Kensal Green Cemetery

The diverse inhabitants of this large London cemetery include engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (d. 1859), newsagent W.H.Smith (d. 1865), computer pioneer Charles Babbage (d. 1871), tightrope walker Charles Blondin (d. 1897), novelists William Thackeray (d. 1863), Anthony Trollope (d. 1882) and Wilkie Collins (d. 1889), and Major Walter Wingfield (d. 1912), the inventor of lawn tennis.

One of its most curious incumbents is James Barry, who served in the British army as a surgeon, but on whose death in 1865 was discovered to be a woman. Modern graves include those of fashion designer Ossie Clarke (d. 1996) and the journalist husband of Nigella Lawson, John Diamond (d. 2001).

Inspired by the cemetery of Pere-Lachaises in Paris and founded in 1833 by the Barrister George Frederick Carden Kensal Green Cemetery comprises of 72 acres of beautiful grounds including two conservation areas and an adjoining a canal. The cemetery is home to 33 species of bird and other wildlife. This distinctive cemetery has a host of different of memorials ranging from large mausoleums housing the rich and famous to many distinctive smaller graves and even includes special areas dedicated to the very young. With three chapels catering for people of all faiths and social standing the General Cemetery Company is proud to have provided a haven in the heart London for over 170 years for its inhabitants remember their loved one in a tranquil and dignified environment.