New cemetery memorial garden to railway workers

The memorial garden is on a piece of disused land near the cemetery

A memorial garden dedicated to railway staff has been opened at one of the country's largest cemeteries.

The site has been created at Brookwood near Woking by the train operator South Western Railways.

The project has been part of the 200th anniversary of passenger rail travel in September 2025.

Brookwood was opened in 1854 to deal with the chronic shortage of grave space in London, with trains used to bring the dead from the capital to Surrey until 1941.

Old tracks from the nearby railway have been used to create the memorial

The garden has been created on a disused patch of land between the station and the cemetery.

A section of old track from the railway has been used as the centrepiece, along with planters made from old sleepers.

The garden is dedicated to former railway workers

The memorial garden was built by Hackwood Building Services.

Mark Gibbs from the company said: "As soon as I saw the photos of the rather barren looking area and the plans for the proposed garden, I knew it was a job I was going to enjoy managing.

"Being slightly outside our normal remit made it even more enjoyable.

"Everyone rose to the challenge, even mother nature. With gardeners praying for rain and our team taking on the hard landscaping praying for sun, thankfully she gave us a mix of both."