Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, one of London's 'Magnificent Seven' cemeteries, privately ran and opened to burials in 1841. Burials ceased in 1966, whereby the site was closed as a Cemetery by Act of Parliament and re declared a Park. The Park was owned and managed by the Greater London Council (GLC) until 1985. With abolition of the GLC, it passed to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
In 1990 the 'Friends' were formed and since then, working in partnership with the Borough Council, have been very active in promoting the park, increasing the knowledge of its wildlife and its history (led by the East London History Society), running a programme of public events, obtaining funding to improve the site for people and for nature, and involving volunteers in dealing progressively with the legacy of decades of neglect. The Park is now a designated Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. It is managed by the Friends via Service Level Agreement with LBTH Parks.
In 1993 the Soanes Centre, within the Park was opened. Now run by Setpoint London East they offer science workshops, using the Park as the classroom. Most of the workshops are on the natural environment; they all link to the National Curriculum, and use the ponds and the flower rich woodlands and meadows in the park. The workshops are offered free of Charge to schools in Tower Hamlets and welcomes over 8000 school children every academic year.
During the mid 1990’s additions were made to the park, all located along the Southern Boundary. One was Scrapyard meadows whose name indicates its former use, now a flower rich meadow. The other is Ackroyd Drive Greenlink opposite the Leopold Estate; this acts a green corridor between the Cemetery Park and Mile End Park.
The Park is within a conservation area, contains several English Heritage Grade 2 listed Monument, is a site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. In 2001 the Park and Ackroyd Drive together became the boroughs first Local Nature Reserve. The 'Friends' patron, David Bellamy was present at the declaration ceremony.
The site has a varied network of paths that take you on a tour around wonderful woodlands taking in unique and special wildflower meadows. On your tour you will see many birds, butterflies and plants uncommonly seen in London.
The park actively takes park in grave research and if you want to get in touch regarding tracing relatives or information please get in touch using the details below. Alternatively get in touch if you want to get involved volunteering with grave research.
Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is a closed, historic cemetery located in the East End of London. The cemetery opened in 1841 and closed for burials in 1966. It is now a nature reserve, and other land has been added to the park, including "Scrapyard Meadow". It was originally named The City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery but was called Bow Cemetery by locals.
Tower Hamlets Cemetery was formally consecrated by the Bishop of London prior to being opened for the reception of bodies.
The Main Gate is on Southern Grove (on the crossing with Hamlets Way) in the Bow area of London, E3 and is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. There are also small gates on Hamlet Way and Cantrell Road. The nearest tube stations are Mile End and Bow Road.
Before the Victorian Era, all of London's dead were buried in small urban churchyards, which were so overcrowded and so close to where people lived, worked and worshipped that they were causing disease and ground water contamination.
An Act of Parliament was passed which allowed joint-stock companies to purchase land and set up large cemeteries outside the boundaries of the City of London. There were seven great cemeteries (the "Magnificent Seven") laid out about the same time (1832–41). Highgate Cemetery, where lots of famous dignitaries are buried, is the most well known: the others are Nunhead, West Norwood, Kensal Green, Brompton, Abney Park.
The City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery Company was made up of eleven wealthy directors whose occupations reflect the industries of the day: corn merchant, merchant ship broker and ship owner, timber merchant, and Lord Mayor of the City of London. The company bought 27 acres (109,265 m2) of land and the cemetery was divided into a consecrated part for Anglican burials and an unconsecrated part for all other denominations.
Tower Hamlets Cemetery was very popular with people from the East End and by 1889 247,000 bodies had been interred (the cemetery remained open for another 77 years). In the first two years 60% of the burials were in public graves and by 1851 this had increased to 80%. Public graves were the property of the company and were used to bury those whose families could not afford to buy a plot. Several persons, entirely unrelated to each other, could be buried in the same grave within the space of a few weeks. There are stories of some graves being dug 40 feet deep and containing up to 30 bodies.
The cemetery itself did not remain in a tidy and elegant state for long. Only 55 years after it was opened it was reported to be in a neglected state. During the Second World War the cemetery was bombed five times during raids on the City of London; both cemetery chapels were damaged[2] and shrapnel damage can be seen on the graves by the 1994 Soanes Centre in the north-west corner of the park. Burials continued taking place until 1966, when the Greater London Council (G.L.C.) bought the company for £100,000 under the G.L.C.(General Powers) Act and the ground was closed for burials. The intention was to create an open space for the public and relevant parts of the cemetery were freed from the effects of consecration. In October 1967 a further £125,000 was spent clearing the chapels and 0.68 acres (2,752 m2) of graves. Strong local opposition and problems of funding stopped the clearance.
Tower Hamlets London Borough Council took over its ownership in 1986. It was declared a Local Nature Reserve in May 2000 along with adjacent open land on Cantrell Road and Ackroyd Drive. It is also been designated as Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation and a Conservation area. The high brick walls which surround it are on the national register of listed buildings as are 7 individual memorials (all Grade II).
The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park are a group of locals who came together in 1990 because they were concerned over the increasing neglect by successive owners. Their main objectives are to encourage greater use of this inner urban green space as a sanctuary for people and a place of biodiversity. The park has been designated a Local Nature Reserve.
The cemetery now resembles natural woodland, with many bird and insect species making it their home.
Those who are buried or have memorials here include:
- Dr Rees Ralph Llewellyn — Performed autopsy on Mary Ann Nichols, generally considered the first victim of Jack the Ripper
- Alexander Hurley — Singer and comedian, second husband of Marie Lloyd
- John "White Hat" Willis — Original owner of the Cutty Sark
- Alfred Linnel — Trampled by a police horse during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square. His funeral was organised by Annie Besant and William Morris
- Will Crooks — Trade unionist and first Labour Mayor of Poplar
- Hannah Maria Purcell — Widow of William Purcell, carpenter of HMS Bounty
- Some victims of the Bethnal Green Disaster
- Charles Jamrach — Animal supplier to P. T. Barnum and others.
- Henry Norris — Civil Engineer of lighthouses for Trinity House
- John Buckley VC - soldier
There are 279 Commonwealth service personnel of both World Wars buried here, the names of all being listed on bronze panels on a Screen Wall memorial, as are those of four Dutch merchant seamen. Nine British merchant seamen are buried here who were killed when their ship, SS Bennevis, was hit by a bomb while berthed in the Pool of London during an air raid in World War II.