What have Ford Maddox Brown (Pre-Raphaelite artist); Cora Crippen (murder’s wife); and Mary Shepherd (a tramp who lived in Alan Bennett’s driveway), have in common? They’re all buried in the amazing, Grade II listed, St Pancras and Islington Cemetery in East Finchley which has more occupants than any other cemetery in the United Kingdom.
This fascinating site has been overshadowed by its famous cousin in Highgate but it has a rich history and today there are areas which are extremely atmospheric with untended mystery. Following concern about the health risks of over-crowded burial grounds a large acreage was bought in 1854 to be designated as London’s first municipally owned cemetery. This was eventually divided between the two Boroughs but the boundary between them has long since gone and to all intents and purposes this is one site. 
Look out for a string of notable people buried here and I’m told that if you go deep enough into the site you will come across quaint and touching mementos to loved one such as a child’s grave decorated with a toy-filled cot. With more than a million people interred or cremated here, this is the UK’s most used cemetery and deserves to be better known.
My thanks to Fenella Reed for alerting me to this story.
