Kensal Green – the oldest of London’s Magnificent Seven, and the most prestigious burial ground in Victorian England, housing what feels like half of the Dictionary of National Biography… Yet somehow, it still lurks in the shadow of Highgate – the iconic spooky cemetery! I get it, it’s more dramatic and has some cool features like Egyptian Avenue, but hey – it wouldn’t even exist without our trailblazer!

It all started with the Industrial Revolution, when London’s population exploded, leaving its medieval graveyards bursting at the seams. Ever inventive, the Victorians tackled this crisis with cramming as many bodies as possible into every last inch of available space… Well, let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty – and it smelled very badly, too!

Meanwhile, over in Paris, the French handled a similar dilemma with typical flair – they built a sprawling new cemetery just outside the city. Père Lachaise, with its chic avenues, quickly became a must-see for every English tourist!

One of them, George Frederick Carden came back from a trip to Paris absolutely obsessed with giving London its own glamorous burial ground. Besides, it’s a business where everyone eventually becomes a customer, meaning a glorious, never-ending flow of income! Cha-ching! His plan was simple: a joint-stock company with cemetery as a form of property development. So, he found wealthy investors, launched the General Cemetery Company, got the required permission, and invited top planners to create the ultimate resting place, outshining Père Lachaise in every possible way!

To make sure they make the best choice, they opened a chapel design competition – which turned into an epic drama! At first, Henry Kendall won for his Gothic style design, but then the Board of Directors found it suspiciously ‘Popish’ (since Gothic architecture was linked with Roman Catholicism, aka ‘Popery’), which might scare off potential Anglican customers – plus all those spires and pinnacles weren’t exactly cheap to maintain… So, in a classic power move, the Chairman, who preferred Neo-classical style, overturned the decision, handing the final design to John Griffith – his protégé!

Carden, a fan of Gothic, was furious! He went a bit too far with his public complaints and ended up suspended from the board, and then completely kicked out from the company – his company! Can you believe it?! Outrageous!

Anyway, the General Cemetery of All Souls, as Kensal Green was known at the beginning, was open in January 1833. Intended for money-making, it was perfectly organised, divided religiously and socially, with grave plots priced accordingly to location, and carefully laid paths waiting for monuments to flourish along them… (You can read more on Victorian business of death in my other article – here!)

It wasn’t too busy until 1843 and the grand burial of King George III’s rebellious son, Augustus Frederick. After his sister, Princess Sophia, joined him five years later, London’s elite went completely bonkers over securing a plot in the most fashionable final address in the country! Soon the scenic park has turned into a posh boulevard lined with graves – the place for London’s crème de la creme to see and be seen.

In 1858, adjoining St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery was set up, and in 1939, the West London Crematorium was open, keeping things even more diversified in the afterlife business. During WW2, two bombs hit the cemetery, damaging the Dissenters’ Chapel, as well as blasting graves open and showering the area with human remains… After the war, there wasn’t much left from elaborate landscaping, and Kensal Green was basically left to decay.

Luckily, The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery popped up in 1989, on a mission to save this treasure trove of history, art and culture! They’ve managed a full site glow-up, including restoring the Dissenters’ Chapel, which now serves as their HQ. To bring in more visitors, they host regular guided walks. Friends are a charity, and you can easily pitch in the cemetery’s preservation by buying a membership via their website – here!

There’s nothing left from its lush landscapes, and the faded grandeur is very much crumbling, but the cemetery, especially its main avenue, still looks majestic. I think you can’t take a bad picture here if you tried! Honestly, it must’ve been totally jaw-dropping back in the 19th century! Oh, and despite all the drama, Kensal Green ended up being filled with lots of Gothic style monuments! Ha!

The only thing that really gets on my nerves is that, since the cemetery is still in use, they’ve slapped some tacky, shiny modern gravestones here and there, right next to the stylish Victorian ones. What an outrageous mash-up!

Thanks to Victorian obsession of showing-off, Kensal Green is basically an open-air museum of 19th-century funerary art, reflecting tastes and craftsmanship of that period, and displaying work of the finest sculptors. It’s a fascinating mix of the grand and the humble, with everything from elaborate monuments receiving reviews in press, to plain budget headstones! Romantically decayed, they’re a visual feast for every taphophile – unfortunately, as much as I love the view, I can’t ignore the fact, that many of them are in a state of near-collapse…

My favourite monument here is dedicated to EMMA SOYER (died 1842), a talented artist who tragically died in childbirth at 29. There’s Emma’s portrait relief on the front, with a painter’s palette below, and her actual easel used to be displayed behind the glass at the back. Such a lovely touch! Despite creating over 500 works of art, which were highly regarded in her time, Emma is pretty much forgotten today… Classic, isn’t it?

Next up, we have HENRY EDWARD KENDALL (d. 1875), the guy who won the competition with his Gothic designs for cemetery buildings only to have them rejected shortly after. No worries for Henry, though – he kept the prize money, got himself a prime spot in the cemetery, and topped it off with a glorious Gothic monument. What a star!

But the real showstopper here is the Egyptian extravaganza housing ANDREW DUCROW (d. 1842), a circus legend who pioneered horsemanship acts, wrestled lions, and could lift four children using just his teeth. Yep, you read that right. The tomb, planned by his theatrical set designer, was originally brightly painted in pastel hues to grab attention, but these have faded over time (how unfortunate…). The inscription boldly declares: ERECTED BY GENIUS FOR THE RECEPTION OF ITS OWN REMAINS. Well, that’s an impressive level of self-love!

Ok, I simply can’t ignore a whopping 30-metre-long, half-circle garden memorial for MEDI MEHRA, who died tragically in 2014 after a horse-riding accident at just 11 years old. The whole thing, 550-tonne of granite and concrete wrapped around his grave, was designed by Medi’s father. And the finishing touch: a life-size statue of the boy, dressed in his school uniform, casually sitting on a bench next to his burial plot… Ohhh, I can imagine Mr Ducrow spinning in his Egyptian tomb with envy!

Kensal Green was the first garden cemetery in UK, designed as a park with delightful mix of trees and brambles, creating a calming backdrop for monuments. The mastermind behind this concept was JOHN CLAUDIUS LOUDON (d. 1843, buried here), who had the genius idea of upgrading Père Lachaise’s style by mixing it with a botanical garden. Sadly, not much is left of its former glory, but you can still tell that everything was planted here for a reason! Today, Kensal Green is listed in the prestigious ‘Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England’.

The cemetery’s rich neutral grassland, while underestimated, is actually pretty rare these days! That’s why about 70% of the place gets a tidy mow, while the rest is left untouched as conservation areas managed by the London Wildlife Trust, allowing local fauna and flora to do their thing and thrive without any disturbances!

You can spot squirrels and foxes strolling through the cemetery, and nearly 40 species of woodland birds. The local gang includes the usual suspects like tawny owls, thrushes, woodpeckers and… parakeets. Yup, there’s a big population of them in London! If you’re lucky, you might catch sight of rarer birds like shags, nightingales and chaffinches, so make sure you’ve got your binoculars handy!

The cemetery meadows are well known for a whole host of butterflies fluttering about, including rare Wall Brown, which is slowly vanishing across the country, but still appears here!

A stroll around Kensal Green is like walking through the pages of British history. As the most fashionable cemetery of its time, it’s basically a 19th-century elite hotspot, with over 500 members of the British nobility and nearly 1,000 people listed in the Dictionary of National Biography buried here! Seriously, just Google any random name from the main avenue, and I guarantee it’ll pop up on Wikipedia! Being a dark tourist has never been that easy!

Here are only few of my favourites:

An Arctic explorer who led the failed expedition in 1845, when both ships became icebound, and the entire crew (129 men) died within two years. The wreck of Erebus was located only in 2014, and Terror – two years later.

Her misfortune was to be a daughter of King George III (most likely bipolar) and Queen Charlotte (terrified of her husband and terrifying to her kids). Poor Sophia spent 40 years trapped in a stifling household run by possessive mother, obsessed with keeping her a as lifelong companion – basically Sophia wasn’t allowed to marry. Yet, despite the lockdown and being chaperoned 24/7, she got pregnant – with either Thomas Garth, 33 years her senior, or Ernest, her creepy brother. Grim stuff… The child, of course, was taken away. The tragic princess never had a family, and her last wish was to escape the royal one by being buried at Kensal Green.

Author of many groundbreaking designs, he’s considered one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history. Isambard built dockyards, tunnels, bridges, the Great Western Railway, and a fleet of steamships, including the first purpose-built transatlantic steamer. Oh, and he also designed a prefab hospital for the army, which could be shipped, assembled, and – brace yourselves – came with proper drainage, ventilation and even temperature control! 

British nobility is famously full of eccentric members, and William, known as a ‘Prince of silence’, is my absolute favourite! A top-tier introvert, he went full hermit mode after a heartbreak – barely left his rooms, and the only person ever allowed in was prince’s personal valet. When William had to go out, he would hide behind a huge umbrella in case someone speak to him. But it gets better. Will took his reclusiveness to the next level by digging out a 15-mile network of secret tunnels and rooms under Welbeck Abbey, including a gallery, library, and even a ballroom (for what, exactly, is still a mystery – unless his valet was a good dancer!). Also, he gave his staff orders and kept in touch with family only through letters.

Honestly, as someone for whom the year in lockdown was the best time of my life, William is my hero! Can anything make this guy even more fascinating? You bet! Some 20 years after his death, a woman claimed that her late father-in-law was the duke’s alter ego, and therefore her son was heir to the Portland estate! The bizarre case became the subject of years of legal drama, before it flopped, and that poor lady ended up in a lunatic asylum.

For this Victorian tightrope walker, a simple crossing of Niagara Falls wasn’t challenging enough – so he started doing it with different variations: blindfolded, in a sack, pushing a wheelbarrow, on stilts, carrying his manager on his back, or stopping halfway to cook up an omelette!

A head of the British Army, on a mission to squash every reform proposal that crossed his desk. But while George was a stickler at work, his personal life was nothing but conservative! He married an actress and dancer, whose father was a servant, and made it clear he had no intention of resting in ‘that stinking hole’ otherwise known as the Royal Chapel at Windsor. His family dog, named Prince (for real!) is the most famous resident of Hyde Park Pet Cemetery.

This jazz pianist and steel pan pioneer brought Caribbean vibes to Britain, leaving a mark on both music and community. He was the heartbeat behind the Notting Hill Carnival – back in 1966, it was Russ with his steel pan strapped around his neck, who led the very first street procession! Despite arthritis and Raynaud’s disease, leaving him with only six usable fingers, he played into his 90s, inspiring everyone lucky enough to hear him. Honoured with an MBE and commemorated with a blue plaque on Tavistock Road, Henderson was a true legend!

Speaking of legends, apparently that the ashes of FREDDIE MERCURY (d. 1991) were buried here under his real name, Farrokh Bulsara. There are photos to prove the memorial existed – but it disappeared just weeks after being discovered…

There are sooo many of them here, like founders of Pears soap, Debenhams or WHSmith! Anyway, here’s my top 5:

This quack doctor claimed to have invented a cure for consumption, though three manslaughter charges (with two guilty verdicts) suggested otherwise. Somehow, his practice thrived despite the lawsuits, but irony got the last laugh: Long couldn’t save himself and died of consumption. His grand marble monument on the main avenue is decorated with classical medical symbols. Yup. Some people have no shame!

The original globetrotter and travel writer, who dropped her first book way back in 1812, was also the first woman to get published in the Geological Society’s journals. Maria illustrated her books herself, and wasn’t shy when uncovering local dramas, especially calling out the poor treatment of women and the horrors of slavery. What an icon!

This prime Victorian eccentric inherited a fortune and became a fashionista, rocking furs and diamonds on a daily basis. He declared himself an actor and generously funded his own productions, casting himself as the lead. Favourite role? Romeo, obviously! Dramatic scenes were his specialty and Rob loved repeating them – so much so, that his Romeo would die up to three times a night! What is more, he would sweep the stage beforehand with a handkerchief to protect his bizarre sequin costume of own design from dirt… Honestly, if only being fabulously terrible could’ve won an award! Ever the showman, Coates died by being ran over by a carriage after leaving the Theatre Royal.

The original social justice warrior, way ahead of his time – a freethinker, humanist, writer and publisher, he was a champion of the working class rights. Henry was so popular, that a crowd of 2,000 people turned up to his funeral!

The man who invented the computer in 1822 – well, he created the concept for the first programmable computer, the Difference Engine, which was built in the early 20th Century, and is the great-granddaddy of literally all the tech we use today!

The cemetery was immortalised in 1913 in Gilbert Keith Chesterton’s poem The Rolling English Road:

‘For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen;
Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.’

It was also used as a setting in a short Gothic tale My Story by Ernest Favenc (1875), and another one, published in True Ghost Stories (1936) by Marchioness Townshend and Maude Ffoulkes,

The cemetery appears in two of Zadie Smith’s novels! In On Beauty (2005), Zora can’t resist turning a funeral into a tour of dead writers’ graves. Meanwhile, The Fraud (2023) is based on a juicy 19th-century scandal where an Aussie butcher faked being a long-lost baronet. The twist? Many of the story’s real-life figures are buried right here!

Kensal Green was the location of several scenes in movies and series, like: Theatre of Blood (1973), Afraid of the Dark (1991), Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking (2004), Poirot: The Big Four (2013), Fleabag (2016) or Lockwood and Co. (2023). The full list is available on IMDB.com.

• In 1872, poor Henry Taylor had a truly grim day at work as a pallbearer at Kensal Green. While carrying a coffin during a funeral, he tripped on a stone, causing his fellow pallbearers to lose their grip… The coffin fell straight onto Henry, killing him on the spot. Ouch!

• The first of London’s grand garden cemeteries (followed by Norwood, Highgate, Nunhead, Abney Park, Brompton and Tower Hamlets), Kensal Green set the standard not only for the city’s burial practices, but also all the modern cemeteries in the UK and beyond.
• It’s the only one amongst Magnificent Seven that’s still owned by the original company, and the oldest cemetery in England that’s still privately owned.
• Besides being an open-air sculpture gallery, Kensal Green also hosts art exhibitions in its catacombs and Dissenters’ Chapel – ohhh, a dark artist’s dream!
• Walking the Dead was a unique charity project by the Octavia Foundation – a creative initiative inviting young locals to explore the cemetery’s rich history. Sadly, it lasted only two years. Their page has a great section of interesting residents, though!

Surprisingly, as for such a massive historical cemetery, the only Kensal Green’s ghost I found is from True Ghost Stories analogy from 1936, collected by Marchioness Townshend and Maude Ffoulkes, who introduced the tale with the statement ‘The facts of this story were vouched for by the late Hon. Alec Carlisle’… Yes… Sounds legit, right?

Anyway, it’s a tale of a man, who at a funeral at Kensal Green stumbled upon a neglected grave of his humble sweetheart, abandoned years before. The pitiful sight left him overwhelmed with guilt, so he decided to get her a proper memorial – but while dialling the operator to request the call to be transferred to the relevant agency, he accidentally gave the cemetery plot number instead… The line connected, and the voice he hasn’t heard in years answered ‘Is that you, darling? Of course, I’ll come! I won’t be long!’ before the line went dead. Totally shocked, he spent rest of the evening drinking. Then, at midnight he heard his front door creak open, followed by slow, dragging footsteps in the hall… Terrified, he blacked out… only to find streaks of dark clay smeared across the carpet and doorknob in the morning… Spooky!

Sadly no evidence has ever been found to support the story. Personally, I’ve never had a paranormal experience at Kensal Green. Anything ever happened to you there??? If so, pleeease let me know!

‘To walk in Kensal Green now is to sense the vanity and economic power of the nineteenth century as an almost palpable force, its energy and industry rendered in stone. Just as Turner captured the rain, steam and speed of the Great Western Railway in his painting of that title, Kensal Green is a freeze-frame of a period of huge forward momentum. It is Victorian Britain, ossified.’ – Peter Ross, A tomb with a view (p. 44-45)

I couldn’t write a better summary! And if you’re still not sure what’s so special about London’s grand Victorian cemeteries, read my article on it – here!  

Ps. For an equally touching stroll (just with less trees around), pop over to the adjoining St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery! And, if you’re in the mood for even more, my personal favourite, St Mary’s Willesden Graveyard, is just a short bus ride away!

Main sources:

www.kensalgreen.co.uk

Necropolis by Catharine Arnold (Pocket Books, 2007)

The Magnificent Seven by John Turpin & Derrick Knight (Amberley Publishing, 2016)

Who’s Buried Where in London by Peter Matthews (Bloomsbury Shire, 2017)

London’s Cemeteries by Darren Beach (Metro Publications, 2019)

A Tomb With a View by Peter Ross (Headline Publishing Group, 2021)