Description
Kingston War Memorial Gardens was originally set up as an overflow burial ground to the parish churchyard in 1826. It closed in 1855 when the new Kingston Cemetery opened outside the town centre. It was laid out as public garden, with gravestones moved to the perimeter. The War Memorial was unveiled in 1923. Kingston's annual Remembrance Day service takes place in the War Memorial Gardens
Practical Information
| Previously known as | War Memorial Gardens |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Street/Union Street, Kingston |
| Postcode | KT1 |
| What3Words | ///ideas.quiet.reap |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Special Conditions | no dogs |
| Public Transport | Rail: Kingston. Bus: 371, K1, 65. |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The site was formerly a burial ground, opened in 1826 as an overflow burial ground to the parish churchyard of All Saints (q.v.), which was by then becoming overcrowded as Kingston's population grew. It later became full and was closed following the Government's Burial Acts and Kingston Burial Board was established in order to acquire a site for a new cemetery outside the town centre, which was opened as Kingston Cemetery (q.v.) in 1855 on what was then rural land. After closure as a burial ground the old burial ground in Union Street was laid out as a public garden and the War Memorial with fine bronze sculpted figures on a plain stone plinth was unveiled in 1923. The Metropolitan Open Spaces Acts of 1877 and 1881 and the Disused Burial Grounds Act of 1884, later extended under the Metropolitan Open Spaces Act of 1887, enabled 'open spaces and burial grounds in the Metropolis for the use of the inhabitants thereof for exercise and recreation'. The garden is formally laid out with gravestones moved to the perimeter beds, lawns, raised beds and seating, and a garden for the blind.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ179692 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.28 |
| Site Ownership | RB Kingston |
| Site Management | Grounds maintenance contractor: Quadron Services Ltd |
| Dates | 1826 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: War Memorial |
| 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 | Kingston |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Kingston Old Town |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Space (Public Open Space) |
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
There was a large parish church in Kingston by the C12th, an earlier church having been rebuilt by Gilbert, Sheriff of Surrey, who gave it to Merton Priory. The foundations of a small chapel of earlier date, which was possibly the site of coronations, were excavated in 1926 and are visible in the churchyard, with a plaque marking the site. The churchyard to the north of the church has been cleared of gravestones, except for some table tombs and a sarcophagus, and some headstones have been placed on the boundary facing the east end of the church and on the south side. The ornamental gates were donated as a war memorial. Trees in the churchyard include mature limes, a yew and a number of chestnuts.
The Guildhall was on the site of the C18th Clattern House, which was next to the early C19th Assize Courts, both demolished in 1933. Used for municipal offices from 1891 Guildhall housed the library until 1903, when Kingston Library on Fairfield opened. A new larger Guildhall was built in 1935, and was further extended in 1968. The Guildhall Grounds are landscaped with grass, paths, shrub beds and trees. The ancient Coronation Stone surrounded by mid-C19th railings was moved to the Guildhall grounds in 1935 from the site south of Market Place where it had been set up in 1850. Nearby is the C12th Clattern Bridge over the Hogsmill River, which runs along one boundary of the grounds.
Hogsmill River Park is a linear park created in the 1980s that continues the link to other open spaces through the borough along the route of the Hogsmill River, which flows north through New Malden and Berrylands to the Thames just by the Guildhall. Evidence of bronze and iron age settlements have been found by the river, which was called the Hogsmill relatively recently, and was previously known as the Malden River, and in 1439 as the Lurteborne.