Description
Gunnersbury Cemetery was established in 1929 when the Borough of Kensington's Cemetery at Hanwell was full. Situated adjacent to Gunnersbury Park, the land was originally part of the Rothschild Gunnersbury Park estate. The chapel is a simple brick building, recently refurbished, and the drive from the entrance is lined with displays of flower tubs and floral bedding arrangements, including shrubs such as camellias and roses along the side walls. With paths laid out in a grid pattern, the cemetery has well-kept grass and numerous fine trees, including mature horse chestnut trees near the entrance that date from before the cemetery was laid out, part of Gunnersbury Park planting. A Garden of Remembrance has been established with a central sundial and seating.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Kensington Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Site location | Gunnersbury Avenue |
| Postcode | W3 8LE |
| What3Words | ///pops.parks.detect |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Hounslow |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 9am - 4.30pm (Jan-Dec); -5.30pm (Feb/Mar/Oct); - 7pm (April/May/Sept); -8pm (June-Aug). Sundays - 7pm (June-Aug)/-6pm (April/May/Sept). Xmas -4.30pm |
| Facilities | toilets |
| Public Transport | Rail: Kew Bridge. London Overground/Tube (District): Gunnersbury |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The southern part of the cemetery is largely reserved for Roman Catholic burials, with many Polish, East Europeans and White Russians buried here, including the Romanoff Vsevolod, Prince of Russia (d.1973), who was the great-great grandson of Nicholas I and cousin of the last Czar. A slab bears the inscription that 'here rests the Bodies of Cossacks' with 5 names. Others buried include General Tadeuz Bòr-Komorowski (d.1966) Commander of the Polish resistance in WWII, who ordered the Warsaw uprising in August 1944 and became Commander and Chief of Polish forces in the west; General Jozef Smolenski (d.1978), a Polish cavalry officer who wrote a history of the 7th Lancers. The Roman Catholic chapel was destroyed by bombing in WWII and on its site the Katyn Memorial was later erected, a black obelisk designed by Louis Fitzgibbon. In 1976 this memorial was dedicated by Count Stefan Zamoyski to the 14,500 Polish prisoners of war who disappeared from the camps, 4,500 of whom were later identified in a mass grave at Katyn near Smolensk, then occupied by the Russians. Others buried here include Lord Broughshane of Kensington (d.1953), Mayor from 1913-19 and Tory MP of Kensington from 1918-1945; film director Sir Carol Reed (d. 1976); and Alfred (d.1963) and Guiseppe (d.1946) Messina, Maltese-born Soho vice racketeers.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ192787 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 8.9 |
| Site Ownership | RB Kensington & Chelsea |
| Site Management | Environmental Services, Cemeteries Office |
| Dates | 1929 |
| 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 | Hounslow |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Gunnersbury Park |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | Yes |
| Other LA Designation | Feltham and Brentford SRB |
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
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Gunnersbury Park is a former C18th estate with formal gardens, developed by Princess Amelia in the late C18th, and extended by Baron Lionel de Rothschild and his family in the C19th and early C20th when it was renowned for its gardens. In 1925 75 hectares of the estate, including the large and small mansions and garden buildings, were purchased by the boroughs of Acton and Ealing, with assistance from the MCC. It opened to the public in May 1926 and although its horticultural features were maintained, there was increasing emphasis on sports and recreation, with facilities including a bowling green, golf course and playground. A number of earlier landscape features remain, including the Potomac Pond with Pulhamite rock work; Princess Amelia's Bath House, Japanese Garden and Italian Garden.
Gunnersbury Park is a former C18th estate with formal gardens, developed by Princess Amelia in the late C18th, and extended by Baron Lionel de Rothschild and his family in the C19th and early C20th when it was renowned for its gardens. In 1925 75 hectares of the estate, including the large and small mansions and garden buildings, were purchased by the boroughs of Acton and Ealing, with assistance from the MCC. It opened to the public in May 1926 and although its horticultural features were maintained, there was increasing emphasis on sports and recreation, with facilities including a bowling green, golf course and playground. A number of earlier landscape features remain, including the Potomac Pond with Pulhamite rock work; Princess Amelia's Bath House, Japanese Garden and Italian Garden.
Carville Hall North and Carville Hall South were formed from the remains of the garden of Carville Hall. The estate was purchased by Middlesex County Council when the Great West Road was being constructed and in late 1919 the MCC sold the land not necessary for the new road to Brentford UDC to be laid out as an open space and war memorial. The park opened in 1923 as Carville Hall War Memorial Park. Now further separated by the M4 Flyover, the two sides of the park are quite different in character. To the south the remains of the fishponds are a pond along the north boundary, with remains of garden planting and some fine trees.
Carville Hall North and Carville Hall South were formed from the remains of the garden of Carville Hall. The estate was purchased by Middlesex County Council when the Great West Road was being constructed and in late 1919 the MCC sold the land not necessary for the new road to Brentford UDC to be laid out as an open space and war memorial. The park opened in 1923 as Carville Hall War Memorial Park. Now further separated by the M4 Flyover, the two sides of the park are quite different in character. To the north the park is open grassland used for playing fields with a pavilion and playgrounds.