Description
St Mary Cray Cemetery opened in 1881(1884?) and has a chapel at the entrance amid mature trees, although the lodge at the entrance gate has since been demolished. There is a WWII War Graves Plot and WAFS of Biggin Hill are buried here. St Mary Cray Churchyard is to the west of the cemetery.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Star Lane Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Site location | Star Lane, St Mary Cray |
| Postcode | BR5 3ND |
| What3Words | ///noisy.hunter.lost |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Bromley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Daily April-Sept: 10am-7pm; October-March 10am-4pm |
| Facilities | Toilets |
| Public Transport | Rail: St Mary Cray |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Bromley's cemeteries have been managed on behalf of Bromley Council by idverde UK since 2008. In June 2015 idverde was contracted by Bromley Council for the management of the borough's parks, green spaces and countryside service, a relationship that was extended in April 2019 for a further 16 years.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ476682 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.63 |
| Site Ownership | LB Bromley |
| Site Management | Cemeteries Office (maintenance contracted to idverde) |
| Dates | 1881/4 |
| 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 | Bromley |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Archaeological Significance (part) |
| Other LA Designation | Urban 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
Kevington Manor is an old mansion that was owned from the C18th by the Berens family for whom landscaped gardens were laid out. Maps of the late C19th show a well-planted garden and a kitchen garden with glasshouses. Kevington was requisitioned during WWI and the house became a Canadian Divisional Battle School. After the war the Berens family sold the property to Kent County Council and the house became a primary school. Two other schools were built in the grounds; one of which involved pulling down half the kitchen garden walls. By the 1980s the house was no longer needed for a school and was sold with c.3.6 hectares of land including some fine trees, the ha-ha, the derelict pond, swimming pool and the flower garden.
St Mary Cray is a flint church with some remnants of the C13th and C14th but the building was later restored in 1861-3, 1876 and 1895. Although the old village is much changed as a result of post-war development, the parish still includes farmland and open countryside, and the River Cray still runs near the church and its old churchyard. A Portland stone WWI War Memorial is in the churchyard.
St Paulinus Church in St Paul's Cray may date from Saxon times, dedicated to Paulinus who brought Christianity to settlements on the River Cray in the C7th. The present church was built in the C11th with later additions made over the ensuing years. It became redundant by the late 1970s, its interior furnishings were stripped and it was converted to an old people's day centre. It is now an independent Gospel Church of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The churchyard contains numerous monuments.