The Churchyard

The oldest part of the Churchyard lies on the right as you walk up the ironstone path from the medieval lychgate, the height of the ground showing how past generations used and reused burial space. Here lie members of the Outtrim, Firmager, Brasier and Jarrett families. Thomas Outtrim was churchwarden at the time of Waterloo. The new path, laid in in 1992, was paid for from a generous bequest from Mr Raymond Porter, one of the more recent benefactors of St Peter's.

Under the West Window is the double grave of Lord Mounstuart and John Elphinstone, distant relatives of our present Queen. Further along, overlooking the road and side by side are Dr Eileen Joyce, the Australian born pianist and Sir Thomas Beecham the eminent British conductor, who was reburied here in 1991.

Behind them is the grave of Frederick Delius and his wife Jelka. Delius is among the greatest of British composers and was a friend of Beatrice Harrison, the cellist who charmed the nightingales and is also buried in the churchyard.

It is said that an unbeliever lies beneath the monkey puzzle tree. Buried with an acorn in his mouth, he said if an oak tree grew up it would be proof of his resurection. The acorn was planted but came up as a monkey puzzle tree!

The lychgate over the path on the lower northside of the churchyard was built by the Brasier family, in memory of John Brasier, a local undertaker.

The granite boulder was brought from the Matalpo Hills in Zimbabwe. The inscription on it is taken from the Imperial Light Horse Memorial on Wagon Hill near Ladysmith.

Harriet Kenward lies near here. She was a local heroine who nursed the french "Navigators" building the Oxted railway tunnel during an outbreak of cholera dying of the disease herself. Near here lies the daughter of a rector of Limpsfield, the prolific Victorian novelist Florence Barclay, author of "The Rosary".

The large churchyard is kept tidy and grass mown regularly by parishioners.