Magnificent Seven cemeteries

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Magnificent Seven cemeteries - Wikipedia

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(Redirected from Magnificent Seven, London)

Locations of the cemeteries in London

The Magnificent Seven is an informal term applied to seven large private cemeteries in London. These are Kensal Green Cemetery, West Norwood Cemetery, Highgate Cemetery, Abney Park Cemetery, Brompton Cemetery, Nunhead Cemetery, and Tower Hamlets Cemetery. They were established in the 19th century to alleviate overcrowding in existing parish burial grounds as London’s population grew during the Victorian era.^[1] In 1981, the architectural historian Hugh Meller dubbed the group of cemeteries "The Magnificent Seven" after the 1960 western film of the same name.^[1]^[2]

History

Background

For hundreds of years, almost all London's dead were buried in small parish churchyards, which became dangerously overcrowded. Architects such as Sir Christopher Wren and Sir John Vanbrugh deplored this practice and wished to see suburban cemeteries established.^[3] It was not until British visitors to Paris, including George Frederick Carden, were inspired by its Père Lachaise cemetery that sufficient time and money were devoted to canvass for reform, and equivalents were developed in London, firstly at Kensal Green.

In the first 50 years of the 19th century, the population of London more than doubled, from 1 million to 2.3 million. Overcrowded graveyards also led to decaying matter getting into the water supply and causing epidemics. There were incidents of graves being dug on unmarked plots that already contained bodies, and of bodies being defiled by sewer rats infiltrating the churchyards' drains from the relatively central Tyburn, Fleet, Effra and Westbourne rivers which were used as foul sewers by this date and later wholly discharged into London's outfall sewers.

Establishment

In 1832, Parliament passed an act encouraging the establishment of private cemeteries outside central London. Over the next decade seven cemeteries were established, at least four of which were consecrated by Charles James Blomfield, Bishop of London.

The Burial Act 1852 (15 & 16 Vict. c. 85) section 9 required new burial grounds in a list of urban parishes of London (the Metropolis) to be approved by the Secretary of State. Sections 1 and 44 enabled the Secretary of State to close metropolitan London churchyards to new interments and make regulations regarding proper burial. The expenses for establishing burial boards to accommodate these changes were ordered to come from the poor rates under section 19. Sections 26 and 28 of that act enabled parish Burial Boards (with vestry approval) to purchase land anywhere and to appropriate land belonging to the relevant parish, poor board or any of its charitable trusts.^[4]

For a time following the establishment of the cemeteries, it became a semi-established custom for visitors to the cemeteries to picnic among the graves; their suburban locations made them especially popular.^[5]

List

Name	Year opened	Location	London borough	Postal area	Active	Notes	"Friends"
Kensal Green Cemetery	1833	51°31′43″N 0°13′27″W / 51.5286°N 0.2241°W / 51.5286; -0.2241 (Kensal Green Cemetery)	Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea	W10	Yes	Originally known as the General Cemetery of All Souls, this is the oldest of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries and it is still in operation.	Yes
West Norwood Cemetery	1837	51°25′59″N 0°05′55″W / 51.4330°N 0.0986°W / 51.4330; -0.0986 (West Norwood Cemetery)	London Borough of Lambeth	SE27	Partially^[a]	Originally known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery, this was the first cemetery in the world to use the Gothic style.	Yes
Highgate Cemetery	1839 (West) 1860 (East)	51°34′01″N 0°08′49″W / 51.567°N 0.147°W / 51.567; -0.147 (Highgate Cemetery)	London Borough of Camden	N6, N19	Yes	It is divided into East and West cemeteries.	Yes
Abney Park Cemetery	1840	51°33′54″N 0°04′41″W / 51.5649°N 0.0781°W / 51.5649; -0.0781 (Abney Park Cemetery)	London Borough of Hackney	N16	Yes	It became the main burial place of English nonconformists when Bunhill Fields closed.	Yes
Brompton Cemetery	1840	51°29′06″N 0°11′27″W / 51.4849°N 0.1908°W / 51.4849; -0.1908 (Brompton Cemetery)	Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea	SW10	Yes	Owned by the Crown, it is managed by The Royal Parks.	Yes
Nunhead Cemetery	1840	51°27′51″N 0°03′11″W / 51.4642°N 0.0530°W / 51.4642; -0.0530 (Nunhead Cemetery)	London Borough of Southwark	SE15	Yes	It was originally known as "All Saints' Cemetery".	Yes
Tower Hamlets Cemetery	1841	51°31′25″N 0°01′49″W / 51.5237°N 0.0304°W / 51.5237; -0.0304 (Tower Hamlets Cemetery)	London Borough of Tower Hamlets	E3	No	Also known as Bow Cemetery, it closed to new burials in 1966, and is now a designated local nature reserve.	Yes

^ Closed to new burials, but still used for cremations. Burial in family plots is still possible.

References

^ ^a ^b Mellor, Hugh; Parsons, Brian (1981). London Cemeteries: An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer. Amersham: Avebury. ISBN 0-86127-003-7.
^ Walker, Lynne (December 1983). "Review: London Cemeteries: An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer". The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 42 (4): 393–94. doi:10.2307/989929.
^ Arnold, Catharine (2006). Necropolis: London and Its Dead. London: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781416502487.
^ "An Act to amend the Laws concerning the Burial of the Dead in the Metropolis." [1 July 1852.] Usually cited as the Burial Act or Burials Act, 15 & 16 VICTORIAE, C./Cap. 85.
^ "Victorian Valhallas: Cemetery Picnics – The Midnight Society". Retrieved 22 June 2024.

External links

Cemeteries and crematoria in London

The Magnificent Seven

Other cemeteries

Barnet	Bells Hill East Finchley Golders Green Jewish Great Northern New Southgate St Pancras and Islington
Brent	Willesden Jewish (Liberal) St Mary's Catholic Willesden Jewish (Orthodox)
Bromley	Beckenham
Camden	Hampstead
Croydon	Croydon Queen's Road
Ealing	Hanwell (Kensington's) Hanwell (Westminster's)
Enfield	Enfield Southgate
Greenwich	Charlton Greenwich Plumstead Woolwich
Haringey	Tottenham
Hounslow	Gunnersbury Isleworth
Islington	Ball's Pond Road Bunhill Fields Trent Park
Lambeth	Streatham Park
Lewisham	Brockley and Ladywell Hither Green
Merton	Morden
Newham	City of London East London West Ham Jewish
Richmond	Barnes Borough East Sheen Mortlake North Sheen Old Mortlake Richmond Teddington Twickenham Vineyard Passage
Southwark	Camberwell
Tower Hamlets	Novo
Waltham Forest	St Patrick's Roman Catholic
Wandsworth	Lambeth Putney Vale Streatham

Former cemeteries

Crematoria

Cemeteries are listed by location; some are owned/managed by other London borough councils.

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