Historic Burial Plot for Sale at Kensal Green Cemetery
Privately owned and unused since 1913
About Kensal 1913
London's first garden cemetery
Founded in 1833 and inspired by Père Lachaise in Paris, Kensal Green Cemetery was the first of London’s “Magnificent Seven” garden cemeteries. Across some seventy-two acres of tree-lined avenues and classical monuments rests writers, artists, engineers and members of the royal family. It is aGrade I registered on the National Heritage List - a designated conservation area, and among the most celebrated burial grounds in London.
Bought by an artist, beside an industrialist
In 1913 the plot was acquired by William Cunningham Hector (1875-1929), 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 Scotland.
He bought it along with the grave of his father, William Hector —a Director of Fábrica de Tecidos Aliança in Rio de Janeiro, one of Brazil's largest textile mills of the late nineteenth century - who was laid to rest that same year.
Held in Reserve as a family plot, 43941 was never used. William Cunningham Hector died in 1929 and lies in Scotland; the grave has passed down, unused, for more than a century.
A Distinguished Location
The plot lies directly beside the graves of William Hector (d. 1913) and Henry Oppenheim (d. 1913) - 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.
Prime Location
- Section 174, Row RS, Grave No. 43941
- Prestigious front-row position near a main pathway, surrounded by historic monuments and mature trees.
Generous Dimensions
- Oversized 4' x 9' plot (36 sq ft) – rare by today’s standards
- Modern plots are typically 2.5' x 6.5' (16 sq ft), offering less space
Burial Rights in Perpetuity
- This is a grave held with the right of burial in perpetuity
- New burials are offered exclusively on 50-year leaseholds, renewable at additional cost
Private Sale
- Not available through the cemetery office
- A rare opportunity to acquire a family-owned, unused burial plot in London’s most iconic Victorian cemetery