Overview

Brompton Cemetery opened in 1840. It is one of the Magnificent Seven, the name given to the large, private cemeteries that opened in London in the nineteenth century. It remains a working cemetery. There are many interesting and famous people buried in Brompton. It's an attractive, peaceful, open space, with trees, meadow, flora and fauna, with an abundance of wildlife and is now looked after by the Royal Park, who also manage Hyde Park, St James's Park, etc. This review is specifically for the Chapel which is located in the centre of Brompton Cemetery. I visited to attend an event which was part of London Month of the Dead, an annual festival which takes place each October. For the entire month there are a variety of events from talks, walks, story-telling, workshops, concerts, theatre all with an informative and entertaining theme about death. It's been a few years since I had last visited the chapel and I was very impressed with the renovations they have made to the building which now makes the entire building step free. It's a beautiful space and well worth visiting if you get the chance.

Transport & Parking

West Brompton Station is next door to the North Lodge Entrance on Old Brompton Road. However, the station is not fully accessible. The station is served by 2 lines. The District Line has step free access East bound only via a lift and the West bound is not step free. The other line is the Overground, which has step free access via a ramp from the train to the platform, and a lift. Nearest step free tube station is Earls Court. I travelled by bus number 74 which stopped close to the North Lodge Entrance on Old Brompton Road. The Cemetery also has a South entrance on Fulham Road, which I didn't use and there are bus services along that road.

Access

The cemetery grounds are totally flat. There is a central avenue and paths leading off it. I visited on a very wet autumnal day and the path was quite slippery with wet leaves, which was quite a challenge with my crutch. Also I didn't notice any bench seating. The chapel is in the middle of the Cemetery, it has a huge dome (sorry I didn't take a photo) but it is very easy to spot. Cars are allowed for dropping off and the speed limit inside the cemetery is 5 miles and hour. The chapel was originally designed with access by a couple of steps without handrails. In the recent restoration two permanent ramps have been install either side of the steps, see photos. When I visited the chapel door was already open for people attending the event. The chapel had free standing chairs, with back support, laid out when I visited.

Toilets

On one side of the chapel, there was an open doorway leading through to the new toilet block. There is an accessible toilet, see photo. It was clean and spacious. There were grab rails but the emergency cord was tied up and didn't reach towards the ground. The accessible and regular toilets are a considerable improvement on what was there previously.

Staff

The event I attended was run by volunteers. London Month of the Dead is organised by Stephen and Suzette who are extremely welcoming. I stood in at the last minute to give a talk when another speaker had laryngitis, and they were very supportive and ensured that my access needs were met. It was a very welcoming and comfortable space thanks to the support of the volunteers. I spoke with Stephen afterwards about how impressed I was with the accessibility of the building, and explained I used to be a regular visitor to London Month of the Dead events until I acquired my disability and then didn't think the location was accessible. Stephen is going to add access information on their website to make people aware how accessible the venues they use are.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I had a really lovely time and was delighted with how accessible the venue was and I'm now really confident about visiting again for next year's London Month of the Dead. If you're looking for something special for the Halloween season I can highly recommend London Month of the Dead events. Thank you to Stephen, Suzette and the team for all your support.

Photos