets, car park

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Putney Bridge (District) then bus. Rail: Kingston then bus. Bus: 85, 265, 485

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/05/2005

Last minor changes:

14/07/2022

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

Site on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens, for Register Entry see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list. The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.

There are a number of notable monuments in Putney Vale Cemetery, including the symbolist monument of Emma Vickery (d.1922) and the tomb of Bruce Ismay (1937), ship owner and Chairman of the White Star Line, whose monument features shipping scenes. Famous people buried here include Howard Carter (d.1939), the archaeologist who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922; Vesta Tilley (d.1952), music hall male impersonator known as 'Burlington Bertie'; the sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein (d.1959) and the novelist Ivy Compton Burnett (d.1969). Among the notable people cremated here are the former Prime Minister Clement Attlee (d.1967) and the wife of Sir Winston Churchill, Clementine Churchill (d.1977).

Sources consulted:

Hugh Meller & Brian Parsons, 'London Cemeteries, An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer', 4th edition (The History Press, 2008)

Grid ref:

TQ224727 (522479,172787)

Size in hectares:

17.9

Site ownership:

LB Wandsworth

Site management:

Central Cemeteries Office

Date(s):

1891; 1909-1912; 1935-8; 1970s

Designer(s):

J C Radford, planting by J Melady & Son, Barnes

Listed structures:

LBII: Gates, piers and railings on Kingston Road; Gordon Mausoleum; Edwin Tate Mausoleum; Sainsbury Mausoleum

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

Yes

NHLE grade:

Grade II

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 II

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

Yes

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

Public Open Space/Cemetery. Historic Parks and Gardens