St Martin's Gardens

Formerly Camden Town Cemetery, acquired in 1802 when 3.75 acres were acquired under Act 44, Geo III cap 85 as an additional burial plot for St Martin-in-the-Fields, consecrated in 1805 by the Bishop of London. Prior to this it was undeveloped pastureland on the edge of Camden Town. In 1817 the contract for building the Almshouses was signed, and were completed in 1818. In 1843 additional land was purchased from the Cemetery Charity to enlarge the almshouses although this did not happen until 1854 when an Act was passed to enable granting of building leases on unused land in the burial ground. As a result St Martin's Close, houses on Camden Street and Pratt Street and additional almshouse buildings were erected, and in 1882 a new Infirmary and Chapel were to be constructed on unused land. The Almshouses have a small strip of garden with iron railings and gates to the street and had a row of pleached limes, now grown out, and a vine in the C19th.

The burial ground had closed for burials in 1856; in 1884 the Vestry of St Pancras acquired the disused burial ground although St Martin-in-the-Fields retained the freehold; the cost of acquisition of £1,175 was paid for by the London County Council. The grounds, now reduced to 1.75 acres, were laid out for £1717 10s.6d in 1884-1887 by the parish of St Pancras as public gardens. St Martin's Gardens were formally opened on 24 July 1889 by the Countess of Rosebery who also unveiled a monument to the composer Charles Dibdin (d.1814) in the form of a Celtic memorial cross, which was erected by the Kentish Town Musical Appreciation Society. The carving on the pedestal supporting the cross includes a lyre and anchor on a pile of rope which unfolds into Celtic patterning. Opposite the main gates is a late C19th granite drinking fountain, topped with a column and urn, set into cobbles and donated by Messrs Maples of Tottenham Court Road for the 'Use of the Public' in 1889. The garden is a roughly square area enclosed by railings and walls and has been encroached upon by St. Martin's Close and St. Martin's Almshouses. The many gravestones were cleared and removed to the perimeters and others are dilapidated; most of the tombstones along the north wall are illegible but unbroken and include that of Dr Swiney, geologist (d.1844). Box tombs of Woodburn, Moore, Willey families; crypt tomb of Harvey family; obelisk monument to Barrow family. Sir John Barrow, d.1814, was Secretary to the Admiralty; the monument also commemorates his son Lieut. Col John Barrow. Other noted people buried here include Robert Graves, engraver, George Stevens, dramatist and author, and Michael Angelo Rooker, ARA. It is possible that the bones of Nell Gwynne and Jack Sheppard are amongst those re-interred from old St Martin's churchyard near Charing Cross.

One corner of the gardens is fenced off with modern railings as a children's playground. Entrance to St Martin's Gardens on Camden Street has early C19th ornamental wrought iron gates with C20th additions, the overthrow having 'St Martin's Gardens' in wrought-iron lettering. The Pratt Street entrance originally had cast-iron gates with posts surmounted by Greek urns, removed post 1974. This was the site of the original main entrance and St Martin's Chapel. The garden layout had a central mound, and large plane trees on the boundaries, all of which may date from the 1889 layout, including on the boundary to the Almshouses where there was also a clipped privet hedge. A small area with graves is fenced off within railings. The gardens were restored and re-dedicated as a public garden on 10 June 2006 by The Countess of Rosebery.