The Columbarium

The Columbarium is a Grade II listed building located in Brookwood Cemetery, built around 1900. The designer is unknown. Constructed from Portland stone, it has a cruciform shape with a central dome capped in a cross. The east face features a pediment supported by paired Doric columns, and the tympanum is inscribed with the word "COLUMBARIUM." Steps lead up to a doorway, which has been blocked with breeze blocks since 2003. The curved quadrant walls display channelled rustication, with rectangular fielded panels above, while the other three arms of the building end in paired pilasters. Although the interior has not been inspected, it is believed to contain a gallery at ground level and steps leading down to a vault.

Historically, this structure was originally intended to be the mausoleum for the 5th Earl Cadogan, who lived from 1840 to 1915. He sold the building to the London Necropolis Company in 1910 for £200. The term "columbarium," derived from the Latin word for dovecote, refers to a building designed to hold niches for caskets of ashes. This columbarium is the largest mausoleum in the cemetery and is noted for its elegant classical design and unusual history.