The two Camberwell cemeteries are close to one another in

Honor Oak Honor Oak is an inner suburban area principally of the London Borough of Lewisham, with part in the London Borough of Southwark. It is named after the oak tree on One Tree Hill that Elizabeth I is reputed to have picnicked under. Overview One Tr ...

, south London,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Both have noteworthy burials and architecture, and they are an important source of

socioeconomic Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their l ...

data in recording the historical growth and changing

demography Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

in the community for the Southwark area since 1855.UK Parliament, Memorandum by Southwark Regeneration (CEM 77), 2000
/ref>

Camberwell Old Cemetery

The old

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

, located on Forest Hill Road, covers approximately . It is part of the second wave of mid 19th century cemeteries that were established in London to solve the problem of overcrowding in church yards. The first wave of cemeteries are commonly known as the Magnificent Seven. The site was purchased in 1855 by the Camberwell Cemetery Board (formed 1850) from the Trustees of Sir Walter St John's

Charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * C ...

at Battersea for £9,927. It was originally meadow land, which was then designated as a Burial Ground of

St Giles Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...

, Camberwell. The first

interment Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

took place on 3 July 1856; over 30,000 burials took place in the subsequent 30 years. In 1874 the cemetery was expanded by a further seven acres with the inclusion of land bought from the British Land Company for £4,550. By 1984, 300,000 interments had been carried out at the cemetery.Save Honor Oak Recreation Park,The Forest Hill Society.com
/ref> The Gothic Revival lodge and two

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

s (one Church of England and one Non-Conformist) were designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott's architectural firm. When burials were transferred to the New Cemetery the chapel fell into disrepair and both were demolished in the 1960s. A third (Roman Catholic) chapel was demolished in the 1970s. Later the architectural importance of the lodge was recognised and when it was destroyed by fire in the 1970s it was restored rather than being torn down. The lodge was used in the 1970 film adaptation of Joe Orton's play

Entertaining Mr Sloane ''Entertaining Mr Sloane'' is a three-act play written in 1963 by the English playwright Joe Orton. It was first produced in London at the New Arts Theatre on 6 May 1964 and transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre on 29 June 1964. Plo ...

, as well as scenes filmed in the cemetery among the graves. There are 288 Commonwealth service war graves from the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, 160 of whom are in a war graves plot in cemetery's north-east corner where there are two Screen Wall memorials, one listing those buried in the plot and the other those buried elsewhere in the cemetery whose graves could not be marked by headstones. There is also a group of special memorials to 14 casualties buried in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

.
CWGC Cemetery report. There is also an unusual First World War memorial dedicated to 21 civilians who were killed in a

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

raid on Camberwell in 1917. On 1 July and 21 July 1944

V1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...

s landed in the cemetery. The blasts caused damage to surrounding properties, but no casualties. On 3 November 2011 Azezur Khan (a.k.a. Ronnie), was shot dead following a funeral in the cemetery. Police believe that Mr Khan was an innocent bystander.

Notable graves in the Old Cemetery

* James John Berkeley, chief engineer of the

Great Indian Peninsular Railway The Great Indian Peninsula Railway ( reporting mark GIPR) was a predecessor of the Central Railway (and by extension, the current state-owned Indian Railways), whose headquarters was at the Boree Bunder in Mumbai (later, the Victoria Term ...

* Frederick John Horniman, founder of the

Horniman Museum The Horniman Museum and Gardens is a museum in Forest Hill, London, England. Commissioned in 1898, it opened in 1901 and was designed by Charles Harrison Townsend in the Modern Style. It has displays of anthropology, natural history and musical ...

, died 1906 * Able Seaman Albert Edward McKenzie VC in

Zeebrugge Raid The Zeebrugge Raid ( nl, Aanval op de haven van Zeebrugge; ) on 23 April 1918, was an attempt by the Royal Navy to block the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge. The British intended to sink obsolete ships in the canal entrance, to prevent Germ ...

, died October 1918 * Elizabeth Mary Anne Eagle Skinner (1875–1929), founder of the Mystical Church of the Comforter *

William Stanlake William Stanlake VC DCM (31 October 1830 – 24 April 1904) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forc ...

VC in

Battle of Inkerman The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on 5 November 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, an ...

, died 1904 * Charles Waters, founder of the International Bible Reading Association *

Jack Whicher Detective Inspector Jonathan "Jack" Whicher (1 October 1814 – 29 June 1881) was an English police detective. He was one of the original eight members of London's newly formed Detective Branch, which was established at Scotland Yard in 1842.

, noted detective and founder member of the Detective Branch of the Metropolitan Police, died 1881 * Liam MacCarthy (1853–1928) a London-based Irish nationalist, businessman, and activist who is best known for having the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)

Liam MacCarthy Cup The Liam MacCarthy Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the main competition in the prehistoric sport of hurling. Based on the design of a me ...

for hurling named after him.

Camberwell New Cemetery

The cemetery is located on Brenchley Gardens about half a mile from the old cemetery. In the early 20th Century it was recognised that the original cemetery would be at capacity in the near future. The land for the new cemetery was purchased in three lots in 1901: # The central portion of was bought from Alfred Stevens, farmer and landowner of

Peckham Rye Peckham Rye is an open space and road in the London Borough of Southwark in London, England. The roughly triangular open space lies to the south of Peckham town centre. It is managed by Southwark Council and consists of two contiguous areas, wit ...

for £11,305 # The western portion, , next to

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

was bought later in 1901 also from Alfred Stevens for £19,469 # A final , adjoining the

Brockley Brockley is a district and an electoral ward of south London, England, in the London Borough of Lewisham south-east of Charing Cross. History The name Brockley is derived from "Broca's woodland clearing", a wood where badgers are seen (' ...

footpath were bought from the Governors of

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. The school was founded in 1552 and received its first royal charter in 1553. ...

for £6,325 Following its acquisition much of the of land was rented out for other uses, including a golf club and a

fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

factory run by Joseph Wells. Although much of the land was later used for interments there are large portions that remain unused for burials. Some of this land is now a recreation ground and there now is strong local opposition to this land being used for its original purpose of burials. In 1926 the first part of the land was laid out as a cemetery and was consecrated by the Right Reverend William Woodcock Hough,

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

. The first interment took place on 23 May 1927. A smaller section was set aside for use of

Free Churches A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions from ...

. The lodge, waiting room and

mortuary A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...

chapels were designed by Sir

Aston Webb Sir Aston Webb (22 May 1849 – 21 August 1930) was a British architect who designed the principal facade of Buckingham Palace and the main building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other major works around England, many of them in pa ...

and his son,

Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...

. Maurice Webb was the architect for the

crematorium A crematorium or crematory is a venue for the cremation of the dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a crematorium can also b ...

, built in 1939 to meet a growing demand for cremations. It is situated in the cemetery grounds, ten acres of which were landscaped as memorial gardens. The crematorium is also a

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

and is notable for its beautiful stained glass window. By 1984 over 91,000 cremations had been conducted. In addition to one grave from the

, there are 198 Commonwealth service war graves of the Second, some 80 of the latter in war graves plot in Squares 91 and 92. A Screen Wall memorial lists some 120 whose graves could not be marked by headstones, and 56 other service personnel who were cremated at the crematorium.
CWGC Cemetery report. The cemetery has recently been used as a filming location for

London Boulevard ''London Boulevard'' is a 2010 British independent crime film released in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2010. It is based on Ken Bruen's novel of 2001 of the same name, with screenplay and direction by William Monahan, marking his directori ...

and

Hereafter The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...

Notable graves in the New Cemetery

George Cornell George Cornell (13 November 1927 – 10 March 1966) was an English criminal and member of The Richardsons, who were scrap metal dealers and criminals from South London. Cornell was shot and killed by Ronnie Kray at The Blind Beggar public hou ...

East end gangster famously shot by the Kray twins in 1966 at

The Blind Beggar The Blind Beggar is a pub on Whitechapel Road in the East End of London, England. Due to its location close to Whitechapel Station, the pub is generally described as being in Whitechapel; it is however located just on the Bethnal Green side of ...

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

* General Frederick Coutts (1899–1986), Salvation Army general * General

Wilfred Kitching Wilfred Kitching CBE (22 August 1893 – 15 December 1977) was a British Salvation Army officer who was their 7th General between 1954 and 1963. Biography Born in Wood Green, London, to Theodore and Jane Kitching (née Cranshaw); his fat ...

(1893–1977), Salvation Army general *

Freddie Mills Frederick Percival Mills (26 June 1919 – 25 July 1965) was an English boxer, and the world light heavyweight champion from 1948 to 1950. Mills was tall and did not have a sophisticated boxing style; he relied on two-fisted aggression, relen ...

world light heavyweight

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

champion from 1948 to 1950 * William Pullum world weight-lifting champion * John Trunley (1898–1944) a local celebrity who appeared on stage with Fred Karno in the early 20th century as a "fat boy" (he weighted 33 stone at age 18) * Anne Shelton (1923–1994) popular singer, the 'Forces' Favourite' in

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

London Gardens Online: Camberwell New Cemetery
/ref>

References

External links

Aerial view from 1939
Camberwell New Cemetery from the English Heritage "Britain from Above" archive {{Authority control Cemeteries in London 1856 establishments in England Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Southwark Anglican cemeteries in the United Kingdom Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in England Honor Oak