Kensal Green Cemetery is a large (72 acre) burial ground in west London. It was consecrated in 1833 and holds around 250,000 burials. It is broadly split into Amnglican and ‘Dissenter’ sections. The cemetery holds the graves of many famous people and a number have impressive mausolea to commemorate their lives. Both Brunels (Marc Isambard and Isambard Kingdom) lie at rest here.
The most impressive underground features are, however, the cemetery catacombs. These number three - Catacomb A is sealed and Catacomb Z (for dissenters) is also closed; the largest, Catacomb B, lies beneath the Grade i listed Anglican Chapel and still has space for further interments.
A wonderful feature of the Anglican Catacomb is the coffin lift which takes coffins from the chapel to the vaults below. This was originally installed around 1837 with a screw mechanism to lower and raise the catafalque. The mechanism was replaced by a hydraulic movement built by Bramah and Robinson in 1844. This fine piece of apparatus was restored by the Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery in 1997.
The cemetery is open to the public and occasional tours of the catacombs are made.