 Cemeteries and crematorium
This section of the website gives advice from Wandsworth's Cemeteries and Crematorium Services and is offered as guidance at such a difficult time. Your funeral director is also able to offer a comprehensive service, including sensitive advice and information. We are available to offer any other information or reassurance that you think you may need. Call us at Putney Vale on 020 8788 2113, or email cemeteries@wandsworth.gov.uk.
We are responsible for five cemeteries and one crematorium.
 Wandsworth's cemeteries
Purchasing a grave
Book of Remembrance
Cremated remains graves
Memorialisation
Cremation services
Searching the registers
Wandsworth's war graves
Opening times
Citizen's charter and our charter for the bereaved
Contact us
Useful links
The council's cemeteries
The borough of Wandsworth has five cemeteries:
Putney Vale Cemetery (central cemeteries office)
Stag Lane, Putney - SW15 3DZ
Get a local map from Streetmap
Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium stands on a beautiful site, surrounded by Wimbledon Common, covering 47 acres. Established in 1891 and as a crematorium in 1938 it has two service chapels and an extensive Garden of Remembrance.
Wandsworth Cemetery
Magdalen Road, Wandsworth - SW18 3NP
Get a local map from Streetmap
Wandsworth Cemetery was opened in 1878 and has a chapel where services can be conducted. The cemetery has an attractive main drive with an adjacent garden area that looks over the Wandle Valley and beyond.
Battersea New Cemetery (Morden)
Lower Morden Lane, Morden, Surrey, SM4 4NU
Get a local map from Streetmap
Battersea New Cemetery (Morden) was opened in 1891 and has a chapel where services can be conducted. This cemetery has been declared a site of metropolitan importance for nature conservation due to the variety of rare grasses and wildflowers found here. With this in mind, the grounds are managed as part of an ecological management plan.
In total, there are 110 species of wildflowers and grasses and the site is also home to some 256 invertebrate species. Many of these invertebrates thrive in the large old trees here, although some are easier to see such as the 13 speces of butterflies and the 11 types of ladybird. Most areas of the cemetery are cut at least once a year to ensure that invasive plants do not dominate the finer, more delicate wildflowers. Visit on warm or sunny days betwen May and late August for the best displays of wildflowers, butterflies and ladybirds.
St Mary's Cemetery
Battersea Rise, Bolingbroke Grove - SW11 1HE
Get a local map from Streetmap
St Mary's Cemetery was opened in 1860 and burial land was exhausted in the 1960's. There is a small chapel where services can be conducted. The cemetery is within a conservation area and has a variety of memorials and mature trees, which with the surrounding buildings, give it an attractive enclosed feel.
Putney Lower Common Cemetery
Lower Common, Lower Richmond Road - SW15 1JF
Get a local map from Streetmap
Putney Lower Common Cemetery is the smallest cemetery in the borough and opened in 1855 with the burial land having been exhausted many years ago. The cemetery has an attractive setting, surrounded by common land and with a mature and natural character it has been designated as a site of ecological importance for the borough.
 Purchasing a grave
You can make arrangements to buy the rights of burial of a grave space for a period of 40 years at the cemeteries office. You can buy a grave in advance to be reserved for future use. There is also an option to extend the period of the lease at any time. You can get further advice from both the cemeteries office and your funeral director.
Details of memorials and further information can be found in the cemetery regulations available at the cemeteries office.
 We are now able to provide above ground burial chambers in Mausolea that reflect the style and character of the chapels at Putney Vale Cemetery.
Situated adjacent to the main drive and the floral terrace, each chamber is designed for a single interment with a 99 year right of burial. Each chamber is provided with a decorative moulded stone front panel complete with a polished black granite tablet insert for inscription.
Staff at the Cemeteries Office will be pleased to provide you with further details including payment terms.
 Download a guide to cemetery fees (60 kb)
Grave maintenance
We are able to offer a grave maintenance service at all of our cemeteries, designed to suit your needs and remove the worry of keeping the grave tidy and attractive. Seasonal planting can also be carried out twice a year. Full details of the service and costs are available from the cemeteries office or can be downloaded below.
Download a guide to gardening fees (84 kb)
New graves
New graves are available at Putney Vale, Wandsworth and Morden cemeteries. However space is limited and the council is only able to offer grave selection at Morden cemetery. Ground and weather conditions also play an important part in the location of new graves.
Selecting a grave plot
We offer two types of grave plots, either a lawn type grave or a full memorial. There is a wide range of memorial types available for placement on a grave plot and a funeral director or monumental mason can advise you of these options.
Insurance and responsibility for headstones
If you have not already done so you are advised to seek appropriate insurance cover, as repairs can be expensive. A number of monumental masons provide this service and some will offer a guarantee of their workmanship. Sadly, on rare occaisons there have been incidents of damage to private headstones and this is naturally very distressing for the owners to deal with. We have no responsibility for any damage to memorials and reserves the right to remove any memorial that has become unsightly or unsafe.
Memorial safety
To ensure the safety of visitors and staff in the cemeteries, the council, under the directive of the Health and Safety Executive, are carrying out a safety audit of all memorials within the cemetery. We are obliged to make safe any memorial found in immediate danger and will attempt to make contact with the owner. Memorials remain the property and responsibility of the registered grave owner and owners are required to check that their memorial is safe. Should owners find their memorials to be unsafe they should arrange to have repair work carried out by a monumental mason.
 Book of Remembrance
An entry in the Book of Remembrance is an everlasting memorial to a loved one.
The Book of Remembrance is displayed in the halls of memory at Putney Vale and the pages are turned daily. You can decide on which date the entry is to appear and you can come and see your loved one's epitaph on that day each year.
Highly skilled artists carefully inscribe the memorial entries which can range from an inscription to floral emblems, badges or family crests.
Replicas of the entry are available as inscription cards for those wishing to keep a copy and these are ideal for sending to friends and relatives who are unable to visit the cemetery or crematorium.
Book of remembrance order form (50 kb)
Cremated remains graves
 Situated between Putney Vale's Garden of Remembrance and the chapel, this area has been designed for the burial of a loved ones ashes. Similar to a grave in the cemetery each plot is allocated with a 40 year right of burial and will accept up to four sets of ashes. Arrangements can be made to place a memorial headstone on the grave. As part of our ongoing commitment to the environment we ask that remains are buried in a biodegradable container. You can decide the type of container this will be and there is a range of options available at Putney Vale Cemetery.
Staff at the cemeteries office will be pleased to provide you with further details.
Memorialisation
There are a number of memorial options at the Crematorium and in the Garden of Remembrance. Members of staff are available to assist you in deciding on the type of memorial you require and the following memorials can be leased in seven year periods with the option to renew. There is no further charge for maintenance or upkeep during that period of dedication.
Visit our online brochure of memorial options.
Sands memorial
A memorial area located in the grounds of Putney Vale Cemetery is dedicated to the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) to commemorate stillborn babies and the loss of very young babies. The memorial has a four seasons theme so that parents can relate to their special time of year.
Further details are available from SANDS by phoning 020 7436 7940 (Helpline: 020 7436 5881)
 Cremation services
There are two chapels at Putney Vale, both of which cater for all religious and non-religious denominations.
Each chapel can seat approximately 80 people and can be booked at half hourly intervals from Monday to Friday and at weekends between 9am and 4pm. The use of the organ and services of an organist is included within the cremation fee and is also provided for burial services that require the chapel. Compact disc and tape playing facilities are available also.
Download a guide to crematorium fees (62 kb)
Download a notice of cremation (43 kb)
Download a guide to forms of commemoration (50 kb) or view our online brochure of memorials.
Wandsworth also jointly runs with Sutton and Merton Councils the North East Surrey Crematorium in Morden, Surrey. Find out more about the crematorium at www.nes-crematorium.org.uk
Scattering of ashes
Arrangements can be made to scatter ashes in the Garden of Remembrance at Putney Vale according to the instructions given by the family. Should loved ones and friends need more time to decide upon the final resting place, the ashes can be retained for up to three months without charge. Please contact the office for more details.
Opening times
For all cemeteries, the opening times are:
- January, February, November and December
Sunday 10am-4pm, Monday to Saturday 8am-4pm
- March and October
Sunday 10am-5pm, Monday to Saturday 8am-5pm
- April and September
Sunday 10am-6pm, Monday to Saturday 8am-6pm
- May, June, July and August
Sunday 10am-7pm, Monday to Saturday 8am-7pm
The cemeteries are open every Bank Holiday as per the Sunday of that particular month and from 10am to 1pm on Christmas Day.
Chapel opening times:
January, February, November and December
Sunday 10am-4pm, Monday to Saturday 8am-4pm
March and October
Sunday 10am-5pm, Monday to Saturday 8am-5pm
April and September
Sunday 10am-6pm, Monday to Saturday 8am-5pm
May, June, July and August
Sunday 10am-7pm, Monday to Saturday 8am-5pm
Searching of burial and cremation registers
All records are held at:
Central Cemeteries Office
Putney Vale Cemetery
Stag Lane
Putney SW15 3DZ
Applications for information from the registers must be made in writing to the Central Cemeteries Office. There is a fee for this service. Please call us 020 8788 2113 for the current costs.
As much information regarding the names and date of burial should be given with the application.
Members of the public can search the records personally free of charge by prior arrangement with the Registrar at Putney Vale.
Wandsworth's war graves
Wandsworth Council has a number of war graves in 4 of its cemeteries including 7 Victoria Cross (VC) holders at Putney Vale Cemetery and a VC holder at both Wandsworth and New Battersea (Morden) cemeteries. The records for these and other graves of war interest are kept at Putney Vale Cemetery and all enquiries should be directed there. Each memorial headstone is maintained on a regular basis by the Commonwealth War Graves commission www.cwgc.org
Citizen's Charter
The Leisure and Amenity Services Citizen's Charter provides full details on the service we provide, how to make a complaint about the service and what you can do to help us. Please use the back button on your browser to return to this page.
You can also download our charter for the bereaved in Adobe's pdf format.
Charter for the bereaved (18 kb)
Contact us
Central Cemeteries Office
Putney Vale Cemetery
Stag Lane
Putney SW15 3DZ
Telephone: 020 8788 2113
Fax: 020 8785 3448
Email: cemeteries@wandsworth.gov.uk
Feedback
If you have any comments or suggestions about the Cemeteries and Crematorium service, or this website, please email cemeteries@wandsworth.gov.uk.
Useful links
Government and Local Authority
What to do after a death in England and Wales (pdf)
General Register Office - Births, Deaths and Marriages
Births, deaths and marriages
North East Surrey Crematorium (jointly run by Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Councils)
Charity, religious, and non-profit organisations
The Samaritans
Cruse Bereavement Care
The Compassionate Friends Society
The Child Bereavement Trust
The Miscarriage Association
Road Peace
The British Humanist Association
The Natural Death Centre
Department of Work and Pensions |
