Description
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Originally called Deptford New Cemetery, Grove Park Cemetery opened in 1935 and has been praised as a rare example of an early C20th cemetery landscaped in the tradition of the great C19th cemeteries. The cemetery retains many original buildings, including a timber-framed chapel and much of the original planting. Among those buried here is Helmuth Barth, a horse trainer with Sangers Circus who died during a show at Romford in 1946.
Originally called Deptford New Cemetery, Grove Park Cemetery opened in 1935 and has been praised as a rare example of an early C20th cemetery landscaped in the tradition of the great C19th cemeteries. The cemetery retains many original buildings, including a timber-framed chapel and much of the original planting. Among those buried here is Helmuth Barth, a horse trainer with Sangers Circus who died during a show at Romford in 1946.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Deptford New Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Site location | Marvels Lane, Lee |
| Postcode | SE12 9PU |
| What3Words | ///last.herds.awards |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Lewisham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 10am - 3.30pm (November-February)/ - 4.30pm (March-October). Christmas Day 10am-2pm |
| Facilities | Toilets, car park |
| Public Transport | Rail: Grove Park (Southeastern) then bus. Bus: 284 |
| Research Updated | 14 August 2024 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
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.
By the early C20th Deptford Cemetery, now known as Brockley Cemetery (q.v.) was almost full as the parish was becoming increasingly built up. In 1934 Deptford Borough Council purchased undeveloped land for its new cemetery in the south of the borough, where new estates like the Grove Park Estate were being built. Deptford New Cemetery was opened on 1 June 1935 by the Mayor of Deptford; its layout, designed by Borough Surveyor H Morley Lawson, described as 'the last flickerings of a great tradition' (Brooks) and 'a brave attempt to create the 1930s version of a well planned cemetery that Loudon had envisaged' (Meller). His design juxtaposed formal and informal elements and the cemetery buildings showed the influence of Moderne and Art Deco style. Still largely in place today, they included a brick and tile lodge, timber framed chapel, office, toilets and a central drinking fountain inscribed with the names of Deptford Borough Council's Cemetery Committee of 1934-5 at the time it was built. At the entrance are wrought-iron gates on tall brick piers, flanked by pedestrian gates, from where a main drive processes to the chapel. The first person to be buried here was Charles Terry on 17 September 1935.
The hillside to the west was landscaped with paved terraces incorporating seats and scenic viewpoints looking south, and an ornamental pool in white concrete. An axial walk was along the ridge with beds and laurel and thorn shrubberies, and to the east and south-east Marvels Wood and Elmstead Wood still provide a sylvan setting. Planting within the cemetery is not exceptional, and includes willows, limes, cypresses, and hawthorn, with floral beds near the entrance where there are mature trees of a wide selection of species, native and exotic.
By the early C20th Deptford Cemetery, now known as Brockley Cemetery (q.v.) was almost full as the parish was becoming increasingly built up. In 1934 Deptford Borough Council purchased undeveloped land for its new cemetery in the south of the borough, where new estates like the Grove Park Estate were being built. Deptford New Cemetery was opened on 1 June 1935 by the Mayor of Deptford; its layout, designed by Borough Surveyor H Morley Lawson, described as 'the last flickerings of a great tradition' (Brooks) and 'a brave attempt to create the 1930s version of a well planned cemetery that Loudon had envisaged' (Meller). His design juxtaposed formal and informal elements and the cemetery buildings showed the influence of Moderne and Art Deco style. Still largely in place today, they included a brick and tile lodge, timber framed chapel, office, toilets and a central drinking fountain inscribed with the names of Deptford Borough Council's Cemetery Committee of 1934-5 at the time it was built. At the entrance are wrought-iron gates on tall brick piers, flanked by pedestrian gates, from where a main drive processes to the chapel. The first person to be buried here was Charles Terry on 17 September 1935.
The hillside to the west was landscaped with paved terraces incorporating seats and scenic viewpoints looking south, and an ornamental pool in white concrete. An axial walk was along the ridge with beds and laurel and thorn shrubberies, and to the east and south-east Marvels Wood and Elmstead Wood still provide a sylvan setting. Planting within the cemetery is not exceptional, and includes willows, limes, cypresses, and hawthorn, with floral beds near the entrance where there are mature trees of a wide selection of species, native and exotic.
Grove Park Cemetery was listed by English Heritage in November 2003 as a landscape of special historic interest. The area of the cemetery that was extended on the level ground below the hill, where the graves are laid out in straight lines is not part of the listed site. The cemetery contains 56 Commonwealth service WWII war graves, and those whose graves are not marked by headstones are listed on a Screen Wall memorial in the war graves plot in the centre of the cemetery.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ416715 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 9.2 |
| Site Ownership | LB Lewisham |
| Site Management | Crematorium & Cemeteries Service |
| Dates | 1935 |
| Designers | H Morley Lawson |
| 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 | Lewisham |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Green Chain (Green Chain Walk) |
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
Chinbrook Meadows is so-called after the River Quaggy, which was also known as the Chin Brook or Kyd Brook, and runs along the lower part of the park. The park began life in 1929 as a playground provided for residents of the LCC's new Grove Park Estate. The recreation ground was enlarged in 1937, mainly providing sports facilities. The southern area was later taken over for allotments, part of which is now the site of Chinbrook Community Orchard. In 2000 a new scheme to re-landscape the park was agreed following local consultation, the works completed in 2002. The Quaggy was naturalised as a meandering river and the newly landscaped park is also designed to hold floodwater, minimising the risk of flood damage to surrounding houses. In 2009 a Peace Garden was opened by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who had lived nearby in the 1970s.
This is a large area of open space divided into sports fields, part of which has been Mottingham Sports Ground since before the 1950s. It has a woodland edge, and some mature trees. Eltham College Junior School and Eltham College are situated within the boundaries, as is Mottingham Hall.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Sundridge Park was a country estate surrounded on 3 sides by woodland. In 1793 the then owner Edward George Lind sought the advice of Humphry Repton, who recommended re-siting the house and forming the surrounding farmland into a park. His advice was followed by the subsequent owner Claude Scott, who also appointed John Nash to build his new mansion. Although little of the earlier landscaping survives, there are remains of the C18th ha-ha that separated the pleasure grounds and park. Scott's son Samuel inherited the estate in 1830; a keen horticulturalist, he instigated various changes including building an elaborate conservatory, and the creation of Pulhamite rockwork features (now gone). The estate was eventually sold in the early C20th and what remains of the former land is now in divided ownership. Part of the parkland became a private golf club in 1901, and the mansion and immediate grounds were converted as a hotel, and later as a management training centre in the 1950s. The terrace garden by the house was redesigned by Rosemary Verey in 1992.
Sundridge Park was a country estate surrounded on 3 sides by woodland. In 1793 the then owner Edward George Lind sought the advice of Humphry Repton, who recommended re-siting the house and forming the surrounding farmland into a park. His advice was followed by the subsequent owner Claude Scott, who also appointed John Nash to build his new mansion. Although little of the earlier landscaping survives, there are remains of the C18th ha-ha that separated the pleasure grounds and park. Scott's son Samuel inherited the estate in 1830; a keen horticulturalist, he instigated various changes including building an elaborate conservatory, and the creation of Pulhamite rockwork features (now gone). The estate was eventually sold in the early C20th and what remains of the former land is now in divided ownership. Part of the parkland became a private golf club in 1901, and the mansion and immediate grounds were converted as a hotel, and later as a management training centre in the 1950s. The terrace garden by the house was redesigned by Rosemary Verey in 1992.