The Friends of Horton Cemetery
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, now neglected and inaccessible, in Epsom, 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.
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.
The following film provides a summary of the work of our charity.
Our Research Work
Volunteer researchers are committed to writing the life histories of the 9000 individuals. By doing so, they are bringing the stories back, one by one, telling us how ordinary people came to be in the asylums and end their lives in Epsom. Each story is unique, often highlighting the plight of those afflicted with mental illness in the early 20th century. Read more about those who volunteer to research and write the stories here Our Volunteer Authors – Friends of Horton Cemetery
We are always looking for people to join the research team. Please contact us if this is something you would like to be involved with.
Thank you to the Surrey History Centre, and in particular Julian Pooley, for allowing us access to the archives.
The collection of records has been an invaluable resource to our researchers.
500 stories
The volunteers of the Friends of Horton Cemetery charity have so far researched, written and published almost 500 stories. Each story tells us about mostly ordinary, everyday people who lived over one hundred years ago, ended their days in one of the five asylums in Epsom and were buried in Horton Cemetery.
Our volunteers are all social heroes with huge hearts who have collectively given tens of thousands of hours of their time and continue their efforts to bring you these precious stories.
If you use the published stories, partly or completely, written by volunteers of the Friends of Horton Cemetery charity (Reg. No. 1190518), please acknowledge the volunteer who wrote the story by name, acknowledge the Friends of Horton Cemetery expressly and its registration number, and include this link to the STORIES section of the website https://hortoncemetery.org/the-people/horton-cemetery-stories/
‘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
Friends of Horton Cemetery influence law reform
The Friends of Horton Cemetery made a detailed submission to the Law Commission in January 2025 calling for stronger legal protections for neglected burial grounds—particularly those in private ownership.
Now, with the publication of the Law Commission’s report on Burial and Cremation in March 2026, several of the group’s core concerns appear to have been recognised at the highest level of policy.
Horton Cemetery, the resting place of around 9000 former psychiatric patients from the Epsom hospital cluster, has long been at the centre of FoHC’s work. Since its sale into private ownership in 1983, the site has suffered decades of neglect, with no public access and minimal maintenance.
In its submission, FoHC argued that the law currently leaves such sites in a regulatory vacuum, with no enforceable duty on owners to maintain them and limited powers for authorities to intervene.
That argument now appears to have gained traction. Read the full article below.
Friends of Horton Cemetery influence law reform ›
LOST SOULS: Campaigners ‘filled with hope’ after government says Surrey cemetery IS protected
The Trustees of Horton Cemetery are optimistic after meeting a Government Minister in March 2026, as part of a longstanding drive to return public access to Horton Cemetery.
Epsom and Ewell MP Helen Maguire organised the meeting with MoJ Minister Alex Davies Jones in Parliament, who told the group she is confident the land is protected from development.
Helen Maguire MP described the meeting as very constructive: “It was very important to her (the Minister) to make sure burial sites like these are protected for the future.”
“The question for everyone now is what are the next steps in terms of getting the site back into public ownership but certainly making sure we can maintain it, as currently it’s in complete disarray and is not at all recognising the 9000 people who are buried inside.”
Read the full article, written by Bauer Media journalist Mick Coyle, who was also present in Parliament.
MP for Epsom and Ewell, Helen Maguire
The Friends of Horton Cemetery were delighted that the MP for Epsom and Ewell, Helen Maguire MP has added her voice to the call for the cemetery to be restored to public ownership.
She states that, ‘This matters because it is about restoring dignity to those who have lost their lives.’
Please take time to listen to her message. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1DieFVG13j
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.
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
You can read Hilda’s Story here: NICHOLLS, Hilda – Friends of Horton Cemetery
As Francesca stated, “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.”
The Friends of Horton Cemetery are grateful to Francesca for contributing in this way. Thank you, Francesca, for being the voice for Hilda.
