There are many hidden treasures in London that I’m still discovering after a lifetime in this city. One that I was completely unaware of until recently was the dog cemetery in Hyde Park. From 1880 till about 1915, about 300 dogs and some cats and birds were interred in a plot of ground near the Victoria Gate – close to Lancaster Gate tube.
The names of the deceased canines vary with a couple being rather politically incorrect now. One can see pets called Pepys, Little Lord Quex and My Little Dorritt. Grave inscriptions include a slightly amended Shakespeare quote: “After life’s fitful slumber, he sleeps well”.
The whole thing was started by the Duke of Cambridge in 1880 when he got permission for his wife to bury her pet dog in the park – where he was the official ranger. And then the dead pooches just kept coming! It was a smart address for your deceased canine or feline.
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However, not everybody thought the dog cemetery was a cute addition to Hyde Park. The author George Orwell loathed it: “Perhaps the most horrible spectacle in Britain”. Other pet cemeteries in London include:
- Purrfect Peace Pet Crematorium, near Epping Forest
- Ilford Animal Cemetery
- The Old Blue Cross Pet Cemetery
