Secular within the Sacred

Brompton Cemetery: can a cemetery combine both the Sacred and the Secular in today’s changing urban society?

The expectation is that by 2050 more than 70% of the world population will live in urban areas. The growth of London is projected to be the fastest in the country. Exploring the Sacred and the Secular elements within Brompton Cemetery opens up a debate about its current use and future sustainability. 

Brompton Cemetery is currently only performing burials for people who already own plots, it is used by the public in a very restricted manner. Many trees were planted in the original design including an avenue or Lime trees leading from the entrance almost all of the way to the catacombes. The cemetery was layed out to replicate a cathedral with a central access and highly architectural buildings.

Sacred to Secular, the intentional change of use of the Mausoleum within Brompton cemetery for studio and co working space is perhaps the most contentious aspect of the proposed design, it has twenty remaining mausoleum, most of which are located along the central axis of the cemetery.

The activity that this intervention creates is encouraged to spill out into the new landscape settings as depicted in the drawings and sketches. introducing a series of events and activities which both focus on community involvement whilst also generating revenue.

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