Description
Bandon Hill Cemetery is a large Victorian cemetery laid out on a grid pattern in 1899 and opened in 1900 with the first burial on 7 March. It was created on open land to the south of Queenswood House. Originally set up Croydon Rural District Council, it was later the responsibility of a joint burial authority as a result of boundary changes. Its historic features include mature trees, the original entrance lodge and pair of chapels. There are a few significant graves, such as that of the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (d.1912), whose memorial features musical notes from his composition 'Hiawatha'.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Bandon Hill Joint Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Site location | Plough Lane/Rockwood Avenue, Wallington |
| Postcode | SM6 8JQ |
| What3Words | ///marble.blows.badge |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Sutton |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | opens 8am weekdays/9am weekends/bank holidays; 10am Xmas/NY; closes 4.30pm Nov-Feb; 5pm Mar; 6pm Oct; 6.30pm April; 7pm May/Sept; 7.30pm June -August |
| Public Transport | Rail: Wallington; Waddon. Bus: 157, 154, 455. |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Bandon Hill Cemetery was established by Croydon Rural District Council but later came under a joint burial authority for Beddington & Wallington Corporation and Coulsdon and Purley UDC. The red-brick chapels, linked by a picturesque white wooden framed porte-cochère, were designed by R M Chart. When the new London borough were formed in 1965, the cemetery was jointly run by the London Boroughs of Croydon and Sutton, its management overseen by a Joint Committee comprising elected members from both Councils. Among those buried here are the music hall stars Eugeen Stratton (d.1918) and Joe Elvin (d.1935), in adjacent graves. The author and naturalist, Sir Charles Hose (d.1929) after whom The Hose's Palm Civet is named is also buried here. The cemetery contains the only species-rich acidic grassland within the Borough.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ301646 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 6.25 |
| Site Ownership | LBs Sutton & Croydon |
| Site Management | Bandon Hill Joint Cemetery Committee |
| Dates | 1899-1900 |
| 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 | Sutton |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| 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
The park is named after Councillor Mellows and was laid out in 1930. The 1st edition OS map of 1867 shows the site as open land, part of the downs situated between Sandy Lane and Plough Lane, which convene to the north. Mellows Park is open grassland with hedged areas, flower beds and mature trees lining the perimeter and main internal paths. The remains of a WWII raid shelter survives in the south-west corner. A number of earlier features are now lost, including orchards and a rose garden.
Riverside Walk is an area of land that until c.1930 was watercress beds to the rear of Beddington Park on the River Wandle, although there is no trace of this usage, now covered over.
St Mary the Virgin Church at Beddington is recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. Fragments of the church building date from just post the Norman Conquest, although the building is largely C14th. Between the churchyard and Beddington Manor house are brick and flint walls dating from at least the C17th, those to south and west of later date. The oldest part of the churchyard is to the south and west of the church, with a picturesque lych-gate on Church Road. Between 1829-69, a number of structural changes were made to the church, including repairs to the tower, and c.1868 the area for burials was enlarged when land to the west across Church Road was laid out as a graveyard. The extension has flint walls and a large entrance-gate, erected c.1868. In the mid 1960s the churchyard extension was re-ordered with gravestones laid flat and repairs were carried out to the flint boundary walls. A fine memorial with cross is located n the churchyard extension.