Golders Green Crematorium

Golders Green Crematorium stands in Hoop Lane, Golders Green, northwest London, near the Underground station. It opened in 1902 as London’s first crematorium, founded by Sir Henry Thompson’s Cremation Society. The red-brick Lombardic-style building was designed by Sir Ernest George and Alfred Yeates in stages between 1901 and 1928. Its Grade I-listed gardens were laid out by William Robinson and span twelve acres of tranquil grounds. Opposite lies the Jewish Cemetery, and the site remains secular, welcoming people of all faiths and none. More than 323,500 cremations have taken place here since 1902, the highest number of any British crematorium. Among those commemorated are fourteen Victoria Cross holders and 497 Commonwealth war dead, honoured by Sir Edward Maufe’s 1952 memorial. The gardens include ponds, a crocus lawn, a children’s swinging bench and a ‘communist corner’ with memorials to British party members. A nativity scene appears at Christmas despite the crematorium’s secular stance. Visitors find two chapels, a Chapel of Memory and three columbaria holding thousands of urns. The Philipson Family Mausoleum by Edwin Lutyens is a Grade II* listed landmark, and a statue of Ghanshyam Das Birla marks the largest sculpture here. The grounds also feature a memorial cloister and an ornamental pond, all contributing to a peaceful atmosphere.