Introduction
The layout has serpentine paths, and is much the same today as the Victorian layout shown in a drawing in the 'Illustrated London News' in 1857. It has a pair of 19th-century chapels; the Church of England chapel is Early English style; the Roman Catholic Chapel is in Decorated style. The cemetery has original stone-capped walls topped with railings and a tile-hung lodge although the original lodge was demolished. Planting is a little sparse and apart from some holm oaks, it lacks large trees but good recent planting includes monkey puzzle and larch.
Charlton Cemetery was founded in 1855 by Charlton Burial Board on land that was originally part of the estate of Sir Thomas Maryon Wilson. Its Victorian layout of serpentine paths is little changed and it retains the pair of C19th chapels although the original lodge has gone. Among the memorials are numerous monuments to the army and navy and personnel connected with the Royal Artillery at Woolwich and other notable people including Sir Geoffrey Callender, the first Director of the National Maritime Museum, and Sir John Maryon-Wilson, Lord of the Manor of Hampstead who was instrumental in the preservation of Hampstead Heath.
Sources consulted:
Hugh Meller & Brian Parsons, 'London Cemeteries, An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer', 4th edition (The History Press, 2008)
For more information visit the London Parks & Gardens Inventory website.
- Visitor Access, Directions & Contacts
Access contact details
The site is open daily: April-Sept 9am-7pm; Oct-Mar 9am-4pm
Directions
Rail: Charlton then bus. Bus: 53, 54, 422, 486 (walk).
Owners
London Borough of Greenwich
- History
It was one of the first cemeteries to be provided under the new Burial Act. Its Victorian layout of serpentine paths is little changed and it retains the pair of C19th chapels although the original lodge has gone. Among the memorials are numerous monuments to the army and navy and personnel connected with the Royal Artillery at Woolwich and other notable people including Sir Geoffrey Callender, the first Director of the National Maritime Museum, and Sir John Maryon-Wilson, Lord of the Manor of Hampstead who was instrumental in the preservation of Hampstead Heath.
An urn on a large plinth commemorated the death of 52 men and boys who died of yellow fever on board the HMS Firebrand in July 1861. Near the entrance is the memorial to Jemima Ayley (d.1860) whose effigy lies under a domed canopy below which is a 22ft vault containing a table and chair used by mourning relatives. The memorial of Thomas Murphy (d.1932), the owner of Charlton greyhound track, has a pair of greyhounds at the foot of Corinthian columns; other exceptional memorials include that to Major-General Orde Wingate RA (Chindits) and the 'Two Brides'.
Period
Victorian (1837-1901)
- Features & Designations
Designations
Conservation Area
- Reference: Woolwich Common
- Key Information
Type
Funerary Site
Purpose
Sacred / Ritual / Funerary
Principal Building
Religious Ritual And Funerary
Period
Victorian (1837-1901)
Survival
Extant
Hectares
5.87
Open to the public
Yes
- References
Contributors
London Parks and Gardens Trust