The cemetery is located behind St. Nicholas Church, the Diocese of St. Albans, Church of England . Part of the cemetery is old with no new burials in that section. About half of the cemetery is located under a canopy of huge trees with that area darkened by shade. Many upright gravestones and some crosses can be seen on the well-kept cemetery lawn. This church and cemetery has a interesting history. A church has been in the village of Elstree dating before 1188. In 1360 the church of St. Nicholas was rebuilt with the first rectory, and it is reported that the stones came from an ancient Sulloniace Settlement near today's London. Services have continued from that date, through the English Reformation to present day. It is the oldest and smallest church in Elstree. The font, which is used during Christening services to baptize children and adult, dates back to 1460. There was more construction in the 1824, when murdered victim Martha Ray's coffin was found inside the church and was re-interred in the cemetery outside with the marker facing the vestry backdoor. Two other murdered victims are buried here, William Weare, whose grave is about 20 yards east of the vestry door, and Eliza Ebborn. A regular worshiper at this church was author Charles Dickens, who recorded church happenings in his diary. During the Victorian era, the church was restored with stained glass windows and pews added. An old photo from the early 1900s shows a red roof, which has been replaced with a black one. Providing privacy for the cemetery, a red brick wall runs between it and the public sidewalk on the dead-end side street, St. Nichols Close. With the cemetery located behind the church, there is a primary school located directly behind the cemetery. The church is north of London about 15 miles. In various documentations, the cemetery is at times referred to as the Parish Church of Elstree, but this church ceased to be a parish in 2005 when it joined with three churches in the nearby town of Borehamwood to become the combined "Parish of Elstree and Borehamwood".