'Stories from Wandsworth Cemetery' Guided Walk

Sandwiched between the railway line and Magdalen Road, Wandsworth Cemetery slopes almost all the way from the prison, gently down the hill to Earlsfield station. Built in 1878 and extended twenty years later, it has a more formal aspect than some of its neighbours but a considerable number of war graves and connection with the enduring heritage of the Romany Gypsy community in Wandsworth make it a place of immense significance.

On this tour Geoff will outline some of this history and point out graves of note and the people who are buried there. The upper section contains many who played a role in the development of Wandsworth and its outlying settlements emerging along the Wandle Valley. These include; Robert Sadler whose running track exploits put Summerstown on the map as a centre of sporting renown and Alice Creeke who ran the Anglo American Laundry for 30 years. Builders, benefactors and civic leaders like Sir James Carmichael, William Willmer Pocock, Job Caudwell, George Nind and Samuel Cresswell. We'll discover the lost Victorian cartoonist sensation Marie Duval, 'The Grand Old Man of Cycling' Major Thomas Knox-Holmes and view the recently restored grave of Bertram Waldrom Matz who did so much to promote the legacy of Charles Dickens. Also buried here are the original 'bad boy' footballer George 'Cocky' Hunter and some of the tragic victims of the 'Great Storm' of 1914. Proximity to the 3rd London General Hospital on Wandsworth Common resulted in many colonial soldiers being laid to rest here during the First World War, perhaps the best known are 18 from Newfoundland. Overlooking their graves is that of the hospital Matron, Edith Holden. 600 other war burials include James Collis VC and Lieutenant Henry Angliss shot dead in Dublin in 1920 on the orders of Michael Collins. Civilian victims include Ernest Cunnah who survived the WW1 sinking of The Queen Mary in the Battle of Jutland only to be killed as a fireman in WW2 defending the Tate and Lyle factory in Wandsworth.

Three years ago, 'The People of Wardley Street' came together to witness a joyous and historic occasion as a blue plaque was placed in Wandsworth, an acknowledgment of the outstanding and enduring heritage in this area of Romany Gypsy people. Representatives of two families with long-standing connections; the Hildens and Coopers performed the unveiing. A substantial community of costermongers evolved in Wardley Street, off Garratt Lane, people who in 1948 were documented in an illustrated magazine and recorded by the BBC. Many of these are buried in Wandsworth Cemetery; the Penfolds, the Gumboles, the Hildens, the Hearns, the Gilberts... their distinctive graves, well-maintained and much-visited are decorated with motifs indicating this heritage or connection with horses and flower-selling.

Geoff Simmons runs a community history project in south west London called Summerstown182 alongside his job as a graphic designer. This involves Guided Walks and Talks, working with schools and putting up plaques. Over the last ten years a trail of these have emerged along the Wandle Valley, shining a light on some of the lesser-known history in this area. Have a look on Geoff's blog for more details or follow @summerstown182 on social media.