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East London Cemetery and Crematorium (also known as East London Cemetery)

Introduction

In the centre of East London Cemetery is a pair of Gothic buildings that were both originally built as chapels, one Non-Conformist and the other Church of England, the former serving as the crematorium since 1954. A small room for a Book of Remembrance has been created in one corner of the Chapel. Facing the main entrance is a large area set aside for cremation urns, planted with standard roses.

The East London Cemetery Company was founded in 1871 and the cemetery was laid out on flat terrain bordered on the north by the Northern Outfall Sewer Embankment, now called The Greenway. The original main entrance to the cemetery remains in place and consists of stone piers and elaborate cast iron double gates, with pedestrian entrance gates on either side; inside is a picturesque Gothic lodge, used as the office. The cemetery has a large number of historic tombs, set among mature trees and grass, with paths laid out symmetrically. Among the monuments is the memorial to the 550 victims of the paddleboat 'Princess Alice', which sank in 1878 in the Thames near Beckton, the Silvertown Explosion of 1917 that led to 73 deaths is also commemorated in a monument.

Sources consulted:

Hugh Meller & Brian Parsons, 'London Cemeteries, An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer', 4th edition (The History Press, 2008); John Archer/Ian Yarham, Nature Conservation in Newham, London Ecology Unit, 1991; Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert, 'The London Encyclopaedia' (Macmillan, revised ed. 1993); Elizabeth Williamson & Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England: London Docklands', Penguin 1998.

For more information see http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.asp?ID=NEW010

Visitor Access, Directions & Contacts
Key Information

Type

Funerary Site

Purpose

Sacred / Ritual / Funerary

Principal Building

Religious Ritual And Funerary

Survival

Extant

Hectares

12

Open to the public

Yes

References

Contributors

  • London Parks and Gardens Trust