From 1854-1941, the London Necropolis Railway operated a morbid daily routine, which consisted of transporting the deceased from Waterloo Station to their eventual resting place, Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey. Segregation and religious preferences were rife even at this Graveyard. The company’s headquarters remains at 121 Westminster Bridge Road, serving as a silent reminder of this chapter of Britain’s dark History.

The formation of the London Necropolis Railway had originated due to the boom of population that was ongoing in London, the overcrowding was an immense issue within churchyards and the burial demand was unable to be coped with. The burial crisis was so prominent that decaying corpses were found contaminating the water supply, leading the city to undergo multiple more epidemics of diseases such as cholera, typhoid and smallpox. An organisation labelled the ‘London Necropolis and National Mausoleum Company’ was formed with the drive to resolve this issue as well as establish a monopoly on the London burial industry. 

This scheme had to appeal to Londoners so drastically that there would no longer be the desire for their loved ones to be buried in London to address the issue. Thus, the 23-mile trip to Brookwood Cemetery took 40 minutes, whilst being accompanied by beautiful scenes of greenery due to the route passing Richmond Park and Hampton Court. This railway operated with a near daily basis, handling up to 2000 bodies annually, with first- and second-class passengers, alive or dead, being separated with those of lower social status, starkly reflecting the social stratification of the Victorian Era. 

Despite the railway being demolished in World War Two via incendiary bombs, the building still stands as Westminster Bridge House, and the platforms remain in Brookwood. The National Rail has also installed a section of the track at Brookwood for commemoration. Fareeha Islam, who had visited the structure with me last week, stated that the building ‘helped remind me that every path serves a story’. Today, the London Necropolis Railway is remembered as one of the unique solutions to the plethora of Victorian issues that were faced during a time of rapid urbanisation and social change. Although the offices have long been closed, I urge you to glance at Westminster Bridge House and recognise the memory of the enterprise that aimed to establish Brookwood Cemetery as it echoes the streets of London.