The famous cemetery gates; Lavender Hill Cemetery, Enfield

Anyone alive and watching TV in the early 1970’s witnessed Lavender Hill Cemetery’s brief moment in the national spotlight when it featured in all but one of the 74 episodes of the ITV comedy ‘On the Buses’, as the Cemetery Gates that were the terminus of Stan and Jack’s number 11 bus route. DiamondGeezer, though clearly not a fan of the comedy classic, paid a visit just to see the gates in 2021. His account is worth a read. Members of the ‘On the Buses’ fan club also make pilgrimages to the location. I literally haven’t seen the programme since it came off air 50 years ago in 1973; as a prepubescent I loved it but I strongly suspect that now, even through the soft focus of nostalgia, I would find it unwatchable.

Meller and Parsons in London Cemeteries say “this is a well-maintained cemetery on an undulating site, The planting is now mature and sombre coniferous trees surround the entrance.” They single out a hand full of memorials as being of some interest, failing to mention the one spectacular monument in the cemetery, and can’t find a single notable to list as being buried here. The cemetery clearly failed to inspire them. Their down beat assessment is a little unfair; it is one of the many minor cemeteries in London but there is much of interest to see here and the setting is pretty.  The Enfield Burial Board was formed in 1870 in response to the usual crisis of capacity for burials in the local churchyard, St Andrew’s. The newly formed board acquired land at the top of Lavender Hill, appointed Thomas J. Hill to build the two gothic chapels (one CoE, the other for non-conformists) and opened the new cemetery for business in 1872. Judging from the reports on the meetings of the Burial Board in the Middlesex Gazette, things ran smoothly at the cemetery, with only minor mishaps to enliven Board meetings. In 1901 ‘the Clerk reported that some fencing at Lavender Hill Cemetery had been damaged by a horse and cart belonging to Mr. Walker with whom arrangement been had made for the necessary repair.’  In 1910 ‘it was formally reported by the Clerk that about 14 feet of the metal forming part of the lightning conductor on the Lavender Hill Chapel had been stolen one-night last week. The Board directed that the damage should be made good forthwith.’  In 1908 the Gazette’s reporter stifled a yawn and perked up when there was ‘an application for permission to inter the body of a child with that of a grandparent in an adult space of a nonpurchase grave. After discussion the Board declined to accede to the request, being opposed to the using up of adult spaces for burial of children.’ But that was as exciting as it got. 

Although they mention the Bosanquet chest tomb as being one of the better memorials Meller and Parson’s neglect to mention that James Whatman Bosanquet (1804–1877) was a well to do banker who had a sideline in biblical and Assyrian chronology and wrote several books on the subject. Also buried here is Joy Gardner, the 40-year-old Jamaican who suffered cardiac arrest at her home in Crouch End in July 1993 during an immigration raid by the Metropolitan Police. Gardner was restrained, in front of her 5 year old son, with handcuffs and leather straps and, most notoriously, 13 feet of adhesive tape wrapped around her head.  After suffering cardiac arrest and respiratory failure she was taken to the Whittington Hospital where she died 4 days later. Three police officers stood trial for manslaughter but were acquitted of the charges. The case aroused huge controversy. Benjamin Zephaniah wrote a poem called ‘The death of Joy Gardner’;

They put a leather belt around her
13 feet of tape and bound her
Handcuffs to secure her
And only God knows what else,
She’s illegal, so deport her
Said the Empire that brought her
She died,
Nobody killed her
And she never killed herself.
It is our job to make her
Return to Jamaica
Said the Alien Deporters
Who deports people like me,
It was said she had a warning
That the officers were calling
On that deadly July morning
As her young son watched TV

A war graves headstone commemorates Royal Navy Cook Neil Goodall who died aboard HMS Sheffield on the 4th May 1982 when he was just 21. HMS Sheffield was on her way to the Falklands when she was holed by an Exocet missile fired by the Argentinian Air Force.  A serious fire broke out but as the ship’s fire fighting systems had been damaged by the missile the captain eventually gave the order to abandon ship. Sheffield was towed for several days HMS Yarmouth but high seas and the hole in her hull eventually caused her to sink. The bodies of the 20 crew members who were killed by the attack were still on board and sank with the ship. The wreck is now a designated war grave.   

Another memorial mentioned by Meller and Parson’s is ‘Heinreich Faulenbach’s grave marked by a bronze plaque on a substantial granite vault.’ In 2007 the Edmonton Hundred Historical Society published an occasional paper by Pat Keeble and Robert Musgrove entitled ‘Who was Heinreich Faulenbach?; a case study in family and local history research.’  Copies of the paper are in the university libraries at UCL, Cornell and Stanford but not, unfortunately on-line. I can’t find out anything about Heinrich (or Henry) Faulenbach other than he may have been the owner of a trimming warehouse in the City of London. So the question of who Heinreich (or Heinrich, or Henry) Faulenbach was remains a mystery. 

Lavender Hill’s most impressive monument belongs to the Lucena family. It is not mentioned at all by Meller and Parsons and seems to have been virtually unknown until it featured in Richard Barnes book on sculpture in London cemeteries. Meller and Paron’s missed it I suspect because it probably heavily overgrown for many years. The oldest photos I can find of it date from 2015 and although undergrowth has been cleared away the memorial itself still has Ivy suckers all over it. It must have been some find the council workmen who cleared the site.  The story of the Lucena family is fascinating, particularly that of Anne Maria Lucena, the housemaid who married her employer, became an extremely wealthy woman and was murdered by her son-in-law. I have already dealt with the story at length here, so won’t go into now.  I did however some across this account of Anne Maria’s funeral in the Middlesex Gazette of Saturday 11 January 1908 under the headline ‘The Hampshire Tragedy’ which I think is worth reprinting in full:    

FUNERAL AT LAVENDER HILL. The terrible New Year's Eve tragedy at "Velmead," Fleet, Hampshire, when the late Major Coates Phillips made such a furious attack on the house party, resulted in the death of a lady who was at one time a well-known Enfield resident. Mrs. Lucena, the mother-in-law of the assailant, had, since the divorce decree terminating the marriage of her daughter, lived with Mrs. Phillips either at South Kensington or at the latter’s house at Fleet, near Winchfield. Until after her husband’s death in 1876, she resided in Enfield, and the family were amongst the first to purchase the right of sepulture in Lavender Hill Cemetery. 

It was, therefore, decided, upon a fatal termination of the revolver shot wound, that the remains should be interred here. On the conclusion of the inquest., last Monday, the remains, enclosed in wood and lead shells, with an outer massive casket of polished oak, were given into the care of the undertaker, Mr. James Oakley, of Fleet and Farringdon street, and removed to London. On Wednesday the body was conveyed in an open hearse to Enfield, accompanied by Mr. Field, Mr. Oakley's City manager, the mourners—for the most part nephews and nieces- being met at the G.N. station. The weather was in accord with the sadness of the event. Rain descended copiously, and a gusty westerly wind swept across the cemetery. This notwithstanding, there were about 300 spectators to witness this closing phase of the tragedy. The Vicar of Enfield, the Rev. R. Howel Brown, officiated in the Cemetery chapel and also at the vault, which had been opened by Mr. C. Eaton, mason. Mr. W. J. Matthews, Clerk to the Burial Board, attended; and several police were present to repress any unseemly display, which, however, was altogether absent. On the contrary, the hundreds of on-looker s were evidently animated by feelings of sympathy and commiseration with the mourners, amongst whom were: Mr. T. H. Gardiner (of the firm of Messrs. Jackaman, Gardiner and Smith), family solicitor; Mr. F. Radian, Mr. Stephen Benn and Mrs. Benn of Ealing; Mr. C. Augustus Benn, of Eggars Hill, Aldershot; Mr. E. Purser, Old Windsor; Mr. A. Purser, Slough; Mr. A. W. Perry, and several lady relatives. Mr. and Mrs E. P. Morgan, of Windmill Hill, were also present.

Mrs. Phillips was physically unfit to undertake the long journey, and the ordeal of the funeral; but she sent a very handsome wreath. Floral tributes were also sent by "Bertha," the grand-daughter, Lady and Mrs. Humphreys, the servants at " Velmead" and Cheniston House, Kensington, Mr. Henry Smith (the solicitor who so narrowly escaped being killed at the time of the attack), Miss Ouchterlony ("With best love"), Mr. F. W. Behan, Mrs. W. Lang, Dr. Sunderland (of Cavendish Place), Mr. C. Benn, Mrs. C. A. Breay, "Alfred and Ada," "Edmund and Tot," Mrs. A. L. Martin, Mrs. J. A. Benn and family, Mrs. and the Misses Ouchterlony, and the family solicitors. 

The monument of the mysterious Heinreich Faulenbach

The silver breastplate bore upon it the simple inscription: ANNE MARIA LUCENA, Died 4 Jan., 1908, Aged 65 Years.  Although it is many years ago since the Lucena family resided in Enfield —Mr. Lucena died in 1876—widespread interest was aroused in the locality on the personality of the victim of this terrible tragedy becoming known to local residents. Especially was this so in the case of the older inhabitants of this district who have a vivid recollection of the family when they resided at the house now known as West View, Windmill Hill; and gossip and stories, almost forgotten, have been fully rehearsed here during the past, week. In this connection we might cite one anecdote which is said to be characteristic of Mr. Lucena, who was a solicitor by profession. Back in the 70s there were two very well-known men in commercial circles in the Town—the Brothers Young. Fred. Young was a butcher, and his place of business was at the Pent House, now occupied by Messrs. Stansfeld. The story goes that a dog belonging to Mr. Lucena had carried off a leg of mutton from Mr. Young's premises, and the tradesman hit upon what he conceived to be a shrewd way of presenting the subject of compensation to the owner of the dog.  "Sir," said he to the lawyer one day, “f you were a butcher, and a dog came into your shop and stole a leg of mutton, what would you do?" "Why, I should charge the owner of the dog the value of it, of course," replied Mr. Lucena. Taking the hint, it is said that Mr. Young lost no time in sending in a bill to his "legal adviser" for the value of the joint, accompanied by an intimation that his animal it was that had played the thief. But in lieu of the desired remittance the tradesman received a very different reply —no other than an amount, thus: "To advice on a point of law, 6s. 8d. value of mutton, 5s. 4d.; balance due, 1s. 4d. Please remit at once." We are not aware if there was ever a settlement. 

The Bosanquet chest tomb with the Anglican chapel in the background

The Lucena family grave in Lavender Hill Cemetery is located easily by what is undoubtedly the most handsome monument within those grounds. Mr. Lucena, dying at his house on Windmill Hill in 1876, was buried in a very spacious vault, some 10 ft. in depth and 12 ft. wide, massively constructed and enclosed by substantial ironwork. On a foundation of granite there stands a marble base surmounted by figures said to represent the family at the time of the father's decease. The central figure is that of a woman seated, contemplating a book, while at her knees are the two children, a boy arid a girl. The former holds a dog, which is a memorial of an animal greatly petted by the family in their happier home life at Enfield. Flanking the group is an angel figure on each side. with outspread wings, one grasping a cross, the other an anchor; and above the seated adult figure they hold a wreath. The whole of this statuary is of Italian marble, and it is said that the cost of the memorial was from £2,900 to £3,000. A tragic incident occurred during its erection here. One of the large atones used as a slab suddenly fell, while in an upright position, and killed one of the workmen. 

In the appended copy of the inscription carved on the marble, the reader will not fail to be struck, in the light of the recent tragedy, by the aptness of the Scriptural text. It will be noted, too, that the son's remains have, for some years past, been deposited within the vault. The inscription reads thus: “In Loving Memory of STEPHEN LANCASTER LUCENA, ESQ., Who died 13 June, 1876, In his 72nd Year. This monument is erected by his widow. STEPHIN LANCASTER LUCENA, Son of the above, Who died 4th May, 1900, Aged 34 Years. ‘In the midst of life we are in death.’" Although Mrs. Lucena had ceased to reside in Enfield, she retained considerable property in the locality; and we understand that only a few weeks before the sad at Velmead she was in the Town on business connected with her properties. On that occasion she appeared in good health, and conversed pleasantly with some local residents.