Fulham Road
West Brompton
Greater London England
Postal Code: SW10 9UG
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Cemetery notes and/or description:
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in West Brompton, a part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in South West London, England. It is managed by The Royal Parks and was established by Act of Parliament, in 1836. It opened in 1840 and was originally known as the West of London and Westminster Cemetery.The cemetery was opened as part of an initiative to provide seven large, modern cemeteries (sometimes called the 'Magnificent Seven') in a ring around the edge of London of which Kensal Green Cemetery and Highgate Cemetery are examples. The inner city cemeteries, mostly the graveyards attached to individual churches, had long been unable to cope with the number of burials and were seen as a hazard to health and an undignified way to treat the dead. Regarded as one of the finest Victorian Metropolitan cemeteries in the country, it has a formal layout with a central avenue with long colonnades, and flanked by catacombs, leading to a chapel based on St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Amongst its shady walks are over 35,000 monuments - many of historical importance. The site, previously market gardens, was bought from Lord Kensington and is 39 acres in area. Below the colonnades are catacombs which were originally conceived as a cheaper alternative burial to having a plot in the grounds of the cemetery. Unfortunately, the catacombs were not a success and only about 500 of the many thousands of places in them were sold. It is listed as Grade II in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England and five of the individual monuments are listed as Grade II. There is an one entrance in Fulham Road and another in Brompton Road. (text added by Geoffrey Gillon) |
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