Hither Green Cemetery

Hither Green Cemetery is a large municipal burial ground in south-east London, in the borough of Lewisham. It opened in 1873 as Lee Cemetery and remains in use today, while also serving as a quiet green corner with Victorian architecture and a good deal of local and wartime history.

Where is Hither Green Cemetery?

The cemetery lies on the east side of Verdant Lane, surrounded by Catford, Hither Green, Downham, Grove Park and Lee. A railway line linking Grove Park and Hither Green stations runs along its western edge, and Grove Park Sidings and Grove Park Nature Reserve are close by. It is easy to reach by train from central London, followed by a short walk.

What is there to see?

Two Gothic-style stone chapels and the original ornamental entrance gates still stand. The old entrance lodge was pulled down in the 1960s. Another landmark is the 1903 mausoleum of John Taylor and his family, close to the Non-conformist chapel, which will appeal to anyone interested in funerary architecture.

Local historian Leland Lewis Duncan (1862-1923) is buried here, and the Lewisham Local History Society placed a headstone for him in 1998.

What is the cemetery's wartime story?

Hither Green matters for the memory of both world wars. A war plot holds the graves of Commonwealth service personnel: a few dozen from 1914-1918 and close to two hundred from 1939-1945, with figures varying slightly between sources. Those without individual headstones are named on a screen wall in the main war plot. Among the dead is New Zealand lance corporal Arthur Benjamin Tonks, who died of disease in 1918.

Another moving chapter dates from 1943, when a German bomb struck Sandhurst Road School in Catford. Many of the victims, mostly children, were buried here, and around seven thousand mourners attended the mass funeral. A memorial now honours the children and teachers who lost their lives in the raid.

Is there a crematorium nearby?

Yes. A crematorium next door opened in 1956. The whole site is owned by Lewisham Council.

Frequently asked questions

When was the cemetery founded? In 1873, originally as Lee Cemetery.

Can visitors walk around? Yes, but it is a working cemetery, so quiet and respect for mourners are expected. The chapels, gates, mausoleum and war plot are the highlights.

What is nearby? Grove Park Nature Reserve, Hither Green and Grove Park stations, and the crematorium.

How do I get there? The easiest way is by train to Hither Green or Grove Park, then on foot towards Verdant Lane.