Description
St Luke's Church was consecrated in 1825, built to serve the growing population of what was then Lower Norwood, a rural area that was beginning to be built up from the early C19th. The area was re-named West Norwood 1885. The churchyard was closed for burials in 1863 and in 1949 part of the former burial ground was laid out as a garden of rest as a WWII war memorial. The WWI Memorial stands at the front of the church. The garden was re-landscaped in 2006, and has a central path, lawns and shrub beds with planting including lavender. Replica railings to replace those removed in WWII were reinstated in 2009, at which time the Memorial Garden was re-dedicated.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Memorial Garden |
|---|---|
| Site location | Norwood High Street/Knights Hill Road, West Norwood |
| Postcode | SE27 0HS |
| What3Words | ///level.bulb.played |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Lambeth |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted (church usually open Tues-Fri 9am-3pm) |
| Public Transport | Rail: West Norwood. Bus: 2, 68, 196, 315, 322, 468. |
| Research Updated | 5 September 2023 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Prior to 1806 the land at Lower Norwood as it was then called was largely open, with common land and farms, much of it in the ownership of Lord Thurlow. When he died in 1806 his Lambeth Manor was enclosed through an Act of 1806 and the estate was soon broken up for housing development. The need for a new church for the growing population was anticipated early on and the Church Commissioners allocated a site to the Archbishop of Canterbury for the purpose. St Luke's was one of four 'Waterloo' Churches, as they were named, the others being St John's Waterloo, St Matthew Brixton and St Mark Kennington (q.q.v.). The new church of St Luke was commenced in 1822 and designed by Francis Bedford, who also designed St John's Church in Waterloo. When St Luke's was consecrated in 1825 it was still quite a rural area. In 1885 local citizens petitioned to rename the area West Norwood, at which time development here was accelerating, particularly following the arrival of the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway in 1856.
The churchyard was closed for burials in 1863. A War Memorial commemorating those who had died from West Norwood was unveiled in May 1922. It takes the form of a tall stone cross on a splayed plinth, on the face of which is a wreath with a banner, the dates of the two world wars inscribed either side. In 1948 the vicar and church council applied on behalf of West Norwood War Memorial Appeals Committee to convert part of churchyard into a garden of rest as a war memorial for WWII. The garden was laid out by Gilliam and Co. of Croydon and conveyed to Lambeth Borough Council in 1949. The garden had rose beds in front of the church, and at the back of the church were a few gravestones within an area of tarmac. St Luke's was a recipient of Town Centre investment monies, as a result of which the garden was re-landscaped in 2006, the work undertaken by King's Landscapes. The cast iron railings that had once enclosed the churchyard were removed during WWII, but in 2009 replica railings were restored with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Lambeth Council. The Memorial Garden was refurbished at the same time, including new seats, planted beds and bins, and was re-dedicated in 2009.
The churchyard was closed for burials in 1863. A War Memorial commemorating those who had died from West Norwood was unveiled in May 1922. It takes the form of a tall stone cross on a splayed plinth, on the face of which is a wreath with a banner, the dates of the two world wars inscribed either side. In 1948 the vicar and church council applied on behalf of West Norwood War Memorial Appeals Committee to convert part of churchyard into a garden of rest as a war memorial for WWII. The garden was laid out by Gilliam and Co. of Croydon and conveyed to Lambeth Borough Council in 1949. The garden had rose beds in front of the church, and at the back of the church were a few gravestones within an area of tarmac. St Luke's was a recipient of Town Centre investment monies, as a result of which the garden was re-landscaped in 2006, the work undertaken by King's Landscapes. The cast iron railings that had once enclosed the churchyard were removed during WWII, but in 2009 replica railings were restored with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Lambeth Council. The Memorial Garden was refurbished at the same time, including new seats, planted beds and bins, and was re-dedicated in 2009.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ319720 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.31 |
| Site Ownership | LB Lambeth |
| Site Management | Environment Directorate, Parks and Greenspaces Unit (Team Lambeth); |
| Dates | 1825; 1948/9; 2006 |
| Designers | 1948: Gilliam and Co of Croydon |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: St Luke's Church. LBII: Wall and gate piers around St Luke's Churchyard; West Norwood War Memorial |
| 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 | Lambeth |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | West Norwood |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Parks Regeneration Area. Open Space |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Now known as West Norwood Cemetery or West Norwood Memorial Park, the cemetery was established in what was then open countryside as the South Metropolitan Cemetery, the second of London's 'Magnificent Seven' cemeteries that opened between 1832 and 1847. Its layout of serpentine paths and planting of trees created a parkland ambiance, with two chapels and an entrance lodge, all later demolished following bomb damage. It was the first London cemetery to install a crematorium in 1915. Many illustrious Victorians were buried here and there is a separate Greek burial section that contains particularly fine monuments.
Now known as West Norwood Cemetery or West Norwood Memorial Park, the cemetery was established in what was then open countryside as the South Metropolitan Cemetery, the second of London's 'Magnificent Seven' cemeteries that opened between 1832 and 1847. Its layout of serpentine paths and planting of trees created a parkland ambiance, with two chapels and an entrance lodge, all later demolished following bomb damage. It was the first London cemetery to install a crematorium in 1915. Many illustrious Victorians were buried here and there is a separate Greek burial section that contains particularly fine monuments.
Formerly called Knights Hill Recreation Ground, Tivoli Park is an historically interesting site for its connections with the Maudslay engineering family who lived nearby and it was once part of the grounds of the Maudslays' house. Knights Hill was named after the Knight family who owned land in this area in the C16th. The site for the recreation ground was purchased with involvement of the MPGA in 1914, and it has been saved from being sold off a number of times. There is a playground at one end of the site and the rest has been laid out with grass, trees and shrubs with a path running east to west across the park.
Knights Hill Wood Nature Reserve is named after the Knight family who were landowners in the C16th. The Nature Reserve was formerly part of the grounds of Portobello House whose driveway between the road and the house divided either side of what is now the area of woodland. Portobello House was demolished in c.1949 when the Cedar House flats were built. The area within the former driveway of the house became wild, but in 1986 a proposal to build a doctor's surgery here was successfully opposed by local residents supported by the London Wildlife Trust, and it was opened as Knights Hill Wood Nature Reserve in 1989. It has a number of fine ornamental trees dating from the C19th garden.