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Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke
Newington, London |
West relatives and Locations and Plat Map
Abney Park was one of only two cemeteries in London for non-conformists -- Methodists, Baptists, Weslyans etc. -- and its sobriety is a reflection of the religious principals of those buried here. When it was first built in 1840, Stoke Newington was an area known for its religious dissidents, many of whom were founders or members of educational and social reform movements. A visit to Abney Park is highly recommended for those with an interest in religious or social history. With only one mausoleum (though hundreds of decorated stones and memorials), and a burnt-out chapel -- which has been used as a set in horror films -- the cemetery is far less showy than other London burial grounds. The tranquility can sometimes feel very atmospheric or even eerie -- an effect that the masses of planting (in its heyday it had more than 2,500 species) only adds to! After being abandoned by its owners in the 1970s, Abney Park is owned by the local council and run by the Abney Park Trust, who manage it as a nature reserve and an environmental education service. Once again, armies of volunteers are mostly responsible for the conservation and clearing of the 32-acre site. I suspect that most people have a soft spot for ramshackle, overgrown cemeteries - if you don't know Abney Park Cemetery, prepare to be amazed. Walking through the gates, as you leave the busy street and the dense foliage wraps around you, you feel as if you have stepped into an unwritten chapter of the Chronicles of Narnia.
Thumbnail Images below click to enlarge
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