Margravine Cemetery facts for kids

A chapel at Margravine Cemetery

Margravine Cemetery, also known as Hammersmith Cemetery, is a special place in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It's a cemetery, but it's also a peaceful park. The closest train station is Barons Court.

History of Margravine Cemetery

Margravine Cemetery was opened in 1868. A local architect named George Saunders designed it. Before it became a cemetery, the land was used for market gardens and orchards, and people called it 'Fulham Fields'. The very first burial happened on November 3, 1869.

The main path through the cemetery

The cemetery stopped taking new burials in 1951. After that, the local council worked to restore the 16.5 acres of land. They turned it into a peaceful 'Garden of Rest' for everyone to enjoy.

Special Monuments and Burials

A memorial for World War II

Margravine Cemetery has many unique monuments. Three of these are so important that they are called listed buildings. One of the most striking is a green bronze memorial for George Broad. He owned the company that made the famous Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus.

Near Charing Cross Hospital, you can find the Young family mausoleum. A mausoleum is a building that holds graves. This one is a single-storey building built in the Gothic architecture style. Another special grave belongs to an Australian gold prospector. It has a cool carving, called a bas relief, of him.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a special wall here. They call the cemetery 'Hammersmith Old Cemetery'. This wall lists 191 service members from the Commonwealth who are buried in war graves here. Most of them, 186, were from World War I, and 5 were from World War II.

Who is Buried Here?

Many interesting people are buried at Margravine Cemetery, including:

• George Broad: He was a famous founder who worked with brass and bronze.
• Sir William Bull, 1st Baronet: He was a lawyer and a politician from the Conservative Party.
• Sir Henry Foreman: He was also a politician from the Conservative Party.
• Thomas Nicholas (antiquary): He was a Welsh expert on old things and an educator.
• Edward Charles Williams: He was an English painter known for his landscapes.
• George Wimpey (businessman): He founded the well-known construction company.

Close-up of tomb details

Conservation and Nature

Margravine Cemetery is now part of the Barons Court Conservation Area. This area was created in April 1989 to protect its special character.

The Hammersmith and Fulham council says the cemetery is a Nature Conservation Area of Local Importance. It's a great spot to see migrating songbirds, bees, and butterflies. It's a peaceful place where nature thrives.

Images for kids

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  J. Lyons and Co. war memorials

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  Blake's Munitions Factory memorial