Woking Crematorium
Encyclopedia
Woking Crematorium is a crematorium in Woking
, a large town in the west of Surrey
, England
. Established in 1878, it was the first custom-built crematorium in the United Kingdom
and is closely linked to the history of cremation
in this country.
, also known as the London Necropolis, is located nearby but operated separately; it was established by the London Necropolis Company
in 1849 to house London
's deceased.
, a surgeon and Physician to the Queen
Victoria, who had in 1874 taken a foremost part in founding the Cremation Society of Great Britain
, of which he was the first president. The acre of land on which the crematorium was to be established was purchased with the aid of subscriptions (at £200 each) from the London Necropolis Company.
It was both secluded yet readily accessible, as a train service, suitable for the conveyance of the dead, already ran between London and Woking.
The new crematorium was first tested on 17 March 1879, when the body of a horse was cremated. The inhabitants of Woking showed strong antipathy to the crematorium and appealed to the Home Secretary
, Sir Richard Cross
, to prohibit the use of the building. Only after cremation had been declared legal in February 1884 during Dr. William Price's trial, the Woking facility could begin to operate.
On 26 March 1885, the first official cremation in the UK took place in Woking. The deceased was Mrs Jeannette C. Pickersgill
, whom The Times
described as "a well-known figure in literary and scientific circles". By the end of the year, the Cremation Society of Great Britain had overseen two more cremations, a total of 3 out of 597,357 deaths in the UK that year.
In 1886 ten bodies were cremated at Woking Crematorium. During 1888, in which 28 cremations took place, the Cremation Society planned to provide a chapel, waiting rooms and other amenities there. The subscription list was headed by the dukes of Bedford
and Westminster
. The 9th Duke of Bedford
later donated further money to complete the buildings and to purchase further ground adjacent to the property. The buildings were constructed in the character of English thirteenth-century Gothic and were available for use in January 1891.
In 1892, 104 cremations were carried out at Woking. In 1902, the first crematorium was opened in London (Golders Green Crematorium
). By 1911, the original one acre site at Woking was extended to 10 acres and a Garden of Remembrance
added. Elected president of the Cremation Society in 1921, the 11th Duke of Bedford
had the original cremator from Woking transferred to a new chapel at Golders Green Crematorium, where it was later used for his own cremation in 1940.
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, a large town in the west of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Established in 1878, it was the first custom-built crematorium in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and is closely linked to the history of cremation
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
in this country.
Location
The crematorium is located in Woking, just outside St John's Village on Hermitage Road. Brookwood CemeteryBrookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in western Europe.-History:...
, also known as the London Necropolis, is located nearby but operated separately; it was established by the London Necropolis Company
London Necropolis Company
The London Necropolis Company , formally the London Necropolis & National Mausoleum Company until 1927, was a cemetery operator established by Act of Parliament in 1852 in reaction to the crisis caused by the closure of London's graveyards in 1851. The LNC intended to establish a single cemetery...
in 1849 to house London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's deceased.
History
The crematorium in Woking was founded in 1878, when a piece of land close to St John's Village was bought by Sir Henry ThompsonSir Henry Thompson, 1st Baronet
Sir Henry Thompson, 1st Baronet FRCS , British surgeon and polymath, was born at Framlingham, Suffolk.-Medical career:...
, a surgeon and Physician to the Queen
Physician to the Queen
Physician to the King and Physician to the Queen are titles of the physician who is chief officer of the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom...
Victoria, who had in 1874 taken a foremost part in founding the Cremation Society of Great Britain
Cremation Society of Great Britain
The Cremation Society of Great Britain is an special interest organisation that advocates cremation in the United Kingdom.-The beginnings:Cremation was not legal in Great Britain until 1885, but interest in this form of burial emerged during the second half of the 19th century from ideas that...
, of which he was the first president. The acre of land on which the crematorium was to be established was purchased with the aid of subscriptions (at £200 each) from the London Necropolis Company.
It was both secluded yet readily accessible, as a train service, suitable for the conveyance of the dead, already ran between London and Woking.
The new crematorium was first tested on 17 March 1879, when the body of a horse was cremated. The inhabitants of Woking showed strong antipathy to the crematorium and appealed to the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
, Sir Richard Cross
R. A. Cross, 1st Viscount Cross
Richard Assheton Cross, 1st Viscount Cross, GCB, GCSI, PC, FRS , known before his elevation to the peerage as R. A. Cross, was a British statesman and Conservative politician...
, to prohibit the use of the building. Only after cremation had been declared legal in February 1884 during Dr. William Price's trial, the Woking facility could begin to operate.
On 26 March 1885, the first official cremation in the UK took place in Woking. The deceased was Mrs Jeannette C. Pickersgill
Jeanette Pickersgill
In 1885 Jeanette Pickersgill became the first person to be officially cremated in the United Kingdom when she was cremated at Woking Crematorium in Woking, Surrey. The The Times described her as "a well-known figure in literary and scientific circles"...
, whom The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described as "a well-known figure in literary and scientific circles". By the end of the year, the Cremation Society of Great Britain had overseen two more cremations, a total of 3 out of 597,357 deaths in the UK that year.
In 1886 ten bodies were cremated at Woking Crematorium. During 1888, in which 28 cremations took place, the Cremation Society planned to provide a chapel, waiting rooms and other amenities there. The subscription list was headed by the dukes of Bedford
Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
Francis Charles Hastings Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford KG was an English politician and agriculturalist.-Life:...
and Westminster
Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG, PC, JP , styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845 and Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869 and known as the 3rd Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an English landowner, politician and racehorse owner.He inherited the estate of...
. The 9th Duke of Bedford
Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
Francis Charles Hastings Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford KG was an English politician and agriculturalist.-Life:...
later donated further money to complete the buildings and to purchase further ground adjacent to the property. The buildings were constructed in the character of English thirteenth-century Gothic and were available for use in January 1891.
In 1892, 104 cremations were carried out at Woking. In 1902, the first crematorium was opened in London (Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000, and was opened in 1902 by Sir Henry Thompson....
). By 1911, the original one acre site at Woking was extended to 10 acres and a Garden of Remembrance
Garden of Remembrance
Garden of Remembrance may be:*Garden of Remembrance , Ireland*Garden of Remembrance, Lockerbie, Scotland, see: Pan Am Flight 103#Memorials and tributes*Garden of Remembrance , by Oneiroid Psychosis...
added. Elected president of the Cremation Society in 1921, the 11th Duke of Bedford
Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford
Herbrand Arthur Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford KG KBE DL LLD FRS FSA was the son of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford.-Family:...
had the original cremator from Woking transferred to a new chapel at Golders Green Crematorium, where it was later used for his own cremation in 1940.
Cremations
Among those cremated here are:- Francis Russell, 9th Duke of BedfordFrancis Russell, 9th Duke of BedfordFrancis Charles Hastings Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford KG was an English politician and agriculturalist.-Life:...
- Friedrich EngelsFriedrich EngelsFriedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
- Alan TuringAlan TuringAlan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
- Thomas HardyThomas HardyThomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
- Edward Frederick CrippinEdward Frederick CrippinEdward Frederick Crippin was an English businessman.Crippin was born at 13 Tonman Street, Manchester, Lancashire. His father William Crippin was a coal agent and his mother Sarah Crippin was a housewife. Edward eventually took over his father's business, Bryn Hall Colliery, Bryn,...