Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetery

Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetery is a cemetery in the London Borough of Bromley, opened in 1876.

Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetery
Details
Established1876
Location
Elmers Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 4TD
CountryEngland
Coordinates51.4015°N 0.0575°W / 51.4015; -0.0575
TypePublic
Owned byDignity Crematoria Ltd
Size44 acres (18 ha)
WebsiteDignity Plc Company website
Find a GraveBeckenham Crematorium and Cemetery

Location and history

Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetery is located between South Norwood Country Park and Birkbeck.[1] The cemetery was opened in 1876[2] although it is often erroneously reported as 1880 and was initially known as the Crystal Palace District Cemetery.[3] It is often referred to today as the Elmers End Cemetery due to its location within Beckenham and proximity to Elmers End station. During the Second World War the larger of the cemetery’s two chapels was devastated during air raids and had to be demolished. The chapel that survived the bombing was converted to include cremation facilities and opened in 1956.[4]

It is served by Birkbeck station, as well as Elmers End station for National Rail and London Tramlink and by Harrington Road tram stop for Tramlink.

Burials

Memorials
Grave of W.G. Grace
  • 130 World War I graves, including a number of casualties from the Royal Naval Depot at Crystal Palace Park and the Army Service Corps Motor Transport Depot at Grove Park .[2][5] The graves of 30 which could not be individually marked are listed on a Screen War Memorial, while those of 40 who could not be satisfactorily maintained were later commemorated by 30 headstones placed in the cemetery's Second World War war graves plot.[5]
  • 127 World War II graves, 12 of which are in a purpose made War Grave plot which also contains special memorials to 3 personnel of the same war whose graves could not be satisfactorily maintained.[5]
  • There is a memorial to 21 members of the Beckenham Auxiliary Fire Service who were killed in the course of a single night (19–20 April 1941) during a German raid on the East End of London in World War II. Many of the firemen were buried in the cemetery, some others in nearby West Wickham.[6]

Notable Burials

References
  1. "Beckenham Crematorium & Cemetery". www.ikent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  2. "Beckenham Cemetery". dignityfunerals.co.uk. 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  3. "Victorian London – Death and Dying – Cemeteries – Crystal Palace District Cemetery". victorianlondon.org. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  4. "Beckenham Crematorium". dignityfunerals.co.uk. 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  5. CWGC Cemetery Record. Date accessed 23 October 2014.
  6. Kent Fire Brigade Roll of Honour 1899–1990 Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
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