Brookwood Cemetery is one of the most significant heritage assets in our borough and it is considered by Historic England as a site of national significance. It is still one of the largest privately-owned burial grounds in Britain and one of the biggest operating cemeteries in Western Europe.
The cemetery was founded in 1852 by the London Necropolis and National Mausoleum Company to house London's dead and by the 1860s the site accommodated over 3,500 burials per year.
In the 1920s, part of the site was sold to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to accommodate the graves of the Commonwealth victims of the First World War, as well as a separate area allocated to the American Battle Monuments Commission for American victims.
Initially the site was some 2,000 acres. However, after asset stripping throughout the 1950s, the site was reduced to the 220 acres that remains today.
Famous names buried at Brookwood include John Singer Sargent (portrait artist), Margaret, Duchess of Argyll (society socialite), Dr Robert Knox (Edinburgh anatomist) and Denis Wheatley (thriller writer).
Brookwood Cemetery is a grade one listed park and gardens, contains numerous individually listed structures.
Investment plan
Since the end of the First World War, Brookwood Cemetery’s condition declined due to lack of investment and maintenance by its private owners. In December 2014 we purchased the site and established Woking Necropolis and Mausoleum Limited, a subsidiary as part of our Thameswey Group of companies.
An investment plan for Brookwood Cemetery, to protect the cemetery’s heritage and provide local burial options for the future, including a new modern community mausoleum.
More information
Find out more about Brookwood Cemetery, including burial and visitor information
Contact
Brookwood Cemetery
Residents and undertakers should Brookwood Cemetery direct on all matters relating to the cemetery.
Phone: 01483 472 222
Email: info@brookwoodcemetery.com
Brookwood Cemetery Society
The Brookwood Cemetery Society publishes trails, guides and newsletters, and also organises periodic guided walks around the extensive grounds.
Contact: Margaret Hobbs
Phone: 01344 891 041