Bunfill Fields is now maintained as a green space by the City of London Corporation and the central passageway is used by many who pass through here during the course of a day. The south entrance faces the historic Wesley Chapel and museum and the home of John Wesley beside it which has a beautiful view over Bunhill Fields. His mother, Susanna Wesley, is among the famous people interred here.
Other noted figures from history include poet William Blake, author Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe), religious dissenter and author John Bunyan (Pilgrim's Progress) and John Fox, founder of the Quakers.
HISTORY
The name Bunhill is thought to have been derived from ‘Bone Hill’ as the area is reputed to have been a burial site for over a thousand years. By the time it was closed for Burials in 1854 around 123,000 people had been interred
The 4 hectares of Bunhill Fields make up one of the most celebrated historical burial grounds in England, with people such as Daniel Defoe and William Blake being buried here. There are close connections with two nearby Non-conformist landmarks: the Wesly Chapel on City Road and the Quaker Gardens (formally the burial ground) in Banner Street across from Bunhill Row.
An Act of Parliament in 1867 preserved Bunhill Fields as on ‘Open Space’ and the City of London Corporation has maintained this place for the public to enjoy ever since. Improvements carried out in the 1860s included the planting of trees, ornamental shrubs, and the erecting of the present ornate gates, granite piers and railings which still stand on City Road.
After the war a company was sought to re-design the burial ground. Bridgewater and Shepheard—one of the leading landscape architects of his time, designed the garden of rest, the layout of this can still be seen. Today the burial ground is maintained in line with the Conservation Management Plan which was put together in 2006 to conserve the essential character of Bunhill fields as a tranquil historic landscape.
INFORMATION
Bunhill Fields Burial Ground is one of a number of parks, gardens and open
spaces in and around London owned and managed by the City of London
Corporation. For further information or to find out about volunteering
opportunities at Bunhill Fields please contact the City Garden Section on
020 73744127 or visit our website at www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/openspaces
• The Public Records Office lists burials at Bunhill from 1713 to 1854
• The Guildhall Library house other Bunhill material, including interment
order books for 1789-1854 and a record of the inscriptions on the
monuments as they were in 1869.
• The City Gardens website also holds additional information regarding
Bunhill Fields: www.cityoflondo.gov.uk/openspaces
• To access the gated areas please approad the on site staff member of
call the City Gardens Section
OPENING TIMES
October to March:
Weekdays 8:00 am to 4 pm
Weekends and Bank Holidays 9:30 am to 4 pm
April to September:
Weekdays 8:00 am to 7 pm (or dusk)
Weekends and Bank Holidays 9:30 am to 7 pm (or dusk)
Closed – Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
To help make your visit safe and enjoyable please follow the park Byelaws
and report any concerns to a member of staff
No Cycling Dogs must be kept on lead Clean up after your dogs Do not feed the birds
Bunhill Fields has a long history as a burial ground, but it is most significant for its Nonconformist connections, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the burial of prominent people including William Blake, Daniel Defoe, John Bunyan and Susannah Wesley. Approximately 123,000 people were buried at Bunhill before its closure in 1854. Today you can still see 2,333 monuments, mostly simple headstones arranged in a grid formation.
Bunhill was the largest and longest establish of London’s eighteenth century graveyards. The name Bunhill is thought by many to be a corruption of ‘Bone Hill’, as the area is reputed to have been the site of burials for over a thousand years.
Management of Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields has been managed as a public open space by the City of London Coporation for over 140 years. A site Management Plan has been prepared by the City Garden team.
The long term vision for Bunhill Fields Burial Ground is:
To maintain Bunhill Fields Burial Grounds as a valuable, historic property with rich cultural, natural and social attributes at a local, national and international level. To sustain it as a tranquil, well used public open space with rich multi-layered historic interst and associations, with its fabric in good condition, wide access and interpretation and continued and increased enjoyment for users.
Bunhill received its first Green Flag in 2009 – the Green Flag Award scheme recognizes the value of green spaces to communities, and recognizes staff and managing organizations that are dedicated to providing excellent green spaces for the community.
Biodiversity
Bunhill Fields Burial Ground provides a valuable oasis of greenery in a highly urban area. It contains grassland and shrubbery along with fine mature trees which harbor birds and bats. Its value for biodiversity is indicated by its designation as a Site of Borough importance for Nature Conservation.
The graveyard is well stocked with around 130 trees including, London plane (Platanus x hispanica), oaks, limes, a golden-barked ash, a black mulberry and a June-flowering winter bark tree (Drimys winteri), from South America. The dominant pattern of tree planting began in the 1870s when the burial ground was laid out with avenues of plane trees (see map).
The trees provide cover for birds including great tit, blue tit, wren, robin and jay.
The ground flora includes locally abundant spring beauty (Claytonia perfoliata), spring star flower (Triteleia unifloral), selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) and procumbent yellow-sorrel (Oxalis corniculata).
The memorials, together with the shade provided by the tree cover, provide suitable habitat and micro-climate conditions for lichens, bryophytes and ferns.
The railings enclosing the memorial have been provided both to protect memorials and to prevent general public access to an area of underground vaults and memorials in declining condition. If you do wish to enter these areas please contact the City Gardens Office to arrange a visit.
City Gardens Office
65 London Wall, London, EC2M 5TU
Tel: 020 7374 4127
Email: parks.gardens@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Website: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/citygardens
Bunhill Fields Burial Ground
South Gate
This burial ground of
the nonconformists
known ancientlyas
Bunhill in the Fields
was enclosed with a
brick wall at the
sole charge of the
City of London in the
mayoralty of Sir John
Lawrence Knight, anno
domini 1665 and
afterwards the gates
hereof were built and
finished in the mayoralty
of Sir Thomas Bludworth
Knight anno dommini
1666.
This burial ground
was badly damaged
during the war of
1939-45. Restoration
undertaken by the
Corporation of London
in 1964 included the
laying out of part
of the ground as a
public garden
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BUNHILL FIELD
At the time of the
closing of this ground
in 1852 more than 20000
bodies had been interred
therein. In the year 1867
it was committed by act
of Parliament to the care
of the Corporation of
London and having by
them been planted and
restored for public
resort, it was opened
by the Rt. Hon. James
Clarke Lawrence, M. P.
Lord Mayor. On the
14th of October 1869.
Charles Reed, Esq. M. P.
Chairman of the Committee
for the preservation
of the ground.
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