|
The small
Surrey town of Brookwood lies 30 miles south-west of London
in the Borough of Woking.
Brookwood
is connected to Waterloo by rail and is close to the A3 and
M3. Because of its good transport connections Brookwood has
developed as a popular commuter town. However, the inhabitants
still like to think of Brookwood as a village.
Brookwood
began to grow rapidly after the coming of the railway and
the creation of
Brookwood Cemetery just outside the village.
Also
known as the London Necropolis, this huge burial ground was
created in 1852 by the London Necropolis Company and National
Mausoleum Company.
The new
cemetery was in great demand because space for burying the
dead was becoming increasingly difficult to find in the capital.
Brookwood Cemetery was once the largest largest cemetery in
the world, with beautiful grounds landscaped by the architect
William Tite. The cemetery could only be reached by railway
from Waterloo Station, with private stations provided at each
end of the line.
In the
1930s much of the traffic moved to the road network and funeral
trains finally stopped running in 1941 after the London terminus
of the railway was bombed. A military cemetery was added
in 1917 and this now contains graves from both World War I
and World War II. Since the Cemetery was consecrated in 1854
over 230,000 people have been buried here and it is still
being used today.
Beside
Brookwood Cemetery lies Brookwood
Heath, an extensive area of open heathland, a Site of
Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), now being grazed by cattle,
ponies and goats to prevent invasion by pine and birch scrub.
Brookwood
is bordered by the Basingstoke
Canal, which has a flight of locks here. A short distance
from the canal lies Sheets
Heath, a 65 acre Site of Special Scientific Interest.
This mosaic of heathland and woodland habitats is home to
many native reptiles including adders on its south facing
slopes.
|
the internet holiday and travel guide to the UK
Brookwood
