Brookwood
All images courtesy Wikimedia Commons
I mentioned Brookwood in a recent blog post. Its name refers to the many small streams or brooks that once rose within the area.
The cholera epidemic of 1848 – 1850 in London created problems of disposal of the dead. An idea was mooted to develop a large cemetery outside the capital and 220 acres of common land in Woking, Surrey, were acquired for the purpose. The London Necropolis and National Mausoleum Company (LNC) was instituted by Act of Parliament in June 1852. The first burial was conducted there in 1854.
Bodies were transported to the cemetery from the London Necropolis Railway Station, next to Waterloo, which ran funeral trains to Brookwood. At that time, there were three classes of carriage, according to the class and means of customers. Separate carriages, again in three classes, transported the coffins. Mourners bought return tickets, but coffins were carried on a single ticket!
People selecting a first class funeral could choose and buy a grave site anywhere in the cemetery for £2.10 shillings – that is around £250 at 2024 rates. The LNC expected patrons to erect a memorial stone after the funeral.
Second class funerals were cheaper, about £1 (£100 in 2024) and allowed for some choice of location. If mourners wished to erect a memorial, they paid an extra sum of 10 shillings (£50). If they decided not to buy a memorial, the LNC was entitled to reuse the grave in the future.
Czechoslovakian section
Third class funerals were for the poor. Unlike all other cemeteries at the time, Brookwood did not have mass graves, so each pauper had his or her own grave. If there were a desire to mark the grave with a permanent stone, that could be arranged with an upgrade to a higher class. It rarely happened.
Entrance to Parsi (Parsee) section
About 80% of burials were pauper funerals for London parishes and prisons, and remain unmarked, but the LNC also provided dedicated sections of the cemetery for different societies, religious communities and other organisations. The thinking was that those who had lived and worked together should be allowed to remain together in death. For example, the Royal Hospital Chelsea has buried its Chelsea Pensioners at Brookwood since 1893.
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Brookwood is a peaceful graveyard, set with beautiful flowering shrubs and trees. The objective was to create a sense of ‘perpetual spring’. It is open every day apart from Christmas Day and New Year’s Day and anyone may visit it.
Around 235,000 people have been buried there since 1854.
Notable graves accommodate the American artist John Singer Sargent, Abdullah Quilliam, 19th century convert to Islam, who founded England’s first mosque and Islamic centre, Dennis Wheatley, occult and mystery writer, Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, Alfred Bestall, author and illustrator of Rupert Bear, Sarah Eleanor Smith, widow of the Titanic’s captain and Horatia Johnson, granddaughter of Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton.
Cemeteries fascinate me. I could spend hours in a cemetery (and have). Probably the most interesting cemeteries are the ones in New Orleans. Read about the above ground family tombs if you're interested.
ReplyDeleteCemeteries are peaceful places. I like reading the tombstones, though it often brings a few tears.
Deleteit's a beautiful place and I like the flowers all over the Italian section.
ReplyDeleteEach section has its own character. It's quite an education.
DeleteCemeteries are very calming places but I am often drawn to reading graves stones of younger people, and those of children especially make me sad.
ReplyDeleteLikewise.
DeleteLooks as though it is well looked after, the cemetery here is quite difficult as old graves have sunk and the ground is very uneven. I go to put flowers on my mothers grave.
ReplyDeleteThe military sections are well cared for, in particular.
DeleteCemeteries can be peaceful and beautiful areas to contemplate life we have. This one looks to be such a place for loved ones of long ago and now.
ReplyDeleteThey are strangely lovely places, when well maintained.
DeleteI would hope the coffin only needed a one-way ticket!
ReplyDeleteThe imagination runs riot at the thought of a return ticket for a coffin:-)
DeleteOoh, I do like a good cemetery.
ReplyDeleteSo do I!
DeleteDoes Brookwood have any benches in the various parts of the cemetery? Sometimes it is nice to sit quietly, just reflecting on the parent's or friend's life.
ReplyDeleteJust for you, Hels, I've added two photographs of benches:-)
DeleteCemeteries can be peaceful and, if well maintained, very often beautiful. Brookwood seems to be all of these.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Our local church has a dedicated band of volunteers who maintain the churchyard. It's a lovely, calm place.
DeleteHi Janice - I grew up in that area ... and we used to go in that direction quite often. I passed my driving test along the West End, Brookwood and Guildford roads ... I think there was a bakery my father would get our bread from ... I've always been interested in the cemetery ... one of the things I learnt was that golfers from London would use the train - it was cheaper to get to the golf course: - one we used (drove to) when we were at home. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI imagine it was quite a trying route to take your driving test on, a good preparation for most other roads, apart from the South Circular.
DeleteHow fascinating! I do love a good cemetery and Brookwood seems like well worth a visit if we're ever in the area. xxx
ReplyDeleteIt is very thoughtfully planned and maintained. x x x
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