Tower Hamlets Cemetery and Mile End Parks

The Central Line was partially running, and the sun was fully shining, on Sunday 15th June, when a group of EFOGgers met at Mile End for a visit to Tower Hamlets Cemetery.

The tour started at lunch-o’clock, in other words one pm, so most of the group met beforehand for a quick snack at a nearby café. Some of us sat in a row on high stalls, facing others of us on high stalls, and separated by a low divider which was demarcated with charging points, making it feel like we were about to start an office meeting, a nice reminder that most, if not all, of us have dispensed with that annoying ritual.

The cafe was very nice but a little slow – I think the fruit for the juices needed to ripen before being picked and jucified – but the residents of the cemetery very obligingly waited for us, and we made it to the main entrance by one.

Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is a beautiful green oasis in Mile End, and was opened in 1841, one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries within London. Our tour guide, Ken, who works for the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery, did a truly excellent job of showing us round, giving us a history of the site, telling us about the lives of some of the people buried there, and pointing out a wide variety of plants.

The cemetery was closed in 1966 when the company which owned it ran into financial difficulties, and many of the graves as well as the two chapels were destroyed, before campaigners were able to secure the cemetery as a heritage site and nature reserve in the early 90s.

There are around 47,000 monuments and headstones in the cemetery, most of them crammed in very close rows. Some larger ones mark the graves of ship builders and prominent Victorians; one very grand monument, marking the grave of the director of the cemetery had a brick removed, with the plan being that the light would shine through it forming the shape of a cross on the ground in front of the stone.

A very moving modern sculpture commemorates the many children under the care of the charity Barnado’s who were buried in unmarked graves in the cemetery park; and two of Dr Barnado’s sons are buried there too.

Amongst the plants Ken pointed out were white holly berries; a lily whose leaves smell of roast beef; and a plant that smells of both garlic and onion, yum.

After the tour, it was definitely time for tea, and seven of us went on to Mile End park, where Paul led us along the Regents Canal to the Ragged School café. By this point it was pretty hot, and we were more than happy to sit inside and enjoy some tea and overpriced cakes, before wending our various ways home.

Louise, 23 June 2025

Some of the group had assembled earlier on Sunday 15th June for a pre-walk cafe-stop, but I arrived at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park just before 1pm, to wait for them there.

The cemetery that now comprises Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is one ‘Magnificent Seven’ London cemeteries, established around the mid-1800s to address the problem of overcrowding of burial places in London. One of the most well-known of the seven is Highgate.

As the group of eight arrived at the cemetery gates, we were met by our guide, Ken, one of the ‘Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park’, who told us he had worked as volunteer there for many years. Did he say 20? Although owned by Tower Hamlets Council, the day to day business of managing this 27 acre site is performed by a large group of volunteers. As well as being a space open to the public 24 hours a day, the park is also designated as a nature reserve.
Ken provided us with a lot of history of the site, present management, information about the ’Friends’ group, and what wildlife is present or may be found there, before beginning the tour. Various gravestones and monuments of particular interest were pointed out, as were numerous species of plants that exist or are encouraged to grow there. There wasn’t a lot of bird-life in evidence, and most of that by way of sounds rather than sightings, but some of us were aware of Jays, Magpies, Coal Tits, Wren – and a wonderful (what sounded like) song competition between a Blackbird and a Blackcap.

The guided walk took about 2 hours, after which we walked to nearby Mile End Park, a 29 acre linear park which stretches from near Limehouse to Victoria Park adjacent to the Regents Canal. We cut through the park to the canal and walked the relatively short distance southwards to the Ragged School Cafe, located in the basement of the Ragged School Museum. The cafe has some seating outside by the canal, but these were busy and anyway we were happy to get out of the sun and have our teas, coffees and cakes inside – nine of us seated around Table Nine.

As we prepared to return, two greyhounds decided to pay us some sight-hound attention. I like these sighthound breeds, so was pleased to exchange greetings. One greyhound was wet, the other dry. It was explained that the wet one had fallen in the canal. Considering the heat of the day, or the exuberance of the dog, it was not possible to say why this had happened. Nevertheless, the dog leaned up against my leg, as affectionate, tired, or upset greyhounds are prone to do. Some of the canal was passed between us, but it didn't really matter. Some of us walked back to Mile End Station afterwards, although some had already departed and a couple decided to walk on down the canal towards Limehouse Basin. At the station the rest went different ways and just Louise and I travelled back to Stratford Station together.

Thanks to Louise for arranging the guided tour.

Paul Ferris, 22 June 2025