The Brigade of Guards Memorial, Brompton Cemetery

Image: © Marathon Taken: 30 Nov 2011

A section of Brompton Cemetery is enclosed by railings and includes The Brigade of Guards Memorial, seen here with the cross, which dates from 1889. The memorial marks the burial place of many hundred peacetime casualties of the Brigade of Guards. The marble headstones date from 1889 onwards and list names grouped by regiments. There are also individual gravestones within the enclosure. Brompton Cemetery is one of 'The Magnificent Seven' cemeteries and is the closest of the major cemeteries to the centre of London. Opened in 1836 on land owned by Lord Kensington, its original layout was based on the plan of a vast cathedral, with a chapel in the middle based on St Peter's Basilica in Rome. It was extended in 1844 to make the plot a full rectangle. In 1850 the government agreed to purchase all the London cemeteries, which was fortunate for Brompton as the original plan had been ruinously expensive. That edict was repealed two years later, except in the case of Brompton which by this quirk remains the only public cemetery to stay under government control and is now managed by The Royal Parks.

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