London Cemetery
The cemetery on the Arras–Neuville‑Vitasse road combines a wartime plot of long south‑facing rows with later short east‑facing rows irregularly arranged towards the Cross of Sacrifice, entered down steps between stone pillars and flower boxes, and later given a standard Lutyens‑type shelter backed by Lombardy poplars and a commemorative screen wall.
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Description
The cemetery lies along the road from Arras to Neuville- Vitasse and consists of two parts. In plot 1 to the left of the entrance, the graves face south in long rows that were established during the war. The other part consists of graves in short rows facing the east side with the Cross of Sacrifice. However, the irregularity of the latter part is unusual in cemeteries constructed after the Armistice.
The cemetery lies a little lower than the road and is accessible by way of some steps between two flower boxes in a semicircular forecourt. The entrance is marked by two pillars of natural stone that are incorporated in the wall, also of natural stone, and are typical of many entrances by Lutyens and Goldsmith. In this case, the detailing is fairly plain. The central axis consists of a central path with the Cross of Sacrifice in front between two large yews and, at the back, between two hornbeams, a screen wall with the names that belong to graves in the vicinity that were destroyed.
What is unusual is that there is also a lateral axis, with a large shelter – behind the long row with the first graves – that is not on the drawing and has been added at a later stage. The two Lombardy poplars flanking the building like sentinels are also remarkable, the more so as they are only used as such beside the War Stone. Nor is it clear why there is no War Stone here, although the cemetery comprises more than 500 graves. The shelter has its origins in a standard gatehouse as is found in different versions in several cemeteries, with natural stone or a brick front, and with a flat or saddle roof, for example in cemeteries in Wancourt, Pernes, Feuchy and Assevillers. A comparable shelter building is also found in Menin Road South Military Cemetery by Blomfield. (Geurst, 2010, p.356)
Bibliography
Geurst, J. (2010) Cemeteries of the Great War by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers.
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