Mortlake Cemetery
| Mortlake Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1926 |
| Location | Clifford Avenue and Lower Mortlake Road, Kew, London |
| Coordinates | 51°28′16″N 0°16′31″W / 51.47109°N 0.27524°W |
| Type | Active |
| Owned by | Hammersmith and Fulham Council |
| Website | London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham cemeteries |
| Find a Grave | Mortlake Cemetery |
Mortlake Cemetery is a cemetery in Kew in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (historically in North Sheen, Surrey). It is also known as Hammersmith New Cemetery as it provided burials for the then Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith when Margravine Cemetery was full.[1] The cemetery opened in 1926 and is still in use.[2] It is now managed by Hammersmith and Fulham Council.[2]
The cemetery is located on Mortlake Road (the A205 or South Circular Road), opposite North Sheen Cemetery. The nearest London Underground station is Kew Gardens.
War graves[edit]
The cemetery contains the Commonwealth war graves of 109 service personnel of World War II. Many are buried in private graves but others are in a special services plot in the south-eastern corner of the cemetery. At the latter, the casualties are mainly buried in collective graves holding up to five bodies each due to the limited burial space. The names of those buried in the plot are listed on the CWGC-erected memorial that also lists service personnel of the same war who were cremated at Mortlake Crematorium.[3]
Mortlake Crematorium[edit]
Mortlake Crematorium was built next to the cemetery in 1939.[1] Seventy-seven Commonwealth servicemen of World War II who were cremated at the crematorium are listed on a screen wall memorial erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in the cemetery.[4] They include England rugby international Vivian Davies (1899–1941) who was a captain in the Royal Artillery.[5] The memorial is listed Grade II by Historic England.[6]
Notable burials[edit]
Among those buried here were:
- Woman Police Constable Jane Philippa Arbuthnot (d.1983), one of three police officers killed by a car bomb that exploded outside Harrods department store in central London on 17 December 1983[7]
- James Collins (d.1934), Secretary of the Australian Government's Department of the Treasury. His signature appeared on Australia's bank notes from 1910 to 1926[1]
- Arthur Haynes (d.1966), TV comedian[1]
- Stephen Ward (d.1963), the society osteopath who was one of the central figures in the Profumo affair and committed suicide[8]
- Carol White (d.1991), actress who received public acclaim for her performance in the 1966 British television play Cathy Come Home[9]
See also[edit]
- Margravine Cemetery (Hammersmith Old Cemetery)
- North Sheen Cemetery (Fulham New Cemetery)
- Old Mortlake Burial Ground
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Mortlake Cemetery". London Gardens Online. London Parks and Gardens Trust. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ a b "Mortlake Cemetery". Cemeteries and burials. London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ [1] CWGC Cemetery report.
- ^ "Mortlake Cemetery". Cemetery Details. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "Davies, Vivian Gordon". Casualty details. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ Historic England (5 May 2011). "Hammersmith Memorial to World War II Civilian Dead, Mortlake Cemetery (1400837)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ "WPC Jane Arbuthnot". Police Memorial Trust. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ Robertson, Geoffrey (2013). Stephen Ward Was Innocent, OK: The Case for Overturning his Conviction. London: Biteback Publishing. ISBN 9781849547024. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ Harry, Bill. "Carol White, 'The Battersea Bardot'". Bill Harry's Sicties Snapshots. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
External links[edit]
- Official website: London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham cemeteries
- Mortlake Cemetery at Find a Grave
- The Victorian Web: Photographs of Mortlake Cemetery
