Brompton Cemetery walk

A Victorian “Magnificent 7” parkland cemetery in Chelsea

Victorian Hearse
Victorian Hearse

Jul-15 • Andrew Murphy

short20, swcwalks 6173710076662558434 P

Necropolis
Necropolis

Jul-15 • Andrew Murphy

short20, swcwalks 6173710086708987634 P

IMG 3976
IMG 3976

Jul-15 • Andrew Murphy

short20, swcwalks 6173710106629506882 P

IMG 3977
IMG 3977

Jul-15 • Andrew Murphy

short20, swcwalks 6173710119656168402 P

IMG 3978
IMG 3978

Jul-15 • Andrew Murphy

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IMG 3980
IMG 3980

Jul-15 • Andrew Murphy

short20, swcwalks 6173710148113998226 P

IMG 3981
IMG 3981

Jul-15 • Andrew Murphy

short20, swcwalks 6173710169437862434 P

Start / Finish West Brompton underground station
Length

1.25 miles / 2 km.

Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Travel West Brompton is on the District Line, and West London Line, in Travelcard Zone 2. Free parking on Sunday (not match days)
Walk Notes

West Brompton Cemetery is one of the "Magnificent 7" Victorian parkland cemeteries around London. It is Chelsea, between Earls Court and the King's Road. There is a beautiful chapel, and circular colanade of Bath Stone. The main walkways are maintained, but manys of the graves are ivy covered and overgrown. The catacombs are only open on the cemetery's annual open day. It has more of the air of a park than the other Victorian cemeteries. It is managed by Royal Parks.

This walk heads down its central avenue, past the most showy mausoleums, to the circular colonade, and chapel. The return is a 'S' shape past some of the more interesting mausoleums.

There are tours on Sundays at 2pm (£6, only 2/month in Winter, see 'friends' website), but its as nice to just wander around. It really is a hidden oasis in the middle of Chelsea - used by joggers, dog walkers, and people just taking a short cut - its next to the football ground.

The cemetery closes as early as 4pm from the end of summer time to the end of January, and as late as 8pm from the start of summertime to the end of August. Check the Royal Parks website for details.

For a picnic, there is a Tesco Express opposite the south entrance to the cemetery

Eat Just past the tube station is the Prince of Wales pub
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National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Version

Jan-23 Andrew

Copyright © Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml

Walk Directions

The directions for this walk are also in a PDF (link above) which you can download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone. OpenStreetMap (not OS) mapping is used in the PDF for licence reasons.

  1. Turn right out of the station, and 100m, turn right into the grand cemetery entrance.
  2. Walk down the main avenue. Continue to the chapel at the far end. (Bear left for the south exit, and a Tesco Metro for picnics)
  3. Turn left, walk to the cemetery wall, and walk back along the left hand path (from the 'going out' perspective)
  4. At the 'lion', cross to the right hand path on the other side of the cemetery.
  5. Leave the cemetery by the gate you entered. Just past the tube station is the suggested pub.
© Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml