A GRAVE THE CEMETERY CAN NO LONGER SELL
Granted in Perpetuity, 1913. Never Used.
A full-size front-row plot at Kensal Green — one of London's Magnificent Seven. The cemetery no longer sells graves in advance. This one can be bought privately, today.
Why This Matters
Kensal Green has stopped selling graves in advance.
Kensal Green has very limited space remaining. Evidence given to Parliament by the General Cemetery Company in October 2025 stated that only about 1% of the cemetery remained available for burials, that around 15 new graves were sold each year, and that the cemetery expected to be full within 10 years.
In response the Board resolved that plots would no longer be sold in advance or held in reserve: a new grave cannot be bought without a funeral being arranged at the same time.
Nor is there an easy alternative. Brompton sells only for immediate interment. West Norwood, Nunhead, Abney Park and Tower Hamlets are closed or restricted. Highgate permits advance purchase only to those over eighty or terminally ill.
Plot 43941 sits outside all of it — transferable privately to a new owner today, without a death and without urgency.
1%of the cemetery remaining available for burial.
STATED TO PARLIAMENT, OCTOBER 2025
The Opportunity
Perpetual rights. No lease. No renewal.
Plot 43941 was purchased in 1913 under the original terms of the General Cemetery Company — burial rights granted in perpetuity. That status is legally protected and cannot be replicated. Every plot sold at Kensal Green today is offered on a 50-year leasehold, renewable at the cemetery's discretion and at additional cost. This plot carries no such conditions.
Section 174, Row RS, Grave No. 43941
The Location
Front row. Main pathway. Grade I listed.
The plot occupies a front-row position beside a main pathway in Section 174 — one of the cemetery's most prestigious areas. Henry Oppenheim (1835–1912), the financier behind Britain's 1875 purchase of shares in the Suez Canal Company and backer of the Central London Railway, today's Underground Central Line, is buried two plots up the same row from plot 43941.
Two plots up the same row from Henry Oppenheim (1835–1912)
Historical Record
The plan above is drawn from the General Cemetery Company's original records. Plot 43941 appears in Section 174, Row RS — a front-row position beside one of the cemetery's principal pathways. The surrounding plots include some of the most significant monuments in this part of the grounds.
The plot's position has remained unchanged since 1913. It is accessible, clearly marked, and in excellent condition. The adjacent grave of William Hector (d. 1913) — the plot's original owner's father — remains in place.
The Plot
Grave No. 43941 — as it stands today
The photograph above shows plot 43941 and its immediate surroundings. The plot has never been used. To the left is the Craik family grave; Henry Oppenheim (1835–1912) is two plots up the same row from plot 43941.
The plot measures 4 feet by 9 feet (36 square feet). A modern plot at Kensal Green is typically 2 feet 6 inches by 6 feet 6 inches (approximately 16 square feet). This plot is more than twice the standard size.
1913
Year of purchase
4′ × 9′
Plot dimensions
In perpetuity
Burial rights
113 years
Held in reserve
How This Compares
Current Kensal Green offering vs. Plot 43941
Current Kensal Green plots
- Available only when a burial is due
- 50-year grant, extendable in 5-year blocks from £580
- 6′6″ × 2′6″ — approximately 16 sq ft
- Front row from £27,000, grave only
- Casket not permitted
- Depth subject to ground conditions
Plot 43941
- Available now by private assignment
- Perpetual grant, 13 September 1913 — no renewal, no expiry
- 9′ × 4′ — 36 sq ft, more than twice the size
- Front row, Section 174, beside a principal path
- Casket permitted (no metal fittings)
- Offers invited around £42,500
Source: General Cemetery Company fees list, effective 1 April 2026. Prices exclude interment fees. Depth and capacity subject to ground conditions in both cases.
Provenance
The history of the plot
William Cunningham Hector (1875–1929)
The plot was purchased in 1913 by William Cunningham Hector, a Glasgow painter and antiques collector. Born in Rio de Janeiro and trained at the Glasgow School of Art, he exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy and later owned Ethie Castle in Angus, Scotland.
He purchased the plot alongside the grave of his father, William Hector, who was buried at Kensal Green that same year. Plot 43941 was held in reserve as a family plot. William Cunningham Hector died in 1929 and is buried in Scotland. The plot has passed down through the family, unused, for more than a century.
Henry Oppenheim (1835–1912)
Henry Oppenheim was one of the most significant financiers of the Victorian era. He was the principal backer of the 1875 British government purchase of shares in the Suez Canal Company — a transaction arranged by Lionel de Rothschild on behalf of Prime Minister Disraeli — which gave Britain a controlling interest in the canal.
Oppenheim also backed the Central London Railway, which opened in 1900 and became the Central Line of today's London Underground. He is buried two plots up the same row from plot 43941, in Section 174.
Kensal Green Cemetery
London's first garden cemetery
Founded in 1833 and modelled on Père Lachaise in Paris, Kensal Green was the first of London's 'Magnificent Seven' garden cemeteries. It covers 72 acres of tree-lined avenues, classical monuments and Grade I listed chapels.
Among those buried here are Isambard Kingdom Brunel, William Makepeace Thackeray, Anthony Trollope, Wilkie Collins, Harold Pinter and members of the British royal family. The cemetery is Grade I registered on the National Heritage List for England and is a designated conservation area.
It remains an active cemetery, managed by the General Cemetery Company, and is open to the public daily. The grounds are maintained to a high standard and are regularly visited by historians, architects and those with family connections to the site.
Enquire
Arrange a viewing or request further information
Offers invited around
£42,500
Kensal Green Cemetery, Harrow Road, London W10 4RA
West Gate opening hours
The burial rights to plot 43941 (Section 174, Row RS, Grave No. 43941) at the General Cemetery of All Souls, Kensal Green, London W10 4RA are offered for private sale. The rights are held in perpetuity under the original terms of purchase dated 1913.
The sale transfers the burial rights only. The land itself remains the property of the General Cemetery Company. The purchaser will be responsible for any monument, inscription or works carried out on the plot, subject to the cemetery's regulations.
All enquiries are handled directly by the current rights holder. This listing does not constitute a legal offer. Prospective purchasers should obtain independent legal advice before proceeding.
Under the General Cemetery Act 2025 the Company may give not less than six months' notice proposing to extinguish rights in graves unused for 75 years or more. A timely objection by the registered owner prevents extinguishment, and the first interment restarts the period. No notice has been issued for this grave.
© 2026 Kensal 1913. All rights reserved.