London Road Cemetery
London Road Cemetery | |
---|---|
Details | |
Established | 1847 |
Location | |
Country | England, UK |
Coordinates | 52°23′47″N 1°29′54″W / 52.3964°N 1.4982°W |
Size | 17 hectares (42 acres) |
Website | www |
Find a Grave | London Road Cemetery |
London Road Cemetery is a 17-hectare (42-acre)[1] cemetery in Coventry, England, designed by Joseph Paxton[2] and opened in 1847.[1]
It lies south-east of the city centre and is bisected by the West Coast main railway line between Coventry and Rugby, which pre-dates the cemetery and runs roughly west–east through it.
History
Paxton was commissioned by the Coventry Cemetery Committee on 9 October 1845.
The first superintendent, Paxton protege Richard Ashwell, and his successors continued the programme of planting.[2]
The cemetery is known to be one of the best preserved Victorian cemeteries in the country, despite being damaged during the
A 'Friends of London Road Cemetery' group publish newsletters, organise guided tours, and hold litter clean-up events.[4]
Buildings
A number of original buildings and structures survive. They were Grade II* listed as a group on 24 June 1974[5] and include:[2]
- The entrance lodge
- Prospect Tower
- the Paxton Memorial, by Joseph Goddard, erected in 1868 following Sir Joseph Paxton's death in 1865
- an Anglicanchapel
- a non-conformist chapel
- a Jewishchapel
Non-conformist chapel
The non-conformist chapel is an ashlar classical temple with two storeys and a basement, supported by piers on the corners. The chapel has two large fluted columns at the front with a large portico between them. The building was abandoned after it was damaged during the Second World War. It has not been used since, nor has any restoration been undertaken, and the state of the building is described by English Heritage as "dilapidated".[5]
War graves
The cemetery contains 94 scattered
Notable Burials
- David Danskin (1863–1948) Scottish born founding player in Arsenal F.C.
Contrary to an
References
- ^ a b "London Road Cemetery". Parks and Gardens UK. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g "London Road Cemetery". Friends of London Road Cemetery. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ Ronalds, B.F. (2017). "Ronalds Nurserymen in Brentford and Beyond". Garden History. 45: 82–100.
- ^ "About Us". Friends of London Road Cemetery. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ a b Historic England. "Non Conformist Chapel to the Cemetery (1076624)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ^ [1] CWGC Casualty record.
- ^ [2] CWGC Cemetery Report.
- ^ McGrory, David. "The Coventry Blitz". CWN.org.uk.