The Friends of Horton Cemetery is a charitable organisation whose goal is to bring dignity and respect to the memory of the many tens of thousands of mental health patients, including war heroes, who died within the Epsom Cluster of asylums.
Between 1899 and 1955, 9000 people were buried in Horton Cemetery, which is now a neglected and inaccessible area of land in Epsom in Surrey, England.
Each one had been a patient at one of the five mental health hospitals which made up the Epsom Cluster. Their graves are now unmarked but they are not forgotten.
1500 ceramic flowers, painted by the public, were unveiled at The Horton Arts Centre, in Epsom on World Mental Health Day in 2023.
In time, the charity’s vision is to reclaim the derelict cemetery and transform it into a beautiful, calming garden-arboretum. There we will create a fitting memorial to all of the patients, each of whom forms part of the history of Epsom.
Research
Volunteer researchers are writing the life histories of the 9000 individuals –bringing them back, one by one, into current memory. Each story is unique, often highlighting the plight of those afflicted with mental illness in the early 20th century.
Thank you to the Surrey History Centre, and in particular Julian Pooley, for allowing us access to your archives. Your collection has been an invaluable resource for our research, and we are grateful for your assistance. We are confident that our project would not have been possible without your help.
‘Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals’.
Sir William Gladstone
The following film provides a summary of the work of our charity.
The Lost Souls Investigation
In 2025, Horton Cemetery was profiled by a journalist/ radio broadcaster, Mick Coyle. He visited the site and was fortunate to speak to a great granddaughter of Hilda Nicholls, who was buried there in 1928.
To quote Francesca from the interview,
“There are 9000 people buried there, this is sacred ground and it doesn’t look very sacred….they were people, they are people. If Hilda hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here. She just deserves respect.”
“Her whole life she was made to feel ashamed of, she was hidden away, and that’s how she died and now she’s been buried in a place like this. It’s like she’s being disrespected in death as she was in life.”
Francesca says that her family did not speak of her great grandmother; there are no photos or family records of her.
The Friends of Horton Cemetery are grateful to Francesca for contributing in this way. Thank you, Francesca, for being the voice for Hilda.
You can listen to the full programme with the following link.
https://hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits/uk/news/mental-asylum-grave-at-horton-sold-off
