markharwood1969
Despair
Tower Hamlets Cemetery (often called Bow Cemetery by locals) was opened in 1841, one of seven large cemeteries opened in London to accommodate the growth of the city in the industrial revolution that had left local church graveyards overcrowded. Walter Gray from Alfred Street was the first person buried. By 1889 nearly a quarter of a million people were buried here, many in “public” graves for people who could not afford to buy a plot – allegedly these could be up to 40 feet deep. The cemetery became neglected and was bombed several times in World War II. It was finally closed for burials in 1966. Eventually a group of concerned locals formed the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, which has managed the cemetery for Tower Hamlets Borough Council since 1990. It is now largely given over to nature, with the many gravestones in various states of repair and collapse. A very atmospheric place.
Despair
Tower Hamlets Cemetery (often called Bow Cemetery by locals) was opened in 1841, one of seven large cemeteries opened in London to accommodate the growth of the city in the industrial revolution that had left local church graveyards overcrowded. Walter Gray from Alfred Street was the first person buried. By 1889 nearly a quarter of a million people were buried here, many in “public” graves for people who could not afford to buy a plot – allegedly these could be up to 40 feet deep. The cemetery became neglected and was bombed several times in World War II. It was finally closed for burials in 1966. Eventually a group of concerned locals formed the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, which has managed the cemetery for Tower Hamlets Borough Council since 1990. It is now largely given over to nature, with the many gravestones in various states of repair and collapse. A very atmospheric place.