West Norwood Cemetery and Crematorium — Attraction in London

I visited West Norwood Cemetery for the first time for their 2 hour World War 1 tour with Peter.

He gave an exceptionally detailed insight into the different people impacted by the Great War, focussed on the many ways you can die in war. Weaving through the cemetery we heard detailed, highly researched stories of those buried there - with interesting insight into courage and ingenuity that ultimately won the war. Peter and John (who ensured we got to see photos to help contextualise the tour and kept us on track) were great, expert hosts, happy to answer any questions, and it was a hugely worthwhile and interesting tour.

The cemetery itself is well kept after some lottery funding. It’s peppered with impressive mausoleums and the beautiful Greek enclosure is a highlight.

It is overgrown in places, as you’d expect, so wear sensible shoes and long trousers to avoid the brambles!

Tickets and details of the tour can be purchased on...

Absolutely appalling. Due to the particular circumstances surrounding my father's funeral we had to have the service at the crematorium on a Saturday. For this privilege we actually had to pay £1000 pounds over and above the usual crematorium fees. I was informed that we would have 45 minutes altogether. However as the priest went in he was collared by a (scruffy) member of the crematorium staff who told him we had to be out of there within half an hour. This meant that our priest didn't have enough time to do his homily after our eulogies. In addition the music for the hymns appeared to be speeded up. You could barely catch your breathe between verses. I can't believe that they could treat a funeral party like this. Shocking. I would strongly advise against using West Norwood crematorium if you can...

The cemetery is currently undergoing restoration, which did impact my time at the site. There were lots of areas blocked off by safety barriers; there were work vehicles continually driving around, and there was a lot of noise from the construction. The main entrance could not be fully appreciated as it was surrounded by work vans. This cemetery is more cultured, with only a few areas left to go truly wild. There was still a lot of wildlife. The main road is fully tarmaced. There are some hills, but it could be done by a wheelchair user. People with mobility issues may find it harder, but there were lots of benches. There are a number of grass tracks that threaded through the cemetery. These led to the more interesting graves. Care needs to be taken as many of the monuments and graves...