Step into a realm where history whispers through headstones at Southgate Cemetery. Southgate Cemetery is a serene resting place established in 1880 by the Southgate Burial Board. It is now managed by the London Borough of Enfield.
Southgate Cemetery offers an orderly layout. Paths form a gridiron pattern. Graves stand in neat rows. Cedars, laurel and yews provide a somber beauty. A tall, trimmed holly hedge subdivides one area.
Note the absence of a chapel inside Southgate Cemetery. Christ Church stands adjacent on Waterfall Road. It provides a spiritual connection to the cemetery.
Southgate Cemetery is more than just a burial ground. It holds the remains of 92 Commonwealth service personnel. Twenty are from World War I. Seventy-two are from World War II. Their sacrifices are honored here.
Among the notable people interred at Southgate Cemetery is Mary Jane Clarke. She was a determined suffragette. William Samuel Glyn-Jones rests here too. He was a politician and pharmacist.
Also buried here is Gerald Massey. He was a prolific author. Thomas Melville also found his final resting place in Southgate Cemetery. He was a chairman of Southgate Urban District Council.
Charles Frederick Peploe once served as vicar of Christ Church. He now rests peacefully in the grounds of Southgate Cemetery. Herbie Roberts a professional footballer for Arsenal, is interred here.
Lionel Keir Robinson a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Military Cross recipient is also buried in Southgate Cemetery. George Albert Watts served as mayor of St Pancras. Herbert Francis Wauthier was mayor of Southgate. James Edwin Williams was the first general secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen. Frederick Porter Wensley was a chief constable in the Metropolitan Police.
The entrance to Southgate Cemetery features stone piers. Ornate Gothic railings add to its solemn charm. A small rustic lodge sits to the right of the entrance. It was erected in 1953.
Southgate Cemetery spans 5.42 hectares. Southgate Cemetery is open to the public. It is accessible via Southgate tube station and bus routes 121, 299, and W6. The cemetery is open from 9am to 4pm in December and January. Opening hours extend in other months.
Southgate Cemetery stands as a testament to lives lived. Southgate Cemetery is a place of remembrance. Let us take a moment to reflect on their stories.