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The Undertaker at Work by Brian Parsons London Cemeteries: an illustrated guide and gazeteer by Hugh Mellor and Brian Parsons The Glades of Remembrance, Brookwood Cemetery by Brian Parsons, Erkin Guney and John Clarke The London Way of Death by Brian Parsons J H Kenyon: the first 125 years by Brian Parsons
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Committed to the Cleansing Flame by Brian Parsons From Brooke Street to Brookwood Brian Parsons Bunny France Frederick W Paine: the first 125 years by Brian Parsons Evolution of the British Funeral Industry Funerary Practice in England & Wales T H Sanders & Sons London Cemeteries in Old Photographs

Welcome to Brian Parsons’ Website

Brian Parsons


























Photo courtesy Richmond Local History Society



Hello, and welcome to my website.


I work freelance providing a training, consultancy and research service under the banner of Funeral Service Training (London).


My website provides further information about me, my publications and my lectures. Links to all of these can be found above.


Meanwhile, you can contact me by emailing info@brianparsons.org.uk




My New Book: London Cemeteries: A Guide and Gazetter


London Cemeteries: An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer has now been published by The History Press.


London Cemeteries: An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer is a comprehensive guide to all cemeteries within Greater London. Listed alphabetically and with a map to help locate them, each entry includes the address, the date of foundation, the owner, the size, a note on its history, development and current state, and the names, dates and major achievements of any note-worthy people buried there. There are also chapters on the origins of London’s cemeteries and cemetery history, planning, architecture and epitaphs.


Illustrated throughout with both modern photographs and a wide range of rarely seen archive images, it is an essential source of information for anyone interested in London’s social and architectural history. Alongside a refreshed design, this sixth edition has been extensively revised with updated biographies, additional details about buildings and visitor facilities, fresh research on flora and fauna and entries for 28 further cemeteries in the Greater London area.


Price £25 from The History Press.


Forthcoming Lectures


 2025

Sunday 23 March

Lecture and tour of the West London Crematorium to commemorate the 140th anniversary of Mrs Jeanette Pickersgill, the first person to be cremated at Woking Crematorium. Mrs Pickersgill’s ashes rest in the catacomb under the Anglican Chapel in Kensal Green Cemetery. Further details & booking from the Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery


Friday 16 May

A Look at London’s Cemeteries

Dartford Historical Society


Date to be confirmed

Lecture to commemorate the 140th anniversary of Mrs Jeanette Pickersgill, the first person to be cremated at Woking Crematorium.

London Association of Funeral Directors




 Current Research & Articles in Preparation


Revision of Peter Jupp’s book From Dust to Ashes. Cremation and the British Way of Death (which originally appeared in 2006) to be published in 2025. The new edition of this seminal text will be issued to coincide with the 140th anniversary of the first cremation in modern times.


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The Impact of Cremation on the Undertakers Funeral Director Monthly March 2025


Organs in Crematoria Organists' Review 2025


Burial at Brompton Cemetery: Findings from Funeral Directors Records


Funeral Directors and the 1977 Strike


The History of Kingston Cemetery and Crematorium


The eighth of the ‘Magnificent Seven’? The History of Victoria Park Cemetery



You can contact me by emailing info@brianparsons.org.uk