Description
In 1854 a plot of land in the north-east corner of Barnes Common was enclosed to provide an additional burial ground for St Mary's Barnes, whose churchyard had become overcrowded. The cemetery was laid out with paths, a chapel was built and it was in use until the mid-1950s, with many artists and writers among those buried. After it closed to burials, it was taken over in 1966 by Richmond Borough Council who intended to turn it into a lawn cemetery. The chapel and lodge were demolished, and the boundary railings removed. It was badly vandalised over the ensuing years and many of the headstones broken. The Council has now declared it a nature reserve and it is effectively part of Barnes Common.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Barnes Common Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Site location | off Rocks Lane (Ranelagh Path), Barnes Common |
| Postcode | SW13 |
| What3Words | ///rents.broker.vouch |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Richmond |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Barnes |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In the mid-C19th, the parish churchyard of St Mary's Barnes (q.v.) was overcrowded and in 1854 permission was granted by the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's, Lord of the Manor, for a 2-acre plot in the north-east corner of Barnes Common (q.v.) to be enclosed for a new parish cemetery. The land was bought for £10 with a further £1,400 spent on a chapel and landscaping. Around 3,000 burials took place here up until the mid 1950s, by which time the cemetery was full. Those buried here include a number of artists and writers such as Alexander Finberg (d.1939) an artist and art historian who was an authority on J M W Turner who had lived in the area; the architect Charles Innes (d.1907) who designed St Michael's Church in Barnes and rebuilt much of the parish church; Augustus Mayhew (d.1875) novelist and brother of Henry Mayhew best-known as the author of 'London Labour and the London Poor'; Francis Palgrave (d.1897) who compiled the 'Golden Treasury' of poetry; Henry Pickersgill (d.1875), portrait painter; Edward Williams (d.1855), landscape artist nicknamed 'Moonlight Williams' due to his use of moonlit effects, together with his son H J Williams also a landscape painter. The Hedgman monument commemorates a family of local benefactors.
Following the closure of the cemetery to burials, it was taken over from the church in 1966 by Richmond Borough Council who intended to turn it into a lawn cemetery. The chapel and lodge were demolished, and the boundary railings removed, but some of the fine trees survive. The Barnes and Mortlake History Society has a map of graves and a list of the tombstone inscriptions that were legible when the list was prepared in the 1960s. However the cemetery was badly vandalised over the ensuing years and many of the headstones were broken. Richmond Council has declared it a nature reserve but although some clearing up was carried out it remains neglected, and it is effectively part of Barnes Common. No boundaries appear to exist and the atmospheric cemetery is encountered through the woodland of the common, its graves and tombstones hidden away among the vegetation, although some paths have been recreated.
Following the closure of the cemetery to burials, it was taken over from the church in 1966 by Richmond Borough Council who intended to turn it into a lawn cemetery. The chapel and lodge were demolished, and the boundary railings removed, but some of the fine trees survive. The Barnes and Mortlake History Society has a map of graves and a list of the tombstone inscriptions that were legible when the list was prepared in the 1960s. However the cemetery was badly vandalised over the ensuing years and many of the headstones were broken. Richmond Council has declared it a nature reserve but although some clearing up was carried out it remains neglected, and it is effectively part of Barnes Common. No boundaries appear to exist and the atmospheric cemetery is encountered through the woodland of the common, its graves and tombstones hidden away among the vegetation, although some paths have been recreated.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ226759 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.81 |
| Site Ownership | LB Richmond |
| Site Management | Environment Planning and Review, Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1854 |
| 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 | Richmond |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Barnes Common |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Metropolitan Importance with Barnes Common) |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
In 1855 3 acres of land of Putney Lower Common were bought by the local Burial Board from Earl Spencer, Lord of the Manor, for this small cemetery. It was established by 1858 on the edge of Putney Lower Common and Barnes Common, and remains visually part of these open spaces. It has ornate railings and gates on Lower Richmond Road, and is otherwise bounded by brick wall, with intermittent railings along the east. The rag stone chapels and lodge were designed by Barnett and Birch in 1855 and built by a local firm of builders, W and R Aviss, whose family tomb is in the cemetery. There are some interesting historic tombs, including that of Sir Alfred Dryden (d.1912), a descendent of John Dryden, the poet. The cemetery is now closed for burials except within privately owned graves. There are a variety of trees including yew and the cemetery is wooded towards the north where the boundary wall abuts Barnes Common.
Putney was settled from early times. There was Roman occupation here and Lower Richmond Road may have been a Roman Road. Putney Lower Common remained open pasture and farmland, and is contiguous with Barnes Common. Land began to be enclosed from at least the C15th but in 1871 the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act was passed and the Wimbledon and Putney Conservators, established to preserve the commonland, prevented further encroachment. The common is generally open grassland with mature trees around it, mainly plane trees and chestnuts. Cricket is played in the summer and a fairground visits on bank holidays and in this way the common still offers the traditional activities that were long associated with commons before urbanisation and enclosure overtook them.
Barn Elms Playing Fields were formerly part of Church lands and the manor house, Barn Elms, was once the mansion of Sir Francis Walsingham, Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth, which was demolished in 1949. In the 1770s the formal lake was enlarged into a serpentine shape. Some large plane trees date from the late C17th landscape, but otherwise all that remains is the ornamental pond, the ice house on an artificial mound, and a lodge and avenue in Lower Richmond Road. From 1883-1939 the Ranelagh Polo Club was at Barn Elms, the mansion used as the clubhouse. The grounds were acquired for playing fields in 1949. The site currently houses two separate sporting facilities, Barn Elms School Sports Centre and Barn Elms Sports Trust.
