In 1877 the Richmond Burial Board purchased their first parcel of land, a former orchard of four acres in size. A competition was announced to design the layout of the burial ground, with a first prize of 15 guineas, (about £2,000 today), and a second of five guineas.
The Grade II listed municipal cemetery opened in 1879, comprising 14 acres of attractive and tranquil grounds, with planting including many eclectic trees, some of which pre-date the cemetery (see later in this post). Footpaths weave through the cemetery and trees, and are frequently used by children going to, and returning from, nearby Stanley Infants and Junior schools.
Among those buried here, the cemetery contains the war graves of 70 Commonwealth service personnel, 42 from WWI, and 28 from WWII.

Located between Shacklegate Lane and Strathmore Road, the paired chapels were designed in 1881 by T. Goodchild in the Decorated Style, having crocketed spires linked by an entrance arch. Built in 1878, they were mainly constructed using dark honey-coloured Bargate ragstone with Bathstone dressings. Seating capacity is for about 60 people, and availability spans all faiths. An electronic keyboard is available too, with CD facilities.

Inside the chapels

Those buried at the cemetery include:
Neil Aspinall (1941–2008), former head of The Beatles' Apple company
R.D. Blackmore (1825–1900), author (more on him in Post 34 from May 8th)
John Sleeper Clarke (1833–1899), US comedian and actor who lived in London from 1867
Francis de Havilland Hall (1847–1929), physician, surgeon, and laryngologist
Kenneth MacDonald (1950–2001), played Mike Fisher in TV sit-com Only Fools and Horses
James Messenger (1826–1901), professional single sculls world champion 1854-1857
Robert John Tozer (1813–1892), laid the keystone of the chapels in Teddington Cemetery
John Walter (1738–1812), founder of The Times

Here is an example of one of the many lovely trees mentioned earlier, namely a weeping beech. Others include cedar, holly, yew, cypresses, giant redwood and monkey puzzle. A number of cherry trees, more than likely surviving from the now long gone orchard, are dotted around.

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