Description
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.
Practical Information
| Site location | Lower Richmond Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW15 1JF |
| What3Words | ///indoor.large.wisely |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Wandsworth |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Nov-Feb: Mon-Sat 8am-4pm/Sun 10am-4pm; Mar/Oct: closure at 5pm; April/Sept: closure at 6pm; May - August closure at 7pm. Christmas Day 10am-1pm |
| Public Transport | Rail: Barnes. Tube: Putney Bridge (District) then bus. Bus: 22, 265 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ228759 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.215 |
| Site Ownership | LB Wandsworth |
| Site Management | Central Cemeteries Office |
| Dates | 1855-58 |
| 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 I |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
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.
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.
Barn Elms Park is essentially a landscaped path between Horne Way near the river and Lower Richmond Road. The OS Map of 1869-74 shows the layout much as it is today with a central path flanked by grass and trees, and a shallow semi-circular entrance at the south, with a small lodge.