“West Norwood Cemetery: A New Beginning” is a National Lottery Heritage Fund project that seeks to conserve the cemetery’s magnificent landscape and architecture, as well as improving facilities and access to increase community use. The major award followed extensive public consultation and a close working partnership with the Friends of West Norwood Cemetery which helped to inform the project proposals. These include the conservation and restoration of historic listed monuments on Historic England’s “At Risk Register”, improved visitor amenities and additional pedestrian access to encourage more use and overall appreciation of this priceless Lambeth asset.
Part of this project was the restoration and repair of 16 monuments on Historic England’s “At Risk Register” and the restoration and repair of St Stephen’s Chapel
St Stephen’s Chapel : Grade II* : HE list no. 1064989 : Located in the Greek enclosure, grave 14,564, squares 27/28/41/42. A 3D model of St Stephen’s Chapel has been created and can be seen here. See the separate page on St Stephen’s Chapel.
Further details of the monuments included in this project are:
Tomb of William Charles Auffray & Edith O’Gorman : Grade II : HE list no. 1250576 : Grave 25, 249, square 54
Pedestal tomb with broken column. c1893, designer unknown. Granite and stone. Inscribed rectangular pedestal with columns at angles supporting a rectangular entablature surmounted by a pedimented die with carved white stone portrait medallion in high relief and carved wreaths to remaining faces; rising from this, a broken column with carved anchor and foliage.
Mausoleum of Xenophon Balli & Family : Grade II : HE list no. 1120820 : Located in the Greek Enclosure : grave 19,003, square 29 :
Temple mausoleum. Late 19th century, designer unknown. Marble, chanelled to chamber. Tetrastyle Ionic temple on a plinth approached by four steps. Fluted columns, frieze with Greek inscription and antefixae to pediment and cornice..
Tomb of James Baldwin Brown : Grade II : HE list no. 1250584 : Grave 7,167, square 40 :
Pedestal monument with celtic cross. c1885, designer unknown. Terracotta. Eclectic Romanesque/Gothic style. Square pedestal with attached Ionic colonettes at angles and nail-head frieze; inset inscribed panel with cable moulded border. Flanked by rectangular inscribed panels with mitred corners. Above, an arcaced square-plan base with twisted columns at angles, beaded round-headed arches with cusping and infilled with dog-tooth tablets. Panelled, tapering shaft; cross with intertwined IHS sacred monogram and beaded nimbus. A very early use of a celtic cross.
Mausoleum of George Dodd : Grade II : HE list no. 1325944 : Grave 6,368, square 50 :
Mausoleum. c1865 by Thomas Allom. White marble. Northern Italian Gothic style. Rectangular plan of 3 bays defined by pinnacled buttresses; clasping buttresses at angles with pinnacles. Long sides with crocketed, gabled, pointed arch blind openings having cusped heads on colonettes; ball flower and dog-tooth enrichment. Openings filled with pink marble panels. Crocketed, gable ends with elaborate cross finials; one end with 2 similar pointed arch blind openings and quatrefoil roundel above. Pitched roof with fish-scale tiles and cresting. All in a poor state of repair. Originally with low surrounding railing. Restoration of this mausoleum is ongoing.
George Dodd was MP for Maidstone (1841-1853).
Tomb of Christopher Gabriel : Grade II : HE list no. 1064988 : Grave 2,689, square 52 :
Chest tomb. c1873, designer unknown, but carving by Kelsey. Portland stone. Rectangular plan on a moulded base. Side panels inscribed. Around the top, a continuous band of festooned bayleaves; above this the flat top forms an entablature with inscribed frieze and projecting cornice. All on a raised stone plinth with square plan iron railings by J. Mills of 40 Great Russell St.
Christopher Trowell Gabriel (1797-1873) was a timber merchant whose yard stretched from Commerical Road to Gebriel’s Wharf on the South Bank of the River Thames.
Tomb of William Grane : Grade II : HE list no. 1357900 : Grave 4,894, square 34 : What 3 words: tiny.expose.twig
Slab with cross. c1856, designer unknown. Stone slab with pink granite cross (now lost, believed destroyed) having foliated arms and continuous vine trails to the stem. Bronze inscription tablet in classical trajanic lettering.
Tomb of Thomas De La Garde Grissell : Grade II : HE list no. 1065021 : Grave 1,669, square 63
Chest tomb, c1847, designer unknown. Cast iron, stucco and pink granite. Rectangular stepped base with mitred corners having pedestals supporting pilasters with Gothic aedicules and surmounted by cast figures of standing angels. Pilasters flank pointed, cusped openings filled with pink granite slabs, some inscribed. Enriched, coved cornice to flat top with moulded edges. The whole stands on a large stone platform, now badly broken, but originally with good Gothic wrought iron railings.
Tomb of the Ibbotson Family : Grade II : HE list no. 1250687 : Grave 30,960, square 104 :
Cross on pedestal with grave slab. c1904, manufactured by Doulton of Lambeth. Mottled blue and buff ceramic. Gadroon enriched base carries rectangular pedestal with inset panels; surmounted by blue ceramic cross with paterae. Stone grave slab with blue ceramic kerb.
Thomas Ibbotson (1832-1904) was a hat manufacturer of Southwark. Also buried here are his widow, Mary Ann (c1833-1920), and Ronald Ibbotson (1908-1919) the only child of Arthur and Ann Ibbotson.
Tomb of James Kershaw : Grade II : HE list no. 1263197 : Grave 9,150, square 40/41 : What 3 words: reef.envy.wooden
Chest tomb. c1864 by Alfred Waterhouse. Grey Rubislaw and pink Peterhead granite. Rectangular battered base topped by a pink granite band having carved roundels. Pink granite columns on pedestals support a roundel enriched cornice with massive cross-gable pitched roof, each side with a frieze of crosses in roundels; gable ends with more elaborate crosses in roundels. Cast and wrought iron railings of scroll design with acorn type finials identical to adjacent Elworthy tomb, also by Waterhouse.
James Kershaw was MP for Stockport (1847-1864).
Tomb of Elizabeth King : Grade II : HE list no. 1250589 : Grave 35,926, square 51 :
Figurative monument. c1922, after the Oneto monument (1878) by Giulio Monteverde, in the Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa; sculptor of this monument unknown. Marble figure on rough-hewn granite base. Square, stepped base with smoothed panel inscribed “Waiting/I Cor.I.7.” To the rear, a rough-hewn headstone with canted, smoothed and inscribed panels in front of which stands a larger than life size sculptured adolescent angel of considerable quality, depicted prior to her sounding of the Last Trump. The angel, clad in a simple but clinging and body-revealing garment, stands resting on the right foot with left leg crossed over and with arms crossed, the left hand resting lightly on the shoulder, the right holding a long trumpet with the forefinger resting on the mouthpiece. Ringlets secured by a headband frame a face of considerable character; large wings curve forward framing the body.
Tomb of of Mrs Alice Moffatt : Grade II : HE list no. 1357922 : Grave 1,623, square 60 :
Arcaded chest tomb. c1847, designer unknown. Stone with stucco arcading on iron armature. Gothick style. Chest tomb with hipped top on raised base and covered by openwork trefoiled arcade. Moulded stone kerb surround with octagonal dies at angles.
Tomb of Michael Rodocanachi & Family : Grade II : HE list no. 1064992 : Located in the Greek enclosure, grave 6,415, square 28 :
Marble sarcophagus with moulded base, flat corner pilasters, acanthus-leaf cornice and coped top with carved pediments and honeysuckle corner acroteria. Inscriptions in Greek and English commemorating various members of the Rodocanachi family; Michael’s name is on the east end and Emmanuel’s on the south side.
Tomb of John & Virginia Schilizzi : Grade II : HE list no. 1064995 : Located in the Greek enclosure, grave 15,803, square 27/28 : What 3 words: light.pump.fuels
Sarcophagus with figure. c1908, designer unknown. Pink granite and polychrome and white marble. Stepped pink granite base supports veined marble plinth with sarcophagus, both inscribed; topped by a white marble sculptured, half nude, languidly seated female figure with flowing robes and veiled head supported on left hand, abandoning herself to grief. To the rear, pink granite steps lead down to the vault.
Tomb of John Stevens : Grade II : HE list no. 1064983 : Grave 3,817, square 47
Obelisk monument. c1861, by Anderson & McKenzie of Aberdeen. Grey granite. Square plan, stepped base supporting inscribed pedestal with battered sides and incised pediments. Obelisk finely incised with bands of quilloche, palmettes and fret pattern..
Tomb of Captain John Wimble : Grade II : HE list no. 1065020 : Grave 2,952, square 76
Chest tomb, c1851, designer unknown. Stone. Rectangular, enriched, stepped base, with thick band of carved ship’s rope moulding, supporting tomb with paired clasping pillasters, having palmette capitals, at angles supporting a coved cornice with acanthus enrichment. Stepped top surmounted by a sculptured dismasted merchantman. 3 side panels with fine quality relief carvings of ships at sea, two in violent storms; panels inscribed “Ship Maidstone off St. Helena 24 March 1840”, “Ship London off Gangan 6th October 1832” and “Ship Florentinia off the Cape 21 June 1825. Wimble spent 34 years at sea before retiring.