Streatham Cemetery, London

Streatham Cemetery, London

Visited June 2019

Streatham Cemetery isn't actually in Streatham, but a short walk from Tooting Broadway tube station. It's a late Victorian cemetery, with two lovely chapels which mirror each other near the entrance. A lot of clearance was done in the second half of the 20th century, especially in areas away from the entrance and chapels so there are large stretches of grass with only a few monuments left in them. However, this is left uncut in summer, except around the Commonwealth War Graves, so it's a haven for wildlife, and the cemetery is managed for wildlife (and people!) by the Friends of Streatham Cemetery.

There are very few large, impressive monuments here - most are quite small-scale gravestones rather than imposing mausoleums and suchlike. There's also quite a few traces of vandalism, including headless angels and toppled stones. Despite this, it's well worth a visit - quiet, full of wildlife, and with lots of accessible paths to make wandering round a joy. All this and clean toilets too!