Description
Lambeth Cemetery was established as additional burial space for the parish of St Mary Lambeth in 1853/4, 12 hectares having been purchased from Samuel Martin of Garratt Lane. The cemetery was laid out on a grid pattern, with brick gothic lodges and chapels designed by Frederick K Wehnert and John Ashdown. The cost of land, layout and buildings amounted to £21,500. In 1874 the Burial Board acquired a further c.4.45 hectares as the need for additional space grew and by 1889 there had been over 109,000 burials here. The Crematorium was added in the 1970s towards the north of the cemetery.
Practical Information
| Site location | Blackshaw Road/Waterside, Summerstown |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW17 0BY |
| What3Words | ///events.wires.apples |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Wandsworth |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Weekdays: 8am - 6pm (April-October)/ - 4pm (November-March). Weekends/Bank Holidays 10am - 6pm (April-October)/ - 4pm (November-March) |
| Special Conditions | no dogs |
| Facilities | Toilets |
| Public Transport | Tube: Tooting Broadway (Northern). Rail: Haydons Road. Bus: 155, 280 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Today the cemetery has well-landscaped areas, paths, trees and grass as well as areas densely packed with graves. Among those buried here are George Galvin, otherwise known as Dan Leno (d.1903), the well known music hall performer; equestrian Thomas Allen (d.1898) whose monument features a riderless horse; and a fine black marble and slate monument for the Smith family, dating from 1932. To the north of the cemetery Summerstown Evangelical Church was built in 1883.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ266714 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 21.6 |
| Site Ownership | LB Lambeth |
| Site Management | Environment Directorate, Cemeteries. |
| Dates | 1854 |
| Listed Structures | Local list: Lodges, Mortuary Chapels |
| 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 | Wandsworth |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area (west side) |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space/Cemetery |
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
Fountain Road Recreation Ground was laid out in 1932 as part of the adjacent Council housing development of Anderson House. The site had once been a clay quarry for brickworks, replaced in 1898 when the Council's 'dust destructor' was built here, the scheme for disposing of rubbish by incineration. The 153 foot high chimney was eventually demolished on 30 October 1930 and the recreation ground was laid out through a scheme for the relief of unemployment. It was partly grassed with the remainder paved and provided with see-saws and swings.
Tooting Gardens is a small public park that was laid out and opened to the public on 1 June 1912. It was originally to the west of the Fountain Road Fever Hospital, which opened in 1893, with Grove Hospital to the south built in 1894-9. In 1911 a drinking fountain was installed here, which had formerly stood at Tooting Broadway but removed when the memorial statue of Edward VII was erected. By 1953 play equipment had been installed in the park. It is now sandwiched behind Tooting Leisure Centre and adjacent to St George's Hospital. The park has been re-landscaped and has shrubberies, undulating ground, and new trees.
The tithe map of 1847 shows the site of Wandle Meadow Nature Park as Byegrove Mead, which may have been managed as water meadows. In 1868 the Wimbledon to Streatham railway was constructed nearby and in 1877 the meadow was acquired for the Wandle Valley Sewage Works, built adjacent to the Wandle River. After the sewage works closed in 1970, a proposal to build a football stadium on the land south of the railway was strongly opposed and the site was eventually preserved as a nature reserve. Above-ground structures were demolished and made safe, with the old filter beds remaining and now creating an interesting wildlife habitat, with footpaths and cycle routes laid out. A bridge links it to Garfield Recreation Ground, which existed as a public park from the early C20th.