Hyde Park’s Hidden Victorian Pet Cemetery

Hyde Park hides a secret. Out of sight and, not ordinarily open to the public, is a cemetery.

The headstones however are tiny and you will see names such as ‘Darling Fluff’, ‘Jack the Dandy’, ‘Chim-Chim’ and ‘Bijou’. This is not ordinary cemetery, it is a pet cemetery.

I was shown this fascinating and rather touching site on a Royal Parks Hidden Stories tour. 

Read on for the story behind it, including a photo of a headstone to a poor canine murder victim.

The Cemetery’s Origins

The pet cemetery was established in 1881 and is located in the garden of Victoria Lodge: a park-keeper’s lodge dating from the mid-19th century. 

The story of the cemetery starts with a Maltese Terrier named Cherry.

Cherry was the pet of a Mr and Mrs J. Lewis Barned, who were good friends with Mr Winbridge: the park-keeper based at Victoria Lodge in the 1880s. Cherry had loved Hyde Park and the owners requested for Cherry to be buried in the garden of the lodge. 

It could have been that this was the only burial ever to take place here but then came Prince.

Prince, was the pet of Sarah Fairbrother, a wife to an actual prince: Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, cousin of Queen Victoria. I am not sure what her naming her dog Prince says about their marital relationship, but there we go…

Prince (the dog) is said to have died right outside the lodge, crushed under the wheel of a passing carriage. Winfield therefore also buried this dog in the grounds of his lodge. 

The Cemetery Takes Off

The well-to-do in Victorian society naturally then became desperate to bury their deceased pets here, with the pets of royalty and thus the pet cemetery was started. Winfield opened up the garden for more burials as a philanthropic gesture. 

All the headstones are more or less of the same shape so it is likely a deal was struck with a local stonemason. This one, however, is slightly larger:

Hyde Park pet cemetery was one of the first in England but they became quite a popular idea across the country in the 19th century.

Victorians were obsessed with death and morality, as can be seen in the grand Magnificent Seven cemeteries. They also wanted to ensure their pets got given the best send off and a happy after life. 

Closure and the Cemetery Today

Over 1000 burials took place here until 1903 when the cemetery was deemed full and officially closed. A few sporadic burials have taken place since, with the last taking place in 1976. 

It is predominantly dogs that are buried here, with a few cats and also, apparently, a couple of monkeys and birds.

It is fascinating looking at all the headstones and reading both the interesting names but also the emotional epitaphs.

In one corner you will find the headstone dedicated to a canine murder victim.

It remembers: ‘”Balu”. Son of Fritz. Poisoned by a cruel Swiss’. There is a story there I am sure…

On my way out I spotted something else interesting: a series of carved letters and numbers that reminded me of the police numbers carved into the brick wall on Myddelton Passage.

The guide suggested that they were left by soldiers stationed here in the war or potentially park wardens. They cannot all be wartime however as I can see a ‘1933’ and a ‘1929’. Let me know what you think in the comments.

How to Visit

To visit you will need to book onto the Royal Parks Hidden Stories of Hyde Park tour. It is a great hour and a half tour through the park, unveiling, as the title says, hidden stories along the way.

Click here to find out more.

Check out more of London’s quirky historical spots below!