Pet cemetery in Hyde Park, London

A real photo postcard dating from around the turn of the century and showing the dog cemetery on the north side of Hyde Park. Situated near Victoria Gate, the cemetery was in use for nearly 40 years.

Packed tightly together in a now neglected patch of ground behind Victoria Lodge, hidden from prying eyes behind high wooden fences and dense bushes, lie the graves and memorials of some 200 cherished pets. It is thought that the first burial took place here when a dog belonging to the Duke of Cambridge, who at the time was Ranger of Hyde Park, was run over outside Victoria Gate, and died in the Lodge. It soon became fashionable for pets to be buried in this little cemetery, and the graves of birds, cats and monkeys, as well as dogs, are to be found here. The last interment took place around 1915.