You will find the site on Paradise Road or Church Walk. The site is the borough of Richmond upon Thames. The nearest stations are Richmond and Richmond underground. There are plenty of buses in that area also.
FIRST OPENED:
The first ever chapel was built in 1220 and was rebuilt in both 1501 and 1904. It is possible that the churchyard could have been built around then too.
FAMOUS RESIDENTS:
There do not seem to be any notable burials. This can obviously be due to its age and that it might have been used for past parishers only.
ALSO KNOWN AS:
N/A
SIZE & LAYOUT:
N/A
THE WALKABOUT:
I found this little site as I was making my way back from Richmond cemetery. It is quite hidden away despite the fact that it is actually in the centre of quite a busy high street! You can see the church right off but you wouldn't expect to see the little church graveyard within it. I was the tiniest bit dubious about exploring it however as it seemed to be the central meeting place for all of the local drunks. I hate seeing that, if there are a few things in this world that really piss me off beyond belief then it would be that.
Luckily, they were chased away by a man that worked in the shop opposite so I could look around freely without disruption. I quickly figured that although there are a few people buried here, it is treated as more of a memorial. This isn't a bad thing but some people would actually prefer to visit the site of where the body was actually buried (I know I would). My photographs wouldn't do justice of how big some of the monuments actually were. Most of them were incredibly stunning also. They were made to fit in with the church quite well also. The Church itself is actually pretty grand considering the small piece of land on which it sits.
The main graveyard seems to be quite squashed up. Some say this would be normal considering that it is in a small space but it just seems out of place. The graves are very weather beaten to the point where you could barely read what was on them. This place definitely needs a bit of love and care. The church has a religious organisation that runs in helping the church. If only they could look after their dead as well as they look after the living.
ANY GHOSTS?:
There were to be no ghosts found this time. I am purely putting it down to the fact that I was not ready for them. As I had said previously, I only found this little church by chance so the likely hood of me actually finding anything was quite low. There are not very many burials here so this place may not be all that active, That's not to say that there are no ghosts however, a little investigation may prove quite fruitful here.
FINAL (RESTING) WORD:
I really do believe this to be one of Richmond's hidden little treasures. Had it a bit more love and care then I believe that it would be a very attractive point. The only bad thing about it is that it seems to be an attraction for all of the local drunks and what not. If a bit of care was taken to rid the place of this annoyance then it would be very pleasant indeed. Next time you are in Richmond high street, I suggest that you take a quick walk though it.
"Respect those who are not physically here, you can’t see them but they can see you, and disrespect is something they don’t want to see"
RATING: 3/5 - Not the best looking graveyard you will ever see but nice to have a little stroll around.
LINKS:
http://www.richmondteamministry.org/stmary
