During the early 19th century burial conditions in London had become deplorable and Parliament authorised the opening for seven private cemeteries that would be situated in inner London, one of these was Tower Hamlets Cemetery.

The Cemetery opened in 1841 and quickly became popular with the poor of the East End; after just 50 years nearly 250,000 bodies had been interred in the site, many in paupers graves leading to rumours that graves were being dug as deep at 30 feet and containing up to 30 bodies. After damage from bombs that fell on London during the Second World War the Cemetery soon fell into disrepair and was bought by the Greater London Council in 1966 that closed the cemetery to burials.

They instead worked on creating a greenspace for the people of the East End, however it was only in 2000 that the site was designated as a conservation area and today Tower Hamlets Cemetery is a designated part of Tower Hamlets Local Nature Reserve and has an outstanding variety of wild plants and animals, including butterflies and birds. Parts of cemeteries greenspace are used for teaching environmental science to children.

In addition to its greenspace the Tower Hamlets cemetery features 16 memorials that are listed buildings; the high brick walls that surround the cemetery are also listed.

Find out more about Tower Hamlets Cemetery.

How to get there

The closest underground station is at Mile End. If travelling by bus the 25, 277, 339, D6 and D7 all serve the area.

During the early 19th century burial conditions in London had become deplorable and Parliament authorised the opening for seven private cemeteries that would be situated in inner London, one of these was Brompton Cemetery.

Opened in 1840 the cemetery was designed by Benjamin Baud and has at its centre a domed chapel in the style of the basilica of St. Peter's in Rome, this in turn is flanked by catacombs that are reached by long colonnades. Over 30,000 monuments are located in the cemetery that together create a grand and impressively rich atmosphere to the Victorian cemetery, similar to other cemeteries feature in the Magnificent Seven ring. Brompton Cemetery is currently managed by The Royal Parks and is more often used as a public park then a cemetery though burials do still sometimes take place.

Film-goers may recognise Brompton Cemetery from films such as 'Goldeneye', 'Johnny English', 'The Wings of a Dove', 'Stormbreaker' and 'Afraid of the Dark'.

Famous persons laid to rest in Brompton Cemetery include Emmeline Pankhurst, Henry James Byron, Percy Sinclair Pilcher, Samuel Baker, George Borrow, Henry Cole, Samuel Cunard and Constant Lambert.

One famous person inspired by the cemetery was Beatrix Potter whose family lived near-by. She 'took' many of the names of her most beloved characters from names on tombstones in the cemetery including one Peter Rabbett.

Find out more about the Brompton Cemetery.

How to get there

The closest tube station is located at West Brompton.

If travelling by bus the 14, 74, 190, 211, 328, 414, 430, C1, C3 all operate near Brompton Cemetery.