Croydon Cemetery

The cemetery was opened in 1897 and extended twice in the 1930s, with a crematorium being built in 1937. The original Victorian buildings, with chapel and angels, still remain amongst the modern additions.

Over 300 servicemen and women from the two world wars are buried here, with headstones and Cross of Sacrifice maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. There is also a memorial to 77 service people who were cremated during the Second World War.

There are some notable burials from later times in the cemetery, including Derek Bentley, hanged controversially in 1953, and Tom Norman, ‘The Elephant Man’ Joseph Merrick’s manager.