3 June 2009
City of London’s Cemetery comes alive for summer open day
The City of London Cemetery & Crematorium is expected to
welcome thousands of visitors at its Open Day next month.
Guided tours, nature reserve walks, live music and
demonstrations of stonemasonry will be held during the
free-of-charge event at the 200-acre site near Wanstead Flats on
Sunday 19 July from 10am to 4pm.
The nature tours will take in many of the beautifully landscaped
areas, which include shrubberies, avenues of chestnuts, limes,
copper beeches and cedars. Wildlife enthusiasts will be invited to
take a tour by The Wren Group to look at the Cemetery’s plants and
natural habitats of insects and birds, and those interested in the
resting places of the famous will be shown the memorials of actress
Dame Anna Neagle, football legend Bobby Moore and two of Jack the
Ripper’s victims, Mary Ann (‘Polly’) Nicholls and Catherine
Eddowes.
Other exhibits and demonstrations will include stone masonry;
urns and casket makers; burials and ground maintenance; memorials
for ashes; and a behind-the-scenes tour of selected areas of the
Crematorium. Live music will be provided during the event by East
London Brass Band and harpist Sheila Watts.
Philip Everett, Director of Environmental Services at the City
of London Corporation, says:
“As well as being the resting place for many thousands of
Londoners, the Cemetery & Crematorium is a wonderfully peaceful
place to spend a few hours to sit and relax in. I am sure that the
Open Day will provide a unique opportunity for people to spend an
enjoyable afternoon in beautiful surroundings.”
The City of London Cemetery & Crematorium, which is based at
Aldersbrook, was purchased by the City of London in 1854 and is
Europe’s largest municipal cemetery and crematorium. Anyone can be
buried or cremated at the site, irrespective of their City
connections or religious beliefs.
Ends
For further information, interviews and
images:
Andrew Buckingham, Press Officer, City of London Corporation,
020 7332 1452 or mob: 07795 333060; email
andrew.buckingham@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Dr Ian Hussein, Manager, City of London Cemetery &
Crematorium, 020 8530 2151, email
ian.hussein@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Notes for Editors:
The Open Day will be held at the City of London Cemetery &
Crematorium, Aldersbrook Road, London, E12. For people travelling
by rail, the main entrance in Aldersbrook Road is approximately
five minutes’ walk from Manor Park Station on the Liverpool Street
line. (NB: The City of London Cemetery & Crematorium should not
be confused with the nearby Manor Park Cemetery &
Crematorium).
The City of London Corporation, which provides local government
services for the ‘Square Mile’, the financial and commercial heart
of Britain, works nationally and internationally to maintain and
enhance the City as a world-leading international financial and
business centre. Its other special responsibilities and
services to London and the wider UK include the Barbican Centre,
Tower Bridge, the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey, 10,000
acres of open space including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest,
three wholesale food markets, two inner-London City Academies, the
City Bridge Trust and acting as London’s Port Health Authority. The
Lord Mayor of the City of London (currently Ian Luder) works
extensively at home and abroad to promote the City.