Sep 6, 2025
Tree Walk
Conifers of Brookwood Cemetery
Saturday 13th September 2025
11am from the North Cemetery Chapel
Conifers have long been planted in Church yards and cemeteries, such as the
ubiquitous English Churchyard Yew, being both evergreen and long-lived
symbolising eternity.
With the introduction of Conifers from around the world in the 17th,18th, and 19
centuries, Pinetums, an arboretum or collection, of all types of Conifers for landscape
and ornament, became a Victorian gardening fashion. Monkey Puzzle trees and
Redwoods, amongst others, becoming desirable trees to own.
The Americas in particular were to prove to be a source of many important Conifers
that were to be planted in great numbers, making a lasting impact on the British
landscapes, planted then and now for both ornament and forestry.
In the 17th and 18th Centuries, Pinus Strobus – the White Pine, and Chamaecyparis
thyoides – The White Cypress found in the Eastern Americas were being introduced
and grown in the British Isles, later to be planted at Brookwood Cemetery.
The 19th Century saw further introductions from the western Americas, these
included: Sequoiadendron giganteum – The Giant Redwood, Pseudotsuga menziesii –
The Douglas fir, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana – Lawson's Cypress. Some seed from
these trees arriving in the British Isles at the same time that Brookwood first opened
in 1854 and subsequently, some major Local nurseries, such as Goldsworth and
Waterers were to play a big part in supplying and planting the new arrivals at
Brookwood Cemetery.
Enjoy a walk exploring the amazing collection of trees at Brookwood Cemetery
Event Location: North Cemetery, Cemetery Pales GU24 0BL Telephone No:
01483-472222 (No booking required)
Jul 18, 2024
To mark 170 years since its establishment, Brookwood Cemetery will host a celebratory event with walking tours of the cemetery on Surrey Day, Saturday 7 May 2022.
The event will feature information displays and members of the Brookwood Cemetery Society will be available to answer questions about the cemetery and help locate graves on the site. Guided walks of the site will include an introduction to the cemetery and a look inside some of the mausoleums and at the beautiful wildlife. The event will also mark 30 years of the Brookwood Cemetery Society.
Established through an Act of Parliament in 1852, Brookwood Cemetery (apart from the northern section) opened to the public on 13 November 1854 when the first burials took place. The cemetery is a Grade I listed park and garden and, at 220 acres, is one of the largest cemeteries in Western Europe.
As part of the ongoing restoration of Brookwood Cemetery, in 2021 Woking Borough Council remediated 7,000 cubic metres of contaminated land within the cemetery to create a beautiful new burial site and wetland area. This will accommodate 480 new burial plots, primarily for use in Muslim burials.
