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
| Previously known as | Wembley Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Site location | Clifford Road/Bridgewater Road, Alperton |
| Postcode | HA0 1AF |
| What3Words | ///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) |
| Facilities | Toilets |
| Public Transport | Tube: Alperton (Piccadilly). Bus: 79, 83, 224, 226, 245, 297, 487. |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full 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.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ174840 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 4 |
| Site Ownership | LB Brent |
| Site Management | Cemeteries and Mortuaries Service |
| Dates | 1917 |
| Designers | Borough Surveyor for Wembley UDC (Cecil R W Chapman) |
| 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 | Brent |
| 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 |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The land was bought in three phases by Wembley UDC in 1921, 1926 and 1938. The park now has numerous trees since its original appellation as One Tree Hill when it was a hill with a single tree, possibly an ash tree, since felled. It is a hilly park with good views towards Harrow on the Hill, Wembley Stadium and Barn Hill and towards central London. A line of black poplars follows the railway line and an avenue of Lombardy poplars crosses the park flanking a tarmac path. A wildlife area has been created in the southern part on a former allotments site.
Barham Park was once grounds of the C18th Crab's House, which was acquired in 1801 by John Copland who built Sudbury Lodge (later called Barham Mansion) in c1850. By 1895 the estate was owned by Sir George Barham; it was inherited in 1913 by his son Titus, who spent much on its improvement. When he died in 1937 he left house and grounds to the citizens of Wembley, together with his private museum. The park today has formal gardens and more open parkland. There are remnants of earlier features such as garden balustrades of Barham Mansion, walls and ornamental gates, and part of Crab's House is now the library. Wembley and Brent Parks Nursery was here from 1950-1960s, its site now the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Garden, with the old nursery glasshouse as its focal point.
St John the Evangelist Church was built in 1846 when Wembley became a separate parish, largely at the instigation of the Copland sisters, who were influential local benefactors. In 1887 a new burial ground was opened adjacent to the churchyard, now called Wembley Old Burial Ground. The churchyard has cast iron railings and a picturesque lych-gate contemporary with the church, overhung by mature horse chestnut trees. There are numerous trees of a variety of species in the burial grounds, C19th monuments and a war memorial in the form of a grey granite cross of sacrifice. A war grave section commemorates those who died in both world wars.
