Beneath these serene grounds lies more than just earth. It is Mill Hill Cemetery. Originally known as Paddington New Cemetery, Mill Hill Cemetery opened its gates in 1936. Paddington Borough Council sought land outside London. Their existing cemetery in Willesden Lane was almost full.
Paddington acquired land in Mill Hill in 1933. The name changed when the council re-acquired it in the early 1990s. In 1965, after local government reorganization, the City of Westminster took responsibility.
A chapel opened here in 1937. The foundation stone was laid in October 1936. The apse and altar could be screened off. This allowed for non-denominational services. The first burial took place in February 1938.
Mill Hill Cemetery holds war graves. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains a plot. It sits below the chapel near a Royal British Legion war memorial. Fifty-three British casualties from World War II rest here.
A Dutch National War Memorial also stands within Mill Hill Cemetery. After World War II, Paddington gave land to the Netherlands War Graves Commission. This is the Dutch Field of Honour. It holds 254 Dutch servicemen and women. They died during World War II. Many were reburied here. A bronze figure of a dying man stands as a central memorial. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands opened the plot in 1965. Queen Juliana visited Mill Hill Cemetery in 1972.
Civilian memorials honor those from Paddington and Hendon. They died during World War II. Sixty-eight Paddington residents and fourteen Hendon residents are remembered. A communal grave holds remains from St. Mary’s Paddington Green. The Marylebone Flyover and Westway A40 construction caused the removal.
Several notable people are buried in Mill Hill Cemetery. Air Marshal Owen Tudor Boyd rests here. He served in both world wars. Actress Bebe Daniels also calls this place her last home. Billy Fury, the rock musician, is here too. Princess Diane de Faucigny-Lucinge et Caligny lies here. She descended from a French aristocratic family. John Laing, a construction industry entrepreneur, is also buried here.
Consider the wildflower meadow here. Created on unused land it enhances the rural feel of Mill Hill Cemetery. This cemetery is located on the fringes of London. It offers a peaceful escape. It’s a place of remembrance and reflection.