St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green

Updated on Oct 10, 2024

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Established 1858 Type Roman Catholic No. of graves 165,000 Phone +44 20 8969 1145		Country England Size 29 acres (12 ha) Founded 1858 Number of graves 165,000

Location Kensal Green, London, England, UK Address Harrow Rd, White City, London NW10 5NU, UK Hours Open today · 8AM–4PMFriday8AM–4PMSaturday8AM–4PMSunday9AM–4PMMonday8AM–4PMTuesday8AM–4PMWednesday8AM–4PMThursday8AM–4PMSuggest an edit Burials Josef Jakobs, Francis Thompson, Alice Meynell Similar Kensal Green Cemetery, Church of the Transfigu, Our Lady of the Holy Souls Ro, St Mary of the Angels, Roman Catholic Church of

St Mary's Catholic Cemetery is located at Kensal Green in London, and has its own Catholic Chapel.

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 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

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

Notable interments

Sir John Barbirolli (1899–1970), orchestral conductor

Marmaduke Barton (1865–1938), pianist and professor at the Royal College of Music

Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte (1813–1891), statesman, philologist

Lizzie Burns (1827–1878), wife of Friedrich Engels

William Pitt Byrne (1806–1861), British newspaper editor and proprietor of The Morning Post

General Sir John Cowans (1862-1921), Quartermaster-General to the Forces in World War I - buried at Terrace 130.

Major Thomas Crean (1873–1923), VC winner in Boer War

Dr Charles James Fox (1799–1874), medical doctor

James Grant (1822-1887), Scottish author, historian, artist and architect

Gilbert Harding (1907–1960), journalist, radio and TV personality

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

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

Clarkson Frederick Stanfield (1793–1867), marine painter

Mary Seacole (1805–1881) nurse, humanitarian

Carlo Pellegrini (1839–1889), caricaturist

Francis Thompson (1859–1907), poet, literary critic

Major General Sir Luke O'Connor (1831–1915), VC winner in Crimean War

T.P. O'Connor (1848–1929), Irish journalist and politician

Lieutenant Colonel James Henry Reynolds (1844–1932), VC winner and medical officer at Rorke's Drift

Louis Wain (1860–1939), artist

Father Vincent McNabb, O.P. (1868–1943), Irish scholar and priest

Sir Max Pemberton (1863–1950), British author, journalist and editor

Krystyna Skarbek (aka Christine Granville) (1915–1952), Polish SOE agent and World War II heroine

Sax Rohmer (1883–1959), author, creator of "Dr. Fu Manchu"

George Carman QC (1929–2001), barrister

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".

The chapel has one of two working coffin lifts in England, the other is in the Anglican Chapel of Kensal Green Cemetery. The coffin lift is used to lower coffins from the chapel into the lower catacombs which are located directly underneath the chapel.

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

St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA