Postman's Park, London

Postman's Park, City of London

Visited July 2016

I've previously posted some photos of this London park, from a visit in 2009. Although I visit it reasonably regularly, this time I stopped to take more photos. 

Since my last set of photos, one new tile has been added to the Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, the first in many years. It's to Leigh Pitt, who died in 2007, and was added in 2009. It's the first new tablet to be added to the wall in almost 80 years, but has been added in such a similar style to the original tiles that you'd be hard pushed to notice at first glance that it's not from the early 20th century. The other two photos show earlier tiles, which are in exactly the same style, with the same borders, as the Royal Doulton produced tablets of 1908.

The memorial tablet for Leigh Pitt

Mortlake Cemetery, London

Mortlake Cemetery, London

Visited April 2016

Managed by Hammersmith and Fulham council (despite being in the borough of Richmond upon Thames), this cemetery opened in 1926 and is still in use. It’s situated near Kew, across the road from another cemetery (North Sheen Cemetery). It was built when Magravine Cemetery (see earlier blog post) was considered full, and is sometimes known as Hammersmith New Cemetery.

The cemetery has a Gothic style chapel in the grounds, although two were planned. It has a lot of mature trees, but being crowded with burials hasn’t become in overgrown. Some areas are being left a bit grassy to encourage nature, and the trees provide welcome shade on a sunny day.

There is a new area for burials near the River Thames as the old area is full, and the crematorium is behind a hedge in one corner. The cemetery isn’t particularly picturesque (although the Swiss chalet in the middle which houses the toilets is certainly different!), and there are very few notable burials. As all the burials date from the 20^th and 21^st centuries, there aren’t any of the overwrought Victorian memorials found in older cemeteries. Worth a visit if you’re in the area, but unless you’re after a specific burial it’s probably not worth a special visit.