Emily Chan
Most of the pets belonged to women who were members of wealthy families living in stately houses at the edge of the park.
Hyde Park was also an address of status. Those who buried their pets in a royal park were highly regarded, especially since one of the first patrons of the cemetery was the Duke of Cambridge himself.
The Duke buried his dog, Prince, in the pet cemetery after he ran into the road and got hit by a carriage.
Mr. Winbridge tried to save Prince, but unfortunately, it was too late. Other dogs from families of nobility were later buried alongside Prince at Hyde Park.
In 1892, Lord Petrie’s dog, Tappy, died. The Lord was overcome with grief at the death of his companion and died shortly before Tappy’s burial was supposed to take place. He was only 46 years old when he passed away.
Additionally, the family of Mr. and Mrs. J. Barned had two dogs buried at Hyde Park. The first was a Maltese terrier named Cherry, who was the first dog to be laid to rest in the cemetery.
Cherry was well-loved by the family’s young children. They loved to dress him up in outfits. On one occasion, Cherry was dressed as a soldier, and in another, he was a baby.
When Cherry died, the family got a new dog named Zoe. When Zoe died, she was honored with an inscription about her life’s adventures on her headstone.
Another dog named Topper, a fox terrier is buried in the pet cemetery. He was a mischievous fellow who belonged to the Hyde Park Police Station.
He liked to run away from the station and join the aristocrats strolling along Rotten Row. Apparently, Topper died from overeating.
The burials slowly came to a stop by the early 1900s when the cemetery started to run out of space. Today, the pet cemetery is maintained by the Royal Parks charity and receives many visitors.
