London is confronting a severe shortage of burial space, with seventeen local authorities projected to run out of room for deceased residents by 2040. Three boroughs—Camden, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets—have already reached capacity. This crisis is exacerbated by London's aging population, with projections indicating that those aged 65 and over will constitute over 40 percent of the city's residents by 2040.
In response to the growing need, the Greater London Authority has recommended that local councils re-use graves older than 100 years and increase grave depths to accommodate multiple burials per plot. Alternative suggestions include utilizing 'grey belt' land, which is of lower ecological quality, to alleviate the shortage.
Amidst these contemporary challenges, historians are drawing attention to an ambitious plan conceived by architect Thomas Wilson nearly two centuries ago. Wilson's vision, put forth during London's rapid expansion following the Industrial Revolution, was to address the overflow of small parish churchyards and the potential health hazards posed by unburied corpses.
Wilson proposed the construction of a massive, 94-story pyramid in Primrose Hill, north London. The structure, designed to stack the deceased vertically, would have a footprint of 18 acres but offer the practical capacity of over 1,000 acres. It was envisioned to contain 215,219 individual catacomb vaults, capable of holding five million deceased Londoners. Mourners would access these vaults via ramps on each level. Adorned in granite and topped with an obelisk, Wilson intended the pyramid to become an iconic landmark, blending aesthetic appeal with a practical solution for burial.
The architect also saw a financial incentive in his plan. He estimated that with vaults priced at £50 and 40,000 burials annually, the Pyramid General Cemetery Company could generate up to £10,000,000, a sum equivalent to nearly £150 million today. Wilson described his project as 'practical, economical and remunerative,' aiming to 'go far towards completing the glory of London...teaching the living to die, and the dying to live for ever.'
However, Wilson's grand design faced significant opposition. In 1828, the Literary Gazette dismissed the project as 'a monstrous piece of folly,' and many were unconvinced. Parliament ultimately favored the development of more traditional 'garden cemeteries' in suburban areas, such as Highgate and Kensal Green. Wilson's pyramid concept was subsequently abandoned. With current cemetery space dwindling, the nearly 200-year-old proposal is now being revisited as a potential, albeit unconventional, solution to London's burial crisis.