Description
Streatham Park Cemetery opened in 1909, but was originally conceived in 1890 as the Great Southern Cemetery, matching the Great Northern Cemetery that opened in 1861 in Southgate. Cemetery buildings included a lodge, an Anglican Chapel and a small Roman Catholic chapel designed by John Bannen, who also designed the Crematorium, which opened in 1936. The cemetery lodge and RC chapel have since been demolished, the Anglican chapel later re-opened as the cemetery office. The cemetery is laid out on a grid and near the entrance are austere family vaults; there are various gardens of remembrance, including rose gardens. One of the founders of the cemetery, Frederick Field (d.1923) is buried here. The cemetery has a long association with the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund, with 200 variety artistes buried here between 1921-44.
Practical Information
| Site location | Rowan Road, Streatham Vale |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW16 5JG |
| What3Words | ///abode.sends.hosts |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Merton |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | daily 9am - 5pm except Christmas Day: 10am-4pm |
| Special Conditions | no dogs |
| Public Transport | Tube: Clapham Common, Morden (Northern) then bus. Rail: Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Mitcham Junction then bus. Bus: 60, 118. |
| Research Updated | 27 November 2025 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The New London Cemetery and Crematorium Ltd first proposed establishing a new cemetery in Mitcham in 1890 with the object of meeting 'the requirements of the enormous population of South London'. However, nothing took place until 1907, when the Great Southern Cemetery, Crematorium and Land Company raised the necessary finance, purchased the site and opened the new cemetery in 1909. Although the Crematorium was planned from 1913 it was not built until 1936, the delay initially due to the outbreak of WWI. Located on a higher terrace it formerly consisted of a larger complex with 3 chapels, and a Chapel of Remembrance was added in 1958 at the behest of the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund, with which the cemetery had a long association. It was later reduced to 1 chapel, crematory and columbarium after the cemetery was taken over in 1996, now coming under Dignity Funerals Ltd, which also runs Beckenham Crematorium in Bromley and East London Crematorium and Cemetery in Newham (q.q.v.). Behind the Crematorium is a garden of remembrance designed by Milner White with memorials set amongst pergolas and ponds.
Due to the cemetery's associations with the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund, there are numerous well-known performers buried here, including Lizzie Collins (d.1938) who with her sisters created the 'ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay' song and dance routine; comedians Tom Learmore (d.1939), Gus Elen (d.1940), Tom Costello (d.1943 and Will Hay (d.1949), the latter a former Vice-President of the Variety Artistes' Federation; Nellie Navette (d.1936), a solo dancer and Principal Boy; and the singer Dorothy Squires (d.1998).
Due to the cemetery's associations with the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund, there are numerous well-known performers buried here, including Lizzie Collins (d.1938) who with her sisters created the 'ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay' song and dance routine; comedians Tom Learmore (d.1939), Gus Elen (d.1940), Tom Costello (d.1943 and Will Hay (d.1949), the latter a former Vice-President of the Variety Artistes' Federation; Nellie Navette (d.1936), a solo dancer and Principal Boy; and the singer Dorothy Squires (d.1998).
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ292693 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 25.5 |
| Site Ownership | Dignity Funerals Ltd |
| Site Management | Dignity Funerals Ltd |
| Dates | 1909; 1936 |
| Listed Structures | local list: Streatham Park Cemetery |
| 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 | Merton |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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.
Nearby parks and gardens
This cemetery founded in 1915 for Ashkenazi Jews, is the only Jewish burial ground in South London. Situated on Rowan Road, Merton it was established by the Polish burial society Hesed V'Emet (or Chesed V'Ameth) (meaning 'Kindness and Truth') to provide a resting place for Jewish families living in Soho primarily associated with the West End Great Synagogue. The cemetery includes a small prayer hall (mortuary chapel) built in 1932. The cemetery has tightly packed pathways and rows of tombstones, reflecting the traditional Jewish cemetery layout. There are also Commonwealth War Graves for Jewish service personnel from WWII.
Long Bolstead Recreation Ground is a small park created in the early 1930s on a field that was part of land at Eastfields Farm owned by the influential Mizen family. Elizabeth Mizen donated the site to Mitcham UDC for a recreation ground to commemorate her sister Alice who died in the 1920s. The layout of the small park is substantially unchanged from its original form. It consists largely of grass on undulating ground with a central oval surrounded by a path, with trees and shrubs, fairly dense in one area. A play area was installed in the central oval in 2008.
Streatham Vale Park is a small rectangular park that was laid out on the site of former brickworks in 1925 and next to the Wandsworth Council rubbish disposal yard called 'Lonesome Depot'. Due to boundary changes it is now within LB Lambeth. The park is grassed with shrubs and rose beds, playground and a games area, but no longer has a bowling green. At the entrance from Abercairn Road is a rose garden and the boundary has beds with shrubs and roses, and some good trees including wingnut, willow, oak species. A perimeter path runs around the park. A new community garden was createdin 2009