Description
Lavender Hill is so-called for the lavender that was once grown in this area. Lavender Hill Burial Board was set up in 1871 and opened the 9-acre Lavender Hill Cemetery in 1872, with two chapels, one Anglican and the other Nonconformist, and a stone lodge at the main entrance. It was well-planted with trees and the layout of serpentine walks and roads remains today. The cemetery was enlarged in 1897 by 3 acres, and has since been further enlarged. To the north the site becomes a more open area with fewer trees and accommodates recent burials.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Enfield Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Site location | Cedar Road, Enfield |
| Postcode | EN2 |
| What3Words | ///toxic.lace.march |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Enfield |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 9am (M-Sat)/10am (Sun/BH) -4pm (Dec/Jan);-4.30pm (Nov/Feb); 5.30pm (Mar/Apr/Sep/Oct);-7pm/7.30 Sun/BHs (May-Aug) |
| Facilities | toilets |
| Public Transport | Rail: Gordon Hill. Bus: W8 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Lavender Hill is so-called because lavender was once grown in this area. Lavender Hill Burial Board was set up in 1871 and the 9-acre cemetery was opened on 27 July 1872 on part of the Hundred Acres which belonged to the parish. The cemetery lay-out and its buildings were designed by Mr T J Hill, architect of Enfield, at a cost of around £9,000. The buildings consist of two mirror-image chapels, one Anglican and the other Nonconformist, and a stone lodge on the main entrance on Cedar Road, which has stone gate piers and wrought iron gates. The western Non-Conformist chapel later became a store.
The cemetery was planted with numerous conifers and other trees and shrubs throughout, with Cedars, Wellingtonia and other ornamental conifers on the slopes, as well as oak, lime, horse chestnut further north. The original layout of serpentine walks and roadways also remains, now tarmac. At the junction of some of these paths are early monuments dating from the 1870s, including that of William Buzzard (d.1877) with an urn on a red granite plinth; the Celtic Cross for Benjamin Godfrey (d.1872); and a large chest tomb for James Whatman Bosanquet (d.1877) of Claysmore, who was instrumental in the building of St John the Baptist Church at Clay Hill (q.v.). Philip Twells, MP (d.1880) has a monument near the Anglican chapel; a banker in the City of London, Twells had purchased the Chase Side House estate in Enfield in 1865, which remained in the family until the death of Mrs Twells in 1898, following which part of the estate was purchased by Enfield UDC and became the site of the new Library and Town Park (q.v.).
The cemetery was enlarged in 1897 by a further 3 acres, and has since been further enlarged. To the north the cemetery becomes a more open area with some trees planted and more recent burials. Now under the administration of the London Borough of Enfield, a new cemetery site of 4.99 hectares, Strayfield Road Extension, was opened in 1997 nearby, reached via a country lane from Lavender Hill Cemetery; it is next to an old Nursery at Clay Hill, abutting Hillyfields Park (q.v.)
The cemetery was planted with numerous conifers and other trees and shrubs throughout, with Cedars, Wellingtonia and other ornamental conifers on the slopes, as well as oak, lime, horse chestnut further north. The original layout of serpentine walks and roadways also remains, now tarmac. At the junction of some of these paths are early monuments dating from the 1870s, including that of William Buzzard (d.1877) with an urn on a red granite plinth; the Celtic Cross for Benjamin Godfrey (d.1872); and a large chest tomb for James Whatman Bosanquet (d.1877) of Claysmore, who was instrumental in the building of St John the Baptist Church at Clay Hill (q.v.). Philip Twells, MP (d.1880) has a monument near the Anglican chapel; a banker in the City of London, Twells had purchased the Chase Side House estate in Enfield in 1865, which remained in the family until the death of Mrs Twells in 1898, following which part of the estate was purchased by Enfield UDC and became the site of the new Library and Town Park (q.v.).
The cemetery was enlarged in 1897 by a further 3 acres, and has since been further enlarged. To the north the cemetery becomes a more open area with some trees planted and more recent burials. Now under the administration of the London Borough of Enfield, a new cemetery site of 4.99 hectares, Strayfield Road Extension, was opened in 1997 nearby, reached via a country lane from Lavender Hill Cemetery; it is next to an old Nursery at Clay Hill, abutting Hillyfields Park (q.v.)
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ319981 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 11.62 |
| Site Ownership | LB Enfield |
| Site Management | Place Shaping and Enterprise, Parks Business Unit |
| Dates | 1872 |
| Designers | T J Hill |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Western (Nonconformist) Chapel and attached urinal; Eastern (Anglican) Chapel; Cemetery Lodge and attached railings and gates on Cedar Road. |
| 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 | Enfield |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Enfield Chase Heritage Area AOSC (Area of Special Character) |
| Other LA Designation | Included in Local Register of Historic Parks and Gardens |
Gallery
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
Enfield UDC purchased 62 acres of farmland owned by Archdeacon Potter and opened Hilly Fields as a public park in 1911. In 1921 a wooden bandstand was built and was a popular attraction but later became derelict. It was restored in 2001 by the Friends of Hillyfields. There are many mature trees in the park, including large pollarded trees and numerous oaks scattered over rough grassland, mainly old field boundary trees and the northern boundary is formed by the Turkey Brook. Since 1952 North Enfield Cricket Club, which was first established in 1886, has leased land on Strayfield Road within the boundaries of Hilly Fields from Enfield Council.
St John the Baptist originated as a chapel built in 1857 on land owned by Enfield Parish Church, with funds provided by the owner of one of the substantial houses in Clay Hill. The freehold passed to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and it was consecrated in 1865, becoming Clay Hill Parish Church in 1867. The churchyard is hedged from the road with a picturesque wooden lych gate, and is planted with mature trees. Outside the church is a memorial stone drinking trough.
The north part of the parish of Enfield remained rural into the C20th. Keen to ensure that some areas remained public open space, in 1907 Enfield UDC purchased land known as Tucker's Field, which had been used as the home ground for Enfield Spartans football club from 1896-1900. It was laid out and opened as North Enfield Recreation Ground. Later a grant was received from the King George's Fields Foundation, established in 1936 to encourage provision of playing fields as a memorial to George V.
