St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green

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St Mary's Catholic Cemetery
St Marys RC Cem London.jpg
St Mary's Cemetery
Details
Established1858
Location
North Kensington, London, England, UK
CountryEngland
TypeRoman Catholic
Size29 acres (12 ha)
No. of graves165,000
WebsiteOfficial website

St Mary's Catholic Cemetery is located at Kensal Green in North Kensington, England, and has its own Catholic Chapel. Its official website was updated in 2019. Coordinates: 51°31′41″N 0°14′02″W / 51.528°N 0.234°W / 51.528; -0.234

History[]

Established in 1858, the 29-acre (120,000 m2) site was built next door to Kensal Green Cemetery. It is the final resting place for more than 165,000 individuals of the Roman Catholic faith, and features a memorial to Belgian soldiers of the First World War, wounded in combat and evacuated to England, where they died in hospital.

There is also a War Memorial, in the form of a Cross of Sacrifice to the British, Irish, French[citation needed] and Canadian servicemen. It is surrounded by a Screen Wall memorial and a low kerb listing Commonwealth service personnel of both World Wars whose graves in the cemetery could not be marked by headstones. In all, the cemetery contains 208 graves of Commonwealth service personnel of the First World War, and 107 graves of the Second World War. There are also many foreign nationality war graves that include, from First World War, 77 Belgians and six Germans, and from the Second, eight Czechoslovakian and six Polish war graves.[1]

Many Irish migrants who came to England during the Great Famine are buried here.[2]

Notable interments[]

  • Peter Ashmun Ames (1888–1920), British spy
  • Sir John Barbirolli (1899–1970), orchestral conductor
  • Marmaduke Barton (1865–1938), pianist and professor at the Royal College of Music
  • John Chippendall Montesquieu Bellew (1823-1874), Preacher, reciter, and author
  • Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte (1813–1891), statesman, philologist
  • Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956), artist
  • Lizzie Burns (1827–1878), wife of Friedrich Engels
  • William Pitt Byrne (1806–1861), British newspaper editor and proprietor of The Morning Post
  • George Carman QC (1929–2001), barrister
  • General Sir John Cowans (1862–1921), Quartermaster-General to the Forces in World War I – buried at Terrace 130[3]
  • Anne Crawford (1920-1956), actress of stage, radio and film
  • Major Thomas Crean (1873–1923), VC winner in Boer War
  • Frances C. Fairman (1839–1923), English animal painter and illustrator
  • James Grant (1822–1887), Scottish author, historian, artist and architect
  • Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), Jamaican political activist - initially buried in catacombs beneath the chapel,[4] later reburied in King George VI Memorial Park, Kingston, Jamaica.
  • Gilbert Harding (1907–1960), journalist, radio and TV personality
  • Percy Hardy (1880-1916), first-class cricketer; committed suicide while serving during World War I.[5][6]
  • Josef Jakobs (1898–1941), German spy – unmarked grave
  • Andrzej Kowerski (aka Andrew Kennedy) (1912–1988), decorated Polish soldier and spy
  • Danny La Rue (1927–2009), cabaret artist, nightclub owner, actor
  • Edmonia Lewis (1844–1907), sculptor
  • Father Vincent McNabb, O.P. (1868–1943), Irish scholar and priest
  • Henry Edward Manning (1808–1892), Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster (later transferred to Westminster Cathedral)
  • Alice Meynell (1847–1922), poet and essayist
  • Victoria Monks (1884–1927), music hall singer
  • Major General Sir Luke O'Connor (1831–1915), VC winner in Crimean War
  • T. P. O'Connor (1848–1929), Irish journalist and politician
  • Carlo Pellegrini (1839–1889), caricaturist
  • Sir Max Pemberton (1863–1950), British author, journalist and editor
  • Lieutenant Colonel James Henry Reynolds (1844–1932), VC winner and medical officer at Rorke's Drift
  • Sax Rohmer (1883–1959), author, creator of "Dr. Fu Manchu"
  • Mary Seacole (1805–1881) nurse, humanitarian
  • Krystyna Skarbek (aka Christine Granville) (1908–1952), Polish SOE agent and World War II heroine
  • Clarkson Frederick Stanfield (1793–1867), marine painter
  • Władysław Studnicki (1867–1953), Polish politician and publicist
  • Francis Thompson (1859–1907), poet, literary critic
  • Louis Wain (1860–1939), artist
  • Nicholas Wiseman (1802–1865), Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster (later transferred to Westminster Cathedral)

The chapel[]

  • The cemetery's Catholic chapel is used for funeral and memorial services. The walls have many memorial plaques.
  • The chapel was used in the filming of Miranda episode "Before I Die".

Access[]

The cemetery is open for visitors 365 days per year Monday – Saturday: 8am to 4pm (5pm April – October) Sunday: 9am to 4pm (5pm April – October)

Christmas Day & Boxing Day: 9am – 1pm

The cemetery office[]

All enquires should be directed to the Superintendent. Office hours: Monday – Friday: 9am – 3:30pm (4:30pm April – October). Visitors, especially those interested in their Catholic family history, may request the office staff consult the recently computerised records for all interments in St Mary's Catholic Cemetery (from 1858 to date).

References[]

  1. ^ CWGC Cemetery Report Breakdown of foreign war graves from casualty record.
  2. ^ "Kensal Green". British History Online. English Heritage. St Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Harrow Road. Retrieved 7 July 2010.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Casualty Details | CWGC". www.cwgc.org. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ^ Grant, Colin (2008). Negro with a Hat: The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey. Jonathan Cape. p. 451. ISBN 978-0-09-950145-9.
  5. ^ https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2906074/FREDERICK%20PERCY%HARDY[bare URL]
  6. ^ Foot, David (30 October 1986). Sunshine, Sixes and Cider. David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-8890-8.

External links[]

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