Reception House, Hammersmith Cemetery

The Reception House at Hammersmith Cemetery was built around 1869, likely designed by George Saunders for the Hammersmith Burial Board. It is constructed from brown stock brick, with red brick and Bath stone detailing, and features a slate roof.

This single-storey building has an octagonal shape and is situated in the north-east section of the cemetery. It stands on a brick plinth topped with stone coping. A stone stringcourse runs at cill level, and there is a cornice with red brick banding above the plinth and below the cornice. The entrance, located on the east side, is accessed by two stone steps and features original plank double doors with iron strap-hinges, set within a red brick pointed-arch that has a stone hood-mould. The building is adorned with four high-set lancet windows, each with red brick arches, stone cills, and cast-iron lattice grilles, evenly spaced around the structure. There are also two original square-section cast-iron downpipes. The steep-pitched octagonal slate roof is topped with four dormers that have wooden louvres and a decorative metal pinnacle.

Inside, the walls feature stone mortuary slabs supported by brick, and the floor is made of stone slabs that slope down to a central soakaway. The boarded timber roof structure includes metal tie rods radiating from a central metal boss, and the brickwork has been whitewashed.