Description
Eltham Cemetery opened in 1935 laid out as a regimented grid of plots with trees planted along the paths and around the boundary. To the south is a more wooded area with numerous mature trees and grassland. In 1956 Eltham Crematorium was added in the eastern section, with a Remembrance Chapel designed as a tiny replica of Liverpool's Roman Catholic Cathedral. To the east is a large landscaped Garden of Remembrance, planted with many trees, shrubs, paths, a pergola walk and lake with small waterfall. A series of Memorial Courts were opened in 1996.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Crematorium: Falconwood |
|---|---|
| Site location | Rochester Way/Crown Woods Way, Eltham |
| Postcode | SE9 2RF |
| What3Words | ///sport.ruler.agrees |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Greenwich |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Cemetery: April-Sept 9am-7pm; Oct-Mar 9am-4pm. Crematorium Garden/Memorial Courts close 15 min before Cemetery & at 1.45pm Xmas/Boxing/New Year's Days |
| Special Conditions | No dogs except guide dogs |
| Facilities | Toilets |
| Public Transport | Rail: Falconwood. Bus: B16. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The cemetery was opened in 1935 and was laid out by the Borough Engineer on a flat site with a regimented grid of plots with trees planted along the paths and around the boundary of the site, quite dense conifers along the boundary with Rochester Way. The red-brick chapel is 'tidy brick Gothic without surprises' (Meller), adjacent to which is a small area of rose beds in lawn laid out as a garden of remembrance. Among the memorials is that of a uniformed half-life-size figure of an airman killed in 1938; and others buried here include Major Francis Beech (d.1969), Mayor of the Borough in 1955/56 and MP for West Woolwich in 1943-45; General Ernest Stockley (d.1946) who was decorated in World War I; and Joe Crozier, Scottish International goal keeper. To the south is a more wooded area with numerous mature trees and grassland.
In 1956, the Crematorium was added in the eastern section, with a remembrance chapel designed as a tiny replica of Liverpool's Roman Catholic Cathedral. A large enclosed garden of remembrance is laid out to the east of the buildings, landscaped on undulating ground with many trees, shrubs, paths, a pergola walk and lake with small waterfall, the garden surrounded by brick walling. Either side and halfway along the wide drive from the main entrance gates/lodge and the cemetery chapel are two small 1930s brick pavilions, behind the easterly one is a walled area within which are a number of Memorial Courts, a maze-like series of interconnecting 'rooms' called after plants, which include Azalea, Camellia, Jasmine, Buddleia, Ceanothus etc., which was opened on 18 June 1996 by the Mayors of Greenwich, Bexley and Dartford, the three authorities who own the Crematorium. Paved with York stone and herring brick paths, the courts have pebbles around the perimeter walls, with planters in some areas.
In 1956, the Crematorium was added in the eastern section, with a remembrance chapel designed as a tiny replica of Liverpool's Roman Catholic Cathedral. A large enclosed garden of remembrance is laid out to the east of the buildings, landscaped on undulating ground with many trees, shrubs, paths, a pergola walk and lake with small waterfall, the garden surrounded by brick walling. Either side and halfway along the wide drive from the main entrance gates/lodge and the cemetery chapel are two small 1930s brick pavilions, behind the easterly one is a walled area within which are a number of Memorial Courts, a maze-like series of interconnecting 'rooms' called after plants, which include Azalea, Camellia, Jasmine, Buddleia, Ceanothus etc., which was opened on 18 June 1996 by the Mayors of Greenwich, Bexley and Dartford, the three authorities who own the Crematorium. Paved with York stone and herring brick paths, the courts have pebbles around the perimeter walls, with planters in some areas.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ446750 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 11.21 |
| Site Ownership | RB Greenwich (Crematorium jointly owned by RB Greenwich/Bexley/Dartford) |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1935; 1956 |
| Designers | Mr H W Tee, Borough Engineer |
| 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 | Greenwich |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - south park |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Character of Metropolitan Importance |
| Other LA Designation | Green Chain |
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 green at Fairoak Drive was laid out as part of the private Eltham Heights Estate, built from 1934 on former farmland of Avery Hill Farm. The 3-sided green provided communal open space for the surrounding housing, and is banked behind a low brick retaining wall with a number of fine mature trees that pre-date the housing development including oak and pine as well as more recent planting.
Eltham Park North was once part of the estate of Avery Hill and was acquired by the LCC in 1929/30 for public open space. To the south is an earlier LCC park, Eltham Park South, accessed from a pedestrian footbridge over the railway and Eltham Relief Road that separates the two park. In 1936 Shepherdleas Wood was added to the park, a large tract of native oak woodland, which is part of the ancient Shooters Hill Woodlands. In the centre of the park is Long Pond, surrounded by willows and ornamental shrubs.
Avery Hill was a late Victorian Italianate villa built for Colonel John Thomas North in c.1888 with fine gardens and an enormous conservatory where he housed his winter garden. North initially rented the estate and 20 acres of land but by 1891 had expanded it to over 270 ha, which included much of what is now Shooters Hill Woodlands, and it was used partly for shooting and some let for farming. On his death in 1896 the estate was auctioned, much of it eventually purchased by the LCC, part becoming Avery Hill Park. From 1906 the mansion was used as a college of education, Avery Hill College. The well-stocked Winter Garden is open to the public, and to the west are terraced flower gardens.
