Established 1873 Size 28 acres (11 ha) Phone +44 1892 523894 | Country England, UK No. of graves 44,000+ Number of graves 44,000 | |
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Location Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent Owned by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Address Benhall Mill Rd, Royal Tunbridge Wells TN2 5JJ, UK Hours Closed today SundayClosedMonday9AM–5PMTuesday9AM–5PMWednesday9AM–5PMThursday9AM–5PMFriday9AM–4:30PMSaturdayClosed Owner Borough of Tunbridge Wells Similar Michael Brooker Estate Ag, Lambert & Foster, Batcheller Monkhou, Cottages in Sussex, Equus | ||
The Kent and Sussex Crematorium and Cemetery is a crematorium and cemetery located in Royal Tunbridge Wells in the county of Kent, England.
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Background
As a quickly developing and popular Victorian era spa town, the town of Tunbridge Wells did not gain its first church until 1829, when the Decimus Burton designed Holy Trinity Church opened. The town gained its first cemetery, Woodbury Park Cemetery in 1849, laid out over 3 acres (1.2 ha) and consecrated as Trinity Cemetery.
However, as the town's expansion quickened, and with no additional land into which to expand the grounds, Woodbury Park proved to small. Although burials were continued to be allowed in family plots post 1873, the last burial took place there in 1934. It is now Grade II listed.
History
After Tunbridge Wells town corporation had procured lands on the northern edge of Frant forest/southern edge of the town, the initially named Frant Forest Cemetery opened in 1873. It was laid out over an initial 23 acres (9.3 ha) site by the town surveyor William Brentnall, who had originally been recruited to rebuild the drainage system around the town. Bretnall was later buried in the same grounds. The co-located crematorium was opened in 1959.
Enlarged twice and now covering over 28 acres (11 ha), today the grounds house over 44,000 burials. In June 2014, a new Friends of Tunbridge Wells Cemetery association were formed.
The cemetery contains the war graves of 72 Commonwealth service personnel of World War I and 63 of World War II.