Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is a public park and former cemetery in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ Victorian cemeteries built to ease overcrowded churchyards. Opened in 1841 as the City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery, it became known as Bow Cemetery. After 350,000 burials it closed in 1966 and was later saved from clearance. The park now covers 13 hectares and includes the original cemetery walls and newer meadows. The site is worth visiting for its layered history and wildlife. Nine Grade II listed monuments stand among the graves, and the Soanes Centre offers ecology studies. The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park manage the reserve, protecting both heritage and biodiversity. The park’s boundaries follow old parish lines and a railway viaduct. It links to local footpaths and green spaces, forming part of a wider conservation network. Visitors find a quiet green space with historic monuments and woodland paths. The Soanes Centre provides information on local ecology. Wildflower meadows and mature trees support birds and insects. Old brick walls mark the cemetery’s original limits. The Scrapyard Meadow and Ackroyd Drive Greenlink extend the park’s green corridors. Shrapnel damage from wartime bombing remains visible on some graves.