Kensal Green Cemetery, London
Central Avenue in Kensal Green
Located about ten minutes on foot from the bustling Portobello Market, this oasis of calm is one of London’s 'Magnificent Seven', the large Victorian-era garden cemeteries established around the city to address the overcrowded and disease-ridden churchyards of central London in the early 1800s.
Inspired by the grand Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, Kensal Green was built in 1833 and now houses approximately 250,000 individuals in over 65,000 graves. Composed of gothic mausoleums, crooked tombstones, and underground catacombs, the cemetery is filled with stories of London's past, yet remains an active cemetery to this day with an on-site crematorium.
Burials of all types from simple graves to mausoleums are possible, and there are reportedly over 4,000 catacomb spots still up for grabs.
Tomb of Major General Sir William Casement who died of cholera in 1844 while serving in India
Some Notable Residents of Kensal Green
Many a famous person was buried in Kensal Green, including members of the Royal household. Among the notables is Charles Babbage, the inventor of the computer, who is laid to rest in the cemetery, though not quite all of him! The left hemisphere of his brain can be found at the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons, while the right is around the corner at London’s Science Museum.
Another notable figure from the cemetery's heyday is Charles Blondin, a famous Victorian tightrope walker who not only tight-roped across Niagra Falls but stopped halfway to cook and eat an omelet. There is also a multitude of actors, writers, and nobles, as well as doctors, lawyers, and engineers within the graves, mausoleums, and catacombs of this famous cemetery
The Grave of Dr James Barry
Dr James Barry, a First Among Doctors
The notable surgeon buried at Kensal Green was known as Dr James Barry, until his death that is, when it was discovered that the body of the surgeon was actually that of a woman. James Barry was in fact born under the name of Margaret Bulkley to Irish parents who moved her to London to stay with an uncle named James Barry after falling on hard times. When James Barry died, Margaret inherited his fortune as well as his name, using both to enter Medical school in Edinburgh and become a renowned military surgeon.
Known for being foul-mouthed and even partaking in duels, he had a cantankerous personality and even had words with Florence Nightingale. Nevertheless, Dr Barry was a skilled surgeon, performing the first successful cesarian section in Africa and he also went on the become the first Inspector General of Hospitals, improving the sanitation of the military hospitals under his watch.
In a time when opportunities for women in medicine and the military were nonexistent, Margaret’s transformation into James Barry raises questions: Did he adopt this identity to bypass societal restrictions on his birth gender, or was he truly transgender? We may never know, but what is clear is that he was a pioneering figure among doctors of his time. Dr. Barry died of dysentery in 1865 and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery under the name he lived most of his life as: Dr. James Barry.
Graves amongst the trees
Top Tips
Free to enter and have a wander about, but there is also a 2-hour guided tour every Sunday afternoon at 2pm. Tours cost 12 pounds per person and are bookable online via their website. They also offer specialty tours focusing on specific themes, ie medicine, or engineering if wanting a more detailed itinerary.
https://www.kensalgreen.co.uk/tours.php
Portabello Market is about 10 minutes on foot down the road from the cemetery.
Hours
Monday – Saturday: 9am – 5pm, Sunday 10am – 5pm, Bank Holidays 10am – 1.30pm
Getting There
Parking is available within the cemetery if space allows and is free, nearby street parking is also available
Closest Tube: Kensal Green station on the Bakerloo line is located just across the street from the cemetery