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Brockley Cemetery (also known as Deptford Cemetery)

Introduction

The cemetery lodge remains although somewhat altered from the original building, but the Episcopal and dissenters' chapels suffered war damage, then vandalism, and were subsequently demolished. The Roman Catholic chapel, designed by E W Pugin in 1866-68, was bombed in 1940 it has since been demolished. An avenue of plane trees runs along the northern edge of the Roman Catholic plot, with an avenue of poplars along the southern edge. The 'rond points' were densely planted with trees and shrubs, and Edwardian postcards show flower beds here.

Brockley Cemetery, originally known as Deptford Cemetery was established when the parish burial ground of St Paul's was full. Lewisham Burial Board had already purchased a plot of land here for what is now Ladywell Cemetery, so Deptford Burial Board bought the adjacent plot and appointed the same cemetery architects. A low wall separated the two until 1948, which is traceable as a bank. In 1965 both came under the new London Borough of Lewisham but retain separate records. Brockley Cemetery today is more wooded than Ladywell and the tombs are generally grander and less densely packed.

Sources consulted:

Roger Bowdler, EH Historical Analysis and Research Team, notes March 1998; John Archer, Ian Yarham, 'Nature Conservation in Lewisham', Ecology Handbook 30, London Ecology Unit, 2000 and Lewisham Walk 2 leaflet; Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London 2: South (Penguin) 1999; Hugh Meller & Brian Parsons, 'London Cemeteries, An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer', 4th edition (The History Press, 2008); Jennifer Mills, 'St Paul's Church Deptford', Lewisham Local History Society (n.d.); Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert, 'The London Encyclopaedia' (Macmillan, revised ed. 1993); Brockley Conservation Area Character Appraisal, LB Lewisham, 2005.

For more information see http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.asp?ID=LEW006

Visitor Access, Directions & Contacts

Access contact details

10am - 3.30pm (November-February)/ - 4.30pm (March - October)

Directions

Rail: Crofton Park. Bus: 174, P4.

Owners

LB Lewisham

Other Websites

History

Period

Victorian (1837-1901)

Features & Designations

Designations

  • Conservation Area

  • Reference: Brockley
Key Information

Type

Burial Ground

Purpose

Cemetery

Principal Building

Cemetery

Period

Victorian (1837-1901)

Survival

Extant

Hectares

6.9

Open to the public

Yes