Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

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The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park - 35 Years of Conserving and Protecting Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is the most urban woodland in London. Historically it's one of London's Magnificent Seven cemeteries and was closed to burials in 1966, that same year being re-designated as a Park by Act of Parliament. It is now a designated Local Nature Reserve and Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. Ackroyd Drive Green Link is one of a several green space additions, along with Scrapyard Meadow on our southern boundary included under the Cemetery Park's Local Nature Reserve status. It runs between Bow Common Lane and Burdett Road E3 and it is a series of 4 green compartments divided by an allotment site. Each compartment has it's own unique character and the Friends aim to manage the Green Link as windows to the main Cemetery Park. We aim to exhibit in a smaller space all the wonderful things that can be seen in the Cemetery Park. The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park were set up 1990 and have the day to day care and management of the site and undertake all the work across its 3 broad themes of wildlife, people and education. The practical nature conservation projects involve over 3000 volunteers every year. Whilst it is a place of remembrance and local history, the existing monuments now stand romantically amongst mature broadleaved woodland and wildflower meadows. The hard work of volunteers under the guidance of the Friends has made this inner City nature reserve home to a number of rare and endangered species of plants and animals. The Park boasts 60+ bird species, 27 butterfly species (making the site the richest for butterflies in urban London), along with UK rare bumblebees, flies, spiders and beetles. It is also home to an over subscribed education service that works with 8500 school children every year using the Park as the classroom as part of National Curriculum linked environmental workshops. Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is a vibrant place filled with life and a hub of activity and fun!

30/10/2026

🎬 Next Thursday: Pakistan on the Edge: The World’s Climate Warning

We’re teaming up with Muslim Aid for a free screening of their flagship climate documentary at the Soanes Centre, followed by a live panel discussion with Adam Rankin, Sherifat Adeniyi, our own Ken Greenway and Husna Rizvi.

The film looks at the community-led solutions already helping people in Pakistan adapt to climate change, and asks why these proven approaches remain under-supported despite their potential to save lives and livelihoods.

Come along, have drink and snack, watch the film and join the conversation.

📅 Thursday 5 November, 6:30–8:30pm
📍 The Soanes Centre, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, Southern Grove, E3 4PX
🎟️ Free, but registration is required and seats are limited

27/10/2026

A change of season, and a reminder to join us at our annual Remembrance Sunday service.

Read the full newsletter here:
https://mailchi.mp/fothcp/fothcp-newsletter-october-2026
or see the link in our bio.

26/10/2026

🌍👣 4.6 BILLION YEARS. 4.6 KILOMETRES. ONE EXTRAORDINARY WALK. 👣🌍

How do you squeeze the entire history of Planet Earth into an afternoon? 🤯

Join Ashley Goddard at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park for a Deep Time Walk — a fascinating journey through 4.6 billion years of Earth’s history, experienced over a 4.6km guided walk. 🌳🦖🌋🌿

📅 Sunday 8 November 2026
🕛 12pm–4pm
📍 Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

Booking: head to our links in the bio.

Here’s the clever bit…

👣 Each step represents approximately ONE MILLION YEARS!

As you journey through Deep Time, you’ll explore some of the biggest moments in our planet’s incredible story:

🌍 The formation of the Earth
🦠 The beginnings of life
🌊 The development of increasingly complex life
💥 Five mass extinction events
🌡️ Dramatically changing climates
🌱 The evolution of the extraordinary living world around us
👤 …and eventually, the remarkably recent arrival of humans!

Along the way, Ashley will pause at key moments in Earth’s timeline, sharing stories and insights and inviting conversations in pairs and small groups.

It’s part science, part nature connection, part conversation — and a chance to experience our place in the history of the Earth from a completely different perspective. 🌎💚

You’ll walk, learn, meet people, reflect and probably leave looking at the world around you a little differently.

👉 ACTION: Come and take a walk through 4.6 billion years with us! Check the event information / QR code for details and registration, and please share this with anyone who loves nature, Earth science, climate, ecology or simply a really unusual walk. 🌿👣

🌍🌿👣

26/10/2026

This Friday 30th! Join the October free Craft drop in group! What will we be working on this month? Sewing? Knitting? Darning socks? Is there anything you'd like to learn in this friendly, community meet up? Let us know and we'll see if we can help 💕✂️🖍️🪡🧶

Scroll to see some of the things we've worked on in past months ➡️

🦺You bring whatever you are working on.
🫖We provide tea, biscuits and conversation to encourage on our way.

Friday 30th October
10-1130am
Meet at the Cemetery Park Lodge

Reserve your free place via the link in bio or https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thefriendsoftowerhamletscemeterypark

20/10/2026

🍄🎉 ANOTHER RARE FUNGUS DISCOVERY AT THCP! 🎉🍄

The Cemetery Park continues to surprise us!

On Wednesday 14 October, while carrying out fungus survey work, experienced mycologist Clifford Davy discovered something rather special…

✨ Pluteus semibulbosus ✨

This little fungus doesn’t even have a recognised English common name — and it is genuinely rare in Britain.

The NBN Atlas currently holds just 87 occurrence records for the species across the UK, making finding one here in the middle of East London particularly exciting! 🤩🍄

It’s a member of a group of fungi known as the Shields and grows on decaying broadleaved wood. Like so many fungi, it may be small and easily overlooked, but it has a very important job: breaking down dead wood and returning nutrients to the soil 🌳➡️🍄➡️🌱

Look closely and it has some lovely identification features too:
🤍 A small, pale cap
🌸 Gills that develop a pinkish colour as the spores mature
🌱 A slightly swollen or bulbous base to the stem

And this discovery gives us another reason to celebrate…

🍄 116 species of fungi have now been recorded at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park!
🌟 Pluteus semibulbosus also becomes the third rare fungal species recorded here.

For a 31-acre urban nature reserve surrounded by one of the most densely populated parts of London, that’s something we’re incredibly proud of. 💚

It’s also a wonderful reminder of why dead wood matters. Fallen branches, old trunks and decaying timber may look untidy to some eyes, but they are miniature ecosystems supporting fungi, beetles, invertebrates and countless other organisms.

A huge thank you to Clifford Davy for his ongoing survey work, expertise and for adding yet another fascinating species to the Cemetery Park records. 👏🔍🍄

👉 ACTION: Next time you’re walking through THCP, slow down and take a closer look at the dead wood around you — an entire hidden world may be growing right under your nose!

And keep following our socials… who knows what species number 117 will be? 👀🍄

🍄🌳💚

20/10/2026

🎬 First Thursdays: Pakistan on the Edge – The World’s Climate Warning
In partnership with Aid

Who bears the cost of climate change? And what can communities do before disaster strikes?

Join us for a free screening of this powerful new documentary from Muslim Aid, presented by BBC journalist and filmmaker Kawser Quamer. Travelling across Pakistan, the film follows people rebuilding their lives after devastating floods and heatwaves, and shows the practical, affordable solutions already making a difference.

The evening also includes a short film from Bangladesh and a facilitated discussion on climate justice, resilience, and what we can learn from communities on the frontline.

📅 Thursday 5 November
🕡 Refreshments from 6:30pm, screening at 7pm
📍 The Soanes Centre, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, E3 4PX
🎟️ Free, but seats are limited to 50, so please book ahead

19/10/2026

🌙🪦 **THE DEAD OF THCP — AFTER-DARK HERITAGE WALKS** 🪦🌙
Extra dates added due to demand!!!
When darkness falls over Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, the stories of the old East End take centre stage…
Join historian **Sheldon K. Goodman of ** for a very special series of evening walks exploring the extraordinary lives — and deaths — of some of the people buried here. 🔦🌳
📅 **Wednesday 28th October to Sunday 1st November**
🕡 **6:30pm & 8:30pm each evening**
📍 Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park
👣 Only **30 places per walk**
Opened in 1841, the Cemetery Park became the final resting place of generations of East Enders. Around **350,000 people** are buried here, and their stories reveal an extraordinary world of:
⚒️ Working-class life
✊ Protest and politics
🌍 Migration
⚔️ War and heroism
🏚️ Poverty and hardship
🎭 Eccentric characters
❤️ Courage, survival and lives lived against the odds
Along the way, meet figures including trade unionist **Harry Orbell**, a heroic schoolboy, a veteran of Waterloo and others whose lives offer fascinating glimpses into Victorian and early 20th-century London.
🎻 **And on Saturday 31st October**, things get even more special as Sheldon is joined by the **Stretto Quartet**, helping revive a song once known and sung by people now buried here. 🎶🪦
Bring a torch, wrap up warm and prepare to experience the Cemetery Park in a completely different way. 🔦🍂🌙
👉 **ACTION: Book early!** These walks are limited to just 30 people and spaces can disappear quickly. If your chosen walk is full, join the waiting list — cancellations do happen.
🎟️ Book here or via the bio:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thefriendsoftowerhamletscemeterypark/2391885
Tag the history-lover you’d bring along and share this post with someone who loves discovering the hidden stories of London! 👇✨
🌙🪦

16/10/2026

On Thursday, almost 20 people joined a Black History Month walk and talk at the Cemetery Park. We were joined by Professor Kimberly Blockett from the University of Delaware whose forthcoming book highlights the life of the African American preacher, and resident of Bow, Zilpha Elaw during the 19th century.

Attendees shared their thoughts on how Elaw, whose gravesite does not have a headstone, could be commemorated on-site. We walked to the area in which she is buried at the Cemetery Park, read out a methodist hymn, before entering the Soanes Centre for a talk and discussion with Professor Blockett. 📖📖📖

Elaw’s story is a part of a wider ongoing project to highlight the lives of people of colour buried at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. 🪦🌳📚

To keep up to date, sign up to our newsletter and check out our events page below:
🔗
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thefriendsoftowerhamletscemeterypark

14/10/2026

Join our Remembrance Poppy Sewing Workshop here at the Cemetery Park .

Saturday 17th October
10:am-12:00pm

Experienced crafter and teacher (and FoTHCP admin officer), Aneeta, will guide you to use various techniques to hand sew a poppy brooch for Remembrance Day. We will provide all materials, and have a variety of designs for all levels of crafters. No experience necessary!

Choose your poppy colour: Red: traditional, white: peace, purple: remembering service animals in conflict. This event is open and inclusive to all, with the belief that the art of making can unite us.

All materials will be included. Please do bring anything you'd specifically like to use. If you have scissors you like to use, please do bring them.

This class will last approximately 2 hours and there will be complimentary drinks and snacks available - please let us know at least 48 hours in advance if you have any special dietary requirements and we will do our best to cater to them.

You can also join our Remembrance Day service here at the War Memorial in the Cemetery Park on Sunday 8th November 2026.

https://fothcp.org/events/ or link via bio.

13/10/2026

A new face you might spot around the Cemetery Park – say hello to Mayanka, our new Heritage Officer!

Mayanka is a social anthropologist interested in the relationships between people, land, power and history. Her research has explored London's housing estates and luxury developments, asking who gets to shape the city, whose interests our landscapes serve, and what happens to the histories and communities that get priced out of the city.

She's particularly interested in the Cemetery Park as a living archive of East London's working-class histories, migration and struggles for belonging – a place to uncover the lives of ordinary people whose stories are too often forgotten, and to explore how the past continues to shape the present.

When she's not digging through archives or investigating the stories behind the monuments, you'll probably find her watching films, cooking dishes from around the world, or writing short stories.

Say hello if you spot her out and about!

Address

The Cemetery Park Lodge, Southern Grove
London
E34PX

Telephone

+442039828670

Website

http://www.fothcp.org/, https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thefriendsoftowerhamletscemeterypark, https://climateclarity

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