Old maps and aerial photos

This page lists the best old maps and aerial photos we can find showing Fulham Cemetery or its location, and is divided into 2 parts: 

Before 1865 – Fulham Fields before the establishment of the cemetery.
After 1865 – showing Fulham Cemetery and its evolution.

Before 1865

Fulham Cemetery does not exist yet. The area known as Fulham Common Fields consists of farmland and market gardens.

1746 John Rocque's London 10 Miles Round Map

Rocque's 16-sheet map is perhaps the finest map of what is now Greater London published in the 18th Century. It shows the area now occupied by Fulham Cemetery as Fulham Field. Crabtree farm is shown. "Munster" is still "Muster". Hammersmith Bridge (1827) doesn't exist yet, but Fulham Bridge (Putney) does.

An Exact Survey of the citys of London Westminster ye Borough of Southwark and the Country near ten miles round / begun in 1741 & ended in 1745 by John Rocque Land Surveyor ; & Engrav'd by Richard Parr.

1837 Laurie's Plan of London

The map shows Fulham Common Fields where Fulham Cemetery is today. The West London Cemetery (Brompton Cemetery) is shown, laid out in 1837. Other interesting details include Crabtree farm, Dorset Cottage, Craven Cottage, Colehill House (aka Colehill Villa), and the Greyhound public house at the corner of Greyhound Lane. Lillie Road is still called Crown Lane.

LAURIE'S PLAN OF LONDON, WESTMINSTER AND SOUTHWARK Trigonometrically Surveyed by JOHN OUTHETT, 1837

It's not shown on the map, but Sir John Scott Lillie had already started developing Fulham Recreation Ground from 1826 (source). 

1849 A Picturesque Tour of the River Thames in its Western Course

This map is low on detail, but it shows clusters of houses around the villages of Hammersmith, Fulham, Parsons Green, and Walham Green (today Fulham Broadway). West London Cemetery (Brompton) is also shown.

A Picturesque Tour of the River Thames in its Western Course; including particular descriptions of Richmond, Windsor, and Hampton Court ... Illustrated, etc, MURRAY, John Fisher. 1842

1859 Post Office Directory

This map shows Fulham Common Fields where Fulham Cemetery is today, and the market gardens north of Lillie Road (here still named Crown Lane). Fulham Palace Road is still named Hammersmith and Fulham Road.

LONDON Drawn and engraved expressly for the POST OFFICE DIRECTORY, Davies, Benjamin Rees,1859

1864 Stanfords Map of London

The area that will be occupied by the cemetery in a year's time is still completely blank. (It's unknown whether the paths and hatching depict actual farm fields and dirt tracks.) The map shows the surrounding cottages, and especially the Hammersmith area, in great detail and high resolution.

Stanford’s Library Map Of London And Its Suburbs 1864; Showing All The Proposed Metropolitan Railways and Improvements.

After 1865

Fulham Cemetery was established on 3 August 1865, and enlarged in 1874 and 1880. ⭐️ = Recommended

⭐️ 1865 Ordnance Survey map of London

The Ordnance Survey map of London in 1865 shows Fulham Cemetery in its original size before the extensions of 1874 and 1880, with both Episcopal and Dissenters' chapels. Lillie Road is still called Crown Road. The Crabtree farm and surrounding cottages are shown in great detail.

London (First Editions c1850s) LII (includes: Fulham; Hammersmith) - 25 Inch Map

1865-6 Middlesex Sheet XXI

This map shows Fulham Cemetery soon after its opening, in its original size. Details of the surrounding farms and cottages are also shown. Fuham Recreation Ground (Lillie Rec) is not shown (it opened in 1892), although it was developed by Sir John Scott Lillie since 1826. What is today Charing Cross Hospital is still the Fulham Union Workhouse.

 Middlesex Sheet XXI.  Surveyed: 1865 to 1866, Published: 1873

1872 Stanford's Map Of London

This map also shows Fulham Cemetery in its original size, before the extension of 1874. All the cemetery paths are shown as tree-lined avenues, although it's unclear if this reflected the reality or just illustration. Charing Cross Hospital is shown as Hammersmith and Fulham Workhouse.

Stanford’s Library Map Of London And Its Suburbs 1872

1878 Stanfords Map of London

The extension to Munster Road in 1874, and the east lodge by the Munster Road gate is shown. This is before the southward extension (1880) and the construction of the mortuaries.

Stanford’s Geological Library Map Of London And Its Suburbs 1878

This map also includes Hammersmith Cemetery (now Margravine Cemetery) which was opened in 1869. Strode Street (later Road) has the first terraced housing in the area. 

⭐️ 1894-96 Ordnance Survey map of London

The Ordnance Survey map of London in 1897 shows the extension to Munster Road (1874) with a lodge by the gate and two mortuaries, as well as the southward extension (1880). The layout of the paths matches that of the present day. Fulham Recreation Ground (Lillie Rec) is shown, opened in 1892. Lillie Road now has its present-day name (after Sir John Scott Lillie).

Sir John Scott Lillie started to develop the area that became the Recreation Ground in 1826. Fulham Football Club played here in 1884 and 1885. (Source). The gradual encroachment of urbanisation  from the north and east is visible, following the introduction of the underground railway in the 1880s.

1912 Ordnance Survey map of London

This map does not show much detail of the cemetery, but the staggering transformation of Fulham from farmland to dense residential streets over the preceding 20 years is evident. Gone is Crabtree Farm, the last farm to close (in 1910). Gone is the Munster Road Nursery. You can see Fulham Cross school, built in 1908, and the Lillie Rec bandstand. 

London Sheet N - OS Six-Inch Map

1915 Ordnance Survey map of London VIII.3

This map from 1915 shows the cemetery layout in good detail, with both chapels, both mortuaries, and both lodges. A tramway runs down Fulham Palace Road. (The LCC electric trams can be seen in this aerial photo from 1928 or on Facebook – they ran from 1906 until the introduction of the trolleybus in 1935.)

London (1915- Numbered sheets) VIII.3 Revised: 1913, Published: 1935

1944-73 Ordnance Survey National Grid maps

It's not clear exactly when this area was surveyed, but all cemetery buildings are still in place, which puts it somewhere between 1949 and 1966. This shows the shape and location of the Nonconformist Chapel in greatest detail.

Ordnance Survey National Grid maps, 1944-1973. The most detailed Ordnance Survey maps after the Second World War. 

This map shows the industrial Thames riverside in its heyday, as well as Riverside Studios (est. 1933). None of the present-day housing estates exist yet (Bayonne Estate, Aintree Estate, etc.) – built after 1960. This is the first map to show Fulham Hospital instead of Fulham Union Workhouse, although the present building was only inaugurated in 1973.

1949 Aerial photo, looking east

This remarkable image, taken 5 years after the war, shows the cemetery densely packed with graves, before most of the headstones were removed and the cemetery grassed over. The Nonconformist Chapel, both mortuaries, and east lodge all still exist at this time. There are surprisingly few trees, although the photo was taken in April so most would not have been in leaf yet. It is just possible to make out a line of trees along the principal avenue.

[EAW022275] The city from Fulham Football Ground looking towards Hyde Park and beyond, Fulham, from the south-west, 1949. © Historic England. To zoom in on the image, create an account. This is the maximum detail available.

The full image also includes Margravine Cemetery, still showing the central chapel, demolished in 1953, and the elm tree avenue.

1981 Aerial photo (NCAP)

The process of "grassing over" appears incomplete at this stage, with large numbers of graves still visible in the northwest and southwest sections. Most of the paths are tree-lined, except, surprisingly, the principal avenue. The Friends believe that this was an elm tree avenue that succumbed to Dutch elm disease in the 1970s (as was the case in Margravine Cemetery). The Nonconformist chapel is gone; it's unclear whether the mortuaries and east lodge are gone too. 

NCAP-000-000-353-072, Fulham; Greater London Authority; England • 13 October 1981. Full image resolution is only available with a subscription. Licence purchased for limited (450px) non-commercial use on web.

In the full image you can see Lillie Rec still lacking its playground and ball courts. Everington School still exists (photo). Bayonne Estate is under construction and Bayonne Park is derelict. Most of Strode Road's terraces are gone.

1992 Aerial photo (NCAP)

At this time the cemetery does not look that much different from the present day. There are ornamental flowerbeds by the chapel and lodge, as well as on both sides of the avenue by the Munster Road gate. The giant purple maple on the central path is visible as a small tree, as are the cedars that today shade the avenue. There is a barren area where the south mortuary must have stood.

NCAP-000-000-351-624, Fulham; Greater London Authority; England • Date: 16 May 1992. Full image resolution is only available with a subscription. Licence purchased for limited (450px) non-commercial use on web.

In the full image, the south triangle of Lillie Rec has a hard surface with several ball courts. Everington Street Infants School still exists. Strode Road has new housing.

Modern maps

Section Layout, 2002

London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham: Fulham Cemetery Section Layout, Jul 2002. 

Consecrated and unconsecrated sections

Consecrated ground is blessed as sacred by the Church of England. Unconsecrated areas include general burial plots for all other religions including Roman Catholic and other Nonconformist Christians or "dissenters".

Fulham Cemetery interactive map

Fulham Cemetery Friends maintain this custom Google map to catalogue the cemetery's existing features and for future planning.

Open the map in a new window to show or hide the layers.
Map shortcut: bit.ly/fulhamcemtrees 

The map has layers for:

Fulham Cemetery Friends welcomes contributions of more maps showing Fulham Cemetery!
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