Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

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Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

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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!