Listen closely. St Mary’s RC Cemetery holds stories of London’s past. It is a place of peace amid the city’s noise.
St Mary’s RC Cemetery in Kensal Green has a history of over 160 years. The cemetery opened in 1858. It offers a tranquil space in busy London. Grand mausoleums stand near simpler graves. St Mary’s might be famous for its epitaphs. Its sculptures and military graves are remarkable. Yet, it’s overshadowed by Kensal Green Cemetery.
Some older graves show wear. Headstones tilt. Some are damaged. But St Mary’s is more than a museum. It serves a living Catholic community. Visitors tend graves and remember loved ones.
St Mary’s RC Cemetery is one of only two fully Catholic cemeteries in London. The other is St Patrick’s Cemetery in Leytonstone. Both belong to the Secular Clergy Common Fund. St Mary’s spans 29 acres and still operates today. Burials and ashes interments continue. A monthly mass is held in the chapel.
You will find both public and private graves. Public graves were a cheaper option until the 1970s. Children were buried in them until the late 1990s. A public grave holds many unrelated people who died around the same time. St Mary’s reclaimed these graves in the 1980s. Headstones were removed and fresh earth was added. These areas are now used for new private plots. Over 115000 adults and children were interred in Public Graves.
Private graves hold family members. Sometimes they were buried decades apart. St Mary’s also has graves for religious orders. Priests or nuns from the same community are buried together. Each grave has a number and plot name.
Many notable people are buried here. You’ll find politicians and judges. Also religious leaders, artists, authors, and composers rest here. Even spies, entertainers, sportsmen, scientists, inventors and gangsters.
St Mary’s Cemetery has records of every burial since 1858. These records include names and burial dates. They also note the age and grave number. The records also show where the deceased was brought from and the fee. Grave types such as public or private are recorded too.
St Mary’s RC Cemetery contains war graves from both World Wars. Some First World War burials are grouped together. The War Plot holds graves of UK forces. Smaller groups of Canadian and Australian graves exist. Casualties whose graves are unmarked are named on a screen wall. A substantial Belgian plot dates from the First World War.
Remember St Mary’s RC Cemetery. It is a place of history, memory and peace. It is a reminder of lives lived and loved.