Brookwood Cemetery
Built by the London Necropolis Company to receive London's dead, Brookwood Cemetery is still one of the largest privately-owned burial grounds in Britain and one of the biggest operating cemeteries in Western Europe.
Since 1854, over 240,000 people have been laid to rest within its beautiful grounds.
The cemetery comprises approximately 230 acres of burial ground, some of which have been set aside for the use of specific communities and denominations.
The Brookwood Cemetery Society runs tours every first Sunday of the month at 2pm, starting from the Society Lodge adjacent to the cemetery office on Cemetery Pales. Donations of £4 are welcomed towards the restoration work in the cemetery.
It has a substantial Victorian Section, which contains many remarkable Victorian memorials and graves. It also contains the largest military cemeteries in the country including the World War One American cemetery, the oldest Muslim cemetery and the unique Zoroastrian burial ground.
Famous names buried at Brookwood include John Singer Sargent (portrait artist), Margaret, Duchess of Argyll (society beauty), Dr Robert Knox (Edinburgh anatomist) and Denis Wheatley (thriller writer).
Brookwood Cemetery is one of the most significant heritage assets in the Borough of Woking, and is a Grade I listed Park and Gardens, containing numerous individually listed structures.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission runs tours of the adjacent military cemetery every Sunday from March to May at 2pm. Just turn up.
Directions: Easily accessed by rail using Brookwood Station (originally built to service the cemetery) or by road via Cemetery Pales off the A322 Bagshot/Guildford Road, where there is limited parking space (GU24 0BL).
Contact: Diane Holliday, Site Manager, on 01483 472222 or email.
The Brookwood Cemetery Society publishes trails, guides and newsletters, and also organises periodic guided walks around the extensive grounds. For more details, email [email protected]