London Road Cemetery

London Road Cemetery is a 17ha cemetery in Coventry, England, designed by Joseph Paxton and opened in 1847.It lies South-East of the city centre and is bisected by the West Coast main railway line between Coventry and Rugby, which pre-dates the cemetery and runs roughly West-East through it.A 'Friends of London Road Cemetery' group publish newsletters, organise guided tours, and hold litter clean-up events.HistoryPaxton was commissioned by the Coventry Cemetery Committee on 9 October 1845. The chosen site was a former quarry, which he first visited in early 1846. He presented his ground plan to the committee on 6 March 1846 and plans for the chapels and the landscaping on 19 March. Planting began in November that year, using a variety of native and exotic trees, including Silver Birch, weeping Silver Lime, English Elm and Purple Beech. Many of these trees were supplied and planted by John Ronalds (son of Hugh Ronalds) from their nursery in Brentford.The first superintendent, Paxton protege Richard Ashwell, and his successors continued the programme of planting.The Cemetery is known to be one of the best preserved Victorian Cemeteries in the country, despite being damaged during the Second World War following bombing to the City and the nearby Armstrong Siddeley factory.