Romford Cemetery

Romford Cemetery, also known as Crow Lane Cemetery, is a municipal cemetery in the southwest of the town of Romford, in east London. It is owned by Havering London Borough Council. It is a quiet site of historical interest, relevant to anyone curious about local history, Victorian cemetery architecture and the remembrance of wartime dead.

Where is Romford Cemetery?

The cemetery lies in the southwest of Romford, in the London Borough of Havering on the eastern edge of Greater London. Its coordinates are roughly 51.569 N, 0.175 E. Romford is a former market town now part of London, and the cemetery was laid out on its edge in the later nineteenth century.

How did the cemetery begin?

Romford Burial Board was formed in 1869 to provide a new burial ground, because the existing churchyard was full. Land was bought in 1870; it had previously been part of Nuthatches Farm. Part of the site was consecrated in October 1871, and the first burials took place at the end of that month. The cemetery is sometimes called Crow Lane Cemetery after the nearby road.

In 1900 Romford Urban District Council took over management. Today the cemetery belongs to Havering council.

What is there to see?

The cemetery keeps several nineteenth-century features, including its railings and gate piers. Two chapels stand joined by a gothic porte-cochere, a covered carriage entrance typical of Victorian cemetery design. It shows how municipal burial grounds were planned for fast-growing towns in the second half of the 1800s.

The Memorial Chapel hosts "Lives Remembered", an exhibition by Havering about residents buried here, including people who died in wartime.

War graves

The cemetery contains the graves of 118 identified Commonwealth service personnel from the First and Second World Wars. Visitors tracing family history sometimes come here for that reason.

Frequently asked questions

Is Romford Cemetery still in use? It is a municipal cemetery owned by Havering council. Check the council website for current burial information and opening times.

Who owns it? The London Borough of Havering.

Are there war graves? Yes, 118 identified Commonwealth service graves from both world wars.

Is it the same as Coronation Gardens? No. Coronation Gardens in Romford is a separate site, home to the town's war memorial.

When did it open? In 1871, after the burial board was set up in 1869.