Visit to Brookwood Cemetery - July 2025
July 2025Brook
On Wednesday 23 July 2025, a large group of us took part in an evening guided tour of Brookwood Cemetery. This visit was in place of our usual monthly meeting at Cove Cricket Club. Most of us made our way to Brookwood by train as there is direct access to the cemetery from Brookwood railway station. In fact, the station would not exist if it were not for the cemetery.
In the 1800s London was expanding at an alarming rate and the city was finding it difficult to accommodate its growing population – of both the living and the dead. The London Necropolis Company‘s solution was to build a cemetery outside of the city and transport the deceased - and the mourners - there by train. And so, a dedicated branch line was built from The London Necropolis Railway Station next to Waterloo in central London. Land was bought in 1852 and work started immediately; in 1954 the first part of the cemetery was consecrated and the first burials took place. Initially, Anglican burials took place on the South side of the cemetery, and non-conformist burials on the North side, and two separate railway stations were actually built. Notably, the village of Brookwood did not start to be developed until the 1880s.
We all enjoyed our stroll along the walks and lanes, led by our knowledgeable tour guides, Alison and Eddie. Alison told us a great deal about the history of the site and also about various people buried there, some of them famous, some notorious. People of all faiths and nationalities are buried here – or cremated in the Glades of Remembrance. We visited several different areas and saw the Islamic, Turkish and Zoroastrian cemeteries. Many of the graves are beautiful, there are also impressive mausoleums, and several of the monuments in the cemetery have a Grade II listed status.
We were also able to visit the Brookwood Military Cemetery, where the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cares for the graves of over 5,000 service personnel from Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom - all casualties of the First and Second World Wars. Brookwood Military cemetery was established 1917, and then extended after the Second World War. It is the largest CWGC cemetery in Britain and is, notably, the final resting place of twelve recipients of the Victoria Cross. The war graves of almost 800 casualties of other nationalities are also cared for here. Service personnel from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy and Poland are buried here. Most notable of all is the area dedicated to the American Military Cemetery, a fittingly polished and pristine memorial to the fallen.
The atmosphere within the cemeteries is wonderfully calm and peaceful, something we all appreciated at the end of a long day. Some of us have even decided that it is a place we will return to, to explore further, yes. But also, to enjoy the tranquillity and to lose ourselves in the stillness.
The WI- Flyers Visit…..
The WI- Flyers Visit…..
The WI-Flyers visit Farnborough Hill - June 2025
Members of the WI-Flyers (Farnborough) paid a visit to Farnborough Hill on Saturday 21 June. We enjoyed a tour of this fabulous building and learned a great deal about its links with Farnborough Abbey and with the Royal Family.
The impressive house was built in 1860 by Thomas Longman, who founded the Longman publishing house. In 1880, the exiled Empress Eugénie, widow of Emperor Napoleon III of France, bought the house and lived here until her death in 1920. It was then bought by a religious order of nuns, who had already established a school for girls in Farnborough but needed bigger premises. It has been a school since 1927.
Farnborough Hill really is a hidden gem; it is situated in the middle of Farnborough but is well tucked away and rarely visited by those in the local community. We were able to see many of the beautiful rooms inside the house as well as the lovely gardens surrounding it.
At the end of our tour we were definitely in need of refreshment and were then treated to some superb tea and cake in the grand salon. We were hosted throughout by charming members of the teaching and administrative staff, Mrs Katy Bell, Miss Polly White and Ms Ailsa West, who were very attentive and looked after us superbly, answering all our questions and topping up our teacups.
It really was an excellent tour – and a very special afternoon.
Some photos of our visit
