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Headstones

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PRINSEP, Valentine Cameron (1838-1904)




Owner/SourceRM
DateAdded 05 Nov 2011
Linked toValentine Cameron Prinsep (Burial)

Brompton Cemetery, West Brompton, London, England

Notes: The cemetery was one of seven large, modern cemeteries founded by private companies in the mid-19th century (sometimes called the 'Magnificent Seven') forming a ring around the edge of London. The inner city burial grounds, mostly churchyards, had long been unable to cope with the number of burials and were seen as a hazard to health and an undignified way to treat the dead.

Brompton Cemetery was designed by Benjamin Baud and has at its centre a modest domed chapel (in the style of the basilica of St. Peter's in Rome) at it southern end, reached by long colonnades, and flanked by catacombs. The chapel is dated 1839. The site, previously market gardens, was bought from Lord Kensington and is 39 acres (160,000 m2) in area. The cemetery is designed to give the feel of a large open air cathedral. It is rectangular in shape with the north end pointing to the northwest and the south end to the southeast. It has a central “nave” which runs from Old Brompton Road towards the central colonnade and chapel. Below the colonnades are catacombs which were originally conceived as a cheaper alternative to having a burial plot in the grounds of the cemetery. Unfortunately, the catacombs were not a success and only about 500 of the many thousands of places in them were sold. There is also an entrance on the south side from the Fulham Road. The Metropolitan Interments Act 1850 gave the government powers to purchase commercial cemeteries. The shareholders of the cemetery were relieved to be able to sell their shares as the cost of building the cemetery had over run and they had seen little return on their investment.

It is listed as Grade II in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, and five of the individual monuments are also listed as Grade II.

Established by Act of Parliament, Brompton Cemetery opened in 1840 and was originally known as the West of London and Westminster Cemetery.It was consecrated by the Bishop of London in June 1840, is one of the Britain's oldest and most distinguished garden cemeteries.

While the cemetery is still open for occasional new burials, today more people use it as a public park than as a place for mourning the dead.


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