Description
St Mary's Catholic Cemetery was established in 1858 to serve the needs of the increasing numbers of Catholics in the area, particularly Irish immigrants. It lies to the west of Kensal Green Cemetery with which it shares a boundary wall, and it has a lodge, catacombs and chapel. There are many fine tombs and mausoleums, particularly in the northern part. The southern part remains in use for burial. There is very little formal planting, but a fine avenue of horse chestnut trees flanks the main drive and scattered trees include willow, maple, ash, lime and Lombardy poplar.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | St Mary's Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Site location | Harrow Road, Kensal Green |
| Postcode | NW10 5NU |
| What3Words | ///bigger.horns.entry |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Mon-Sat 8am - 4pm (winter) / - 5pm (summer); Sun 9am - 4pm (winter) / - 5pm (summer); Christmas/Boxing Day 9a,-1pm |
| Facilities | Toilets |
| Public Transport | London Overground/Tube (Bakerloo): Kensal Green. Tube: Ladbroke Grove (Hammersmith & City) then bus. Bus: 18, 220 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Mary's Catholic Cemetery and St Patrick's Cemetery in Leytonstone (q.v.) are the only two exclusively Catholic cemeteries in London, other cemeteries having Catholic sections, and both are subsidiaries of the Secular Clergy Common Fund. Initially Catholics were buried in Kensal Green Cemetery (q.v.), which had been established in 1832 by the General Cemetery Company, but it was then decided to open a separate Catholic cemetery and an adjacent plot of 29 acres was purchased from the General Cemetery Company. St Mary's Catholic Cemetery opened for burials on 10 May 1858. The Chapel opened in 1860 and together with the cemetery lodge, upper and lower catacombs was designed by Samuel Nicholl; the chapel was restored in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The cemetery has a railed entrance on Harrow Road and railings along the canal and the railway, but a plain brick wall borders the cemetery along Scrubs Lane.
Many thousands of burials have taken place here, among them many notable people. In March 2000 Bob Moulder compiled a list of 'Persons of Note' buried here with a short biography of each, and this document is stored in the St Mary's Cemetery Office. It includes people in all walks of life, from politicians to gangsters, sportsmen and women to artists and writers; music hall performers to classical composers, priests to police chiefs, and much besides. Among those buried here are the Campbell family whose fine mausoleum of 1904 was designed by C H B Quennell; Mary Seacole, Jamaican nurse and herbalist in the Crimean War who died in 1881; Louis Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon's nephew (d.1881), and zoologist St George Jackson Mivart (d.1900). August Gagniere (d.1874) has a large sarcophagus that includes a relief portrait. The Conde de Bayona y Marques de Misa Mausoleum commemorates Manuel de Misa, owner of a sherry estate and a Spanish senator from 1877-1893, who died in London and was buried here in 1904. His widow Helena Busheroy de Misa was buried here in 1916. Dulcie Wornum, elder sister of the architect G Grey Wornum who provided new designs for Parliament Square (q.v.) in the 1950s, was buried here in 1933.
There are two war memorials in the cemetery, the Belgium War Memorial commemorating Belgian soldiers who were wounded in combat in WWI and evacuated to England but then died in hospital, and the Canadian War Memorial, which is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Many thousands of burials have taken place here, among them many notable people. In March 2000 Bob Moulder compiled a list of 'Persons of Note' buried here with a short biography of each, and this document is stored in the St Mary's Cemetery Office. It includes people in all walks of life, from politicians to gangsters, sportsmen and women to artists and writers; music hall performers to classical composers, priests to police chiefs, and much besides. Among those buried here are the Campbell family whose fine mausoleum of 1904 was designed by C H B Quennell; Mary Seacole, Jamaican nurse and herbalist in the Crimean War who died in 1881; Louis Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon's nephew (d.1881), and zoologist St George Jackson Mivart (d.1900). August Gagniere (d.1874) has a large sarcophagus that includes a relief portrait. The Conde de Bayona y Marques de Misa Mausoleum commemorates Manuel de Misa, owner of a sherry estate and a Spanish senator from 1877-1893, who died in London and was buried here in 1904. His widow Helena Busheroy de Misa was buried here in 1916. Dulcie Wornum, elder sister of the architect G Grey Wornum who provided new designs for Parliament Square (q.v.) in the 1950s, was buried here in 1933.
There are two war memorials in the cemetery, the Belgium War Memorial commemorating Belgian soldiers who were wounded in combat in WWI and evacuated to England but then died in hospital, and the Canadian War Memorial, which is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ226825 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 10.07 |
| Site Ownership | St Mary's Cemetery Trust |
| Site Management | St Mary's Cemetery Trust |
| Dates | 1858 |
| Designers | Nicholl |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Emmet Family Mausoleum, Mortuary Chapel & railed forecourt of Conde de Bayone Marques de Misa, Vault of D Campbell and family, Belgian 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 | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | St Mary’s CA24 1989 |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Open Space of Borough-wide Importance |
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
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
West London Crematorium is part of the Kensal Green Cemetery, which was founded in 1830. A further 9 hectares were added at the western end of the site in the late C19th, and it is here that the Crematorium was built in 1939. It has a circular bed in front and the gardens of rest are laid out as groups of rose beds surrounded by hedges.
West London Crematorium is part of the Kensal Green Cemetery, which was founded in 1830. A further 9 hectares were added at the western end of the site in the late C19th, and it is here that the Crematorium was built in 1939. It has a circular bed in front and the gardens of rest are laid out as groups of rose beds surrounded by hedges.
This stretch of the Grand Union Canal Towpath is the canalside walk along the 13.6 mile long Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal, which was constructed in 1800 in order to extend the Grand Junction Canal to central London. It has been planted with shrubs and wild flowers to enhance the ecology of the area.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Kensal Green Cemetery opened in 1833, the first commercial public cemetery to be established in London and built by the General Cemetery Company. The contract for the layout was awarded to John Griffith, with grounds to designs by Richard Forrest, head gardener at Syon Park, and laid out as an informal landscape park with a number of formal features. By 1834 the wall, gateway, lodges and Nonconformist chapel were completed; the C of E chapel was built in 1836-7; the catacombs were built along the north boundary wall. The cemetery was extended by a further 9 hectares in the late C19th and the Crematorium built here in 1939.
Kensal Green Cemetery opened in 1833, the first commercial public cemetery to be established in London and built by the General Cemetery Company. The contract for the layout was awarded to John Griffith, with grounds to designs by Richard Forrest, head gardener at Syon Park, and laid out as an informal landscape park with a number of formal features. By 1834 the wall, gateway, lodges and Nonconformist chapel were completed; the C of E chapel was built in 1836-7; the catacombs were built along the north boundary wall. The cemetery was extended by a further 9 hectares in the late C19th and the Crematorium built here in 1939.