Description
Putney Old Burial Ground was established in 1763 on land donated to the parish by Revd Roger Pettiward when the parish churchyard was full. It became the responsibility of the Putney Burial Board and contains a number of interesting tombs including a monument to Harriet Thomson and a Coade stone chest tomb with a medallion featuring a mourning woman. After it was closed to burials in 1854, it was later converted as a public garden that opened in 1886. A few gravestones and tombs remain in the grass and the former mortuary building is adjacent to the entrance gates and brick gate piers on the main road. The garden has mature trees, and also unusual ferns on the boundary walls. Refurbishment works in 2005 included refurbishment of railings, seats and paths. In 2008 Wandsworth Council completed a £43,000 project to restore a number of the C18th monuments, including that of archaeologist Robert Wood (d.1771).
Practical Information
| Site location | Upper Richmond Road (behind Nos. 205-213) |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW15 |
| What3Words | ///formal.range.fault |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Wandsworth |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Special Conditions | no dogs |
| Public Transport | Rail: Putney. Bus: 74, 337 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ236750 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.34 |
| Site Ownership | C of E Diocese of Southwark, leased to LB Wandsworth |
| Site Management | Parks Service |
| Dates | 1763; 1886 |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: Table Tomb at entrance. LBII: Robert Wood Table Tomb; Stratford Canning Table Tomb; Joseph Lucas Table Tomb |
| 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 | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | West Putney |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area |
| Other LA Designation | Incidental 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
Kenilworth Court is an Edwardian red-brick and terracotta mansion block of 150 flats in 'exuberant Northern Renaissance/Queen Anne style', which was aimed at professional people and families. A grand entrance arch off Lower Richmond Road leads to an internal courtyard overlooked by the blocks laid out with a communal garden, landscaped with lawns, shrub and flower beds, and an ornamental fountain. The garden was used for vegetable growing during WWII. There were formerly tennis courts in the courtyard, but these later gave way to parking spaces.
There has been a church on the site since at least the C13th and parts of the medieval church of St Mary the Virgin survive in the present church. The old parish of Putney extended from the Thames to Tibbet's Corner on Putney Heath in the south, with Beverley Brook to the west and Deodar Road its eastern boundary. The church played an important role in the Civil War when Cromwell's army was located at Putney and the Army Council held meetings here. The churchyard is smaller than it once was as a result of land taken for the first and second Putney Bridges. Tombstones have been moved and piled in one corner of the churchyard apart from one railed chest tomb by the Putney Bridge boundary, and there is a war memorial. The churchyard railings date from mid C19th.
Putney Bridge Shrubbery at the south-west corner of Putney Bridge was formed on land purchased in connection with the erection of Putney Bridge in 1882-6 by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, which replaced an earlier bridge of 1727-9. The site is railed with grass, trees and shrubs. It was formerly the responsibility of the LCC and later passed to LB Wandsworth. It is deemed too small to be open to the public. In c.2004 it was renamed Waterman's Green.