Description
* 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.
Practical Information
| Site location | Harrow Road, Kensal Green |
|---|---|
| Postcode | NW10 |
| What3Words | ///vital.liability.banks |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Weekdays: 9am - 5pm (1/10-31/3) or 6pm (1/4-30/9); Suns: 10 am - 5pm (1/10-31/3) or 6pm (1/4-30/9); BHols: 10am-1.30pm |
| Events | Open days |
| Public Transport | London Overground/Tube (Bakerloo): Kensal Green. Tube: Ladbroke Grove (Hammersmith & City) then bus. Bus: 18, 23, 52, 70, 295, 316 |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Kensal Green Cemetery: Site on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens, for Register Entry see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list. The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.
The Crematorium is part of the Kensal Green Cemetery (q.v), which was founded as a result of a successful long campaign to establish new cemeteries in London to replace the overcrowded churchyards throughout the capital, many of which were in a parlous state. London's population had increased, particularly as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Founded in 1830, the General Cemetery Company purchased a 22-hectare site bounded by Harrow Road to the north and the Grand Union Canal to the south. Established by Act of Parliament in 1832, Kensal Green Cemetery was London's first necropolis and remains in private ownership today, still administered by the General Cemetery Company who from the first wanted to create the cemetery as a park, 'a place of recreation that would be morally uplifting and edifying to the general populace'. The cemetery was consecrated in 1833 and by March 1834 the wall, gateway, lodges and Nonconformist chapel in the south-east corner had been completed. The Church of England chapel was built in 1836-7 and forms the central architectural feature in the cemetery. Catacombs were built along the north boundary wall.
The Crematorium is part of the Kensal Green Cemetery (q.v), which was founded as a result of a successful long campaign to establish new cemeteries in London to replace the overcrowded churchyards throughout the capital, many of which were in a parlous state. London's population had increased, particularly as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Founded in 1830, the General Cemetery Company purchased a 22-hectare site bounded by Harrow Road to the north and the Grand Union Canal to the south. Established by Act of Parliament in 1832, Kensal Green Cemetery was London's first necropolis and remains in private ownership today, still administered by the General Cemetery Company who from the first wanted to create the cemetery as a park, 'a place of recreation that would be morally uplifting and edifying to the general populace'. The cemetery was consecrated in 1833 and by March 1834 the wall, gateway, lodges and Nonconformist chapel in the south-east corner had been completed. The Church of England chapel was built in 1836-7 and forms the central architectural feature in the cemetery. Catacombs were built along the north boundary wall.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ228824 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | General Cemetery Co. |
| Site Management | General Cemetery Co. |
| Dates | 1939 |
| Designers | building by G Berkley Willis, garden and fountain court by Edward White |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | Yes |
| NHLE grade | Grade II* |
| 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 | CA |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Metropolitan Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
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.
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.