Woking Crematorium

Woking Crematorium is a Grade II listed building in Woking, England, with ten acres of memorial gardens and a Chapel of Memory. A dedicated room holds books of remembrance devoted to those who have passed.

Sir Henry Thompson founded this first purpose-built crematorium in the United Kingdom in 1878 after purchasing land from the London Necropolis Company. The first registered cremation took place on 26 March 1885 once laws permitted the practice in 1884.

The design consciously resembled a church to offer familiar forms for people in the Victorian era who were unfamiliar with cremation. The building uses arches and windows borrowed from the 13th century, creating a quiet setting that feels known to visitors.

The crematorium is on Hermitage Road in St Johns and opens Monday to Friday between 9 AM and 5 PM. The memorial gardens are freely accessible, and visitors can walk through the grounds to honor memories.

The crematorium was built during a time when cremation was highly controversial in Britain and stood empty for years until legal clarity was achieved. The first cremations drew strong public interest and altered the country's burial culture over time.