Cemetery records

The municipal cemeteries within Lewisham were founded after the Burial of the Dead in the Metropolis Act 1852, which led to the old churchyards being closed for burials. The newer churchyards (for example, Christ Church, Forest Hill) were closed when they became full.

Burials did not necessarily take place in the local municipal cemetery. A family might own a grave in another cemetery, perhaps a private one such as Highgate or Woking. The nearest private cemetery was Nunhead, just outside Lewisham.

The records of the following cemeteries are held at Hither Green cemetery and crematorium. The staff there will search the records for a fee. There is no public access.

  • Ladywell (formerly Lewisham) cemeteryLadywell Road, SE13 - 1858 to date (indexed from 1920)
  • Brockley (formerly Deptford) cemetery Brockley Road, SE4 - 1858 to date (indexed from 1920)
  • Hither Green (formerly Lee) cemetery Verdant Lane, SE6 - 1873 to date (indexed from 1920)
  • Grove Park cemetery, Marvels Lane, SE12 - 1935 to date (indexed)
  • Lewisham crematorium, Verdant Lane, SE6 - 1956 to date (indexed)

The Ladywell and Brockley cemeteries include Roman Catholic burial grounds.

We do hold or maintain the records of the Cemeteries Department, they still do this themselves. So I suggest you contact them at
Hither Green Crematorium
Verdant Lane
London SE6 1TP
Bookings: 020 8314 9630
Memorials: 020 8314 9631
General enquiries: 020 8314 3210
Fax: 020 3697 3260
Email: ku.vog.mahsiwel|tnemevaereb#ku.vog.mahsiwel|tnemevaereb
Where staff will be able to help you. There is no public access to these records and any searches are undertaken by staff for a fee.

For records of Nunhead cemetery, Linden Grove, SE15 (1840 to date), contact the Superintendent, Honor Oak New Cemetery, Brenchley Gardens, London, SE23 (020 7639 3121).

The Society of Genealogists’ publication Cemeteries and Crematoria in Greater London gives details of cemeteries in other boroughs.

Historical Searches
The register office keeps records of the births, marriages, civil ceremonies, deaths and stillbirths registered in the borough of Lewisham from 1837 to the present day.

Burial and cremation records
The bereavement services office holds over 190,000 burial and cremation records from Lewisham cemeteries.
The borough's records are not available in electronic format, but staff can do a search of the records for a fee.

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