St George’s Church, Brentford

Building recording and excavation of burials from within a large post-medieval cemetery prior to development

St. George’s Church replaced an earlier Chapel which was built sometime between 1762 and 1766. The Chapel fell in to disrepair in 1863, and was demolished in 1886 to enable the construction of the Church. St. George’s Church was closed in 1959 and used as a musical museum from 1963–2008. Prior to alterations for residential use, a programme of historic building recording and archaeological excavation was required. Historical research suggested that the church was not used for burials but that the preceding chapel was. Records indicate a total of 2299 individuals were interred between the 1760s and 1868. Archaeological excavation of all graves from within the footprint of St Georges Church, plus those within certain other areas which will be impacted upon by the development recovered the remains of over 400 individuals. A small number of brick tombs were found, one of which had been badly damaged by the construction of the church tower. The burials were generally well-preserved and in stacks, with initial evidence suggesting that at least some of the stacks were family plots.

Post-excavation analysis is ongoing to enable the site to be published.