Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, England

Site is open to the public. Opening may be limited, please check Visitor Information for any restrictions.

Brief description of site

This was the first non-denominational garden cemetery in Europe. The buildings are by William Hosking. The planting, by George Loddiges, included an educational arboretum which still survives in part. The present (1990s) management as a nature reserve is in marked contrast with the highly ornamental, Gardenesque style of the mid-19th-century cemetery, where the only woodland planting was in the perimeter belts.

Brief history of site

The land now covered by the cemetery was once two estates: the Fleetwood estate was laid out in the 1630s, and the Abney House estate was developed around 1700. Plans were drawn up for a cemetery on the site in 1839 and 1840, retaining many of the 17th and 18th-century features. The 13 hectare site was London's most important Non-Conformist cemetery throughout the 19th century. In 1979 the cemetery, in a derelict condition, was purchased by the London Borough of Hackney for a nominal sum. Since 1992, it has been managed as an historic landscape and managed wilderness by the Abney Park Cemetery Trust.

Location information:

OS Landranger Map Sheet Number:	176	Grid Ref:	TQ333868
Latitude:	51.56433	Longitude:	-0.078264

Key information:

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