Tower Hamlets Cemetery

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.