Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is a public park, historic deconsecrated cemetery and local nature reserve in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets within the East End of London. It is one of the "Magnificent Seven" London cemeteries of the Victorian era, built because parish churchyards had become overcrowded. The cemetery opened in 1841 and was formally named the City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery, although it was commonly known as Bow Cemetery. It closed in 1966 after 350,000 burials. Purchased by the Greater London Council, with the intention of clearing it for a public park, it passed to Tower Hamlets Council in 1986. The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park were formed in 1990 to protect its landscape, historic monuments and biodiversity for the benefit of the public. They registered as a charity in 2004 and manage the park on behalf of the council. Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park encompasses the original cemetery, bounded by historic walls, and additional land including the Scrapyard Meadow and the Ackroyd Drive Greenlink. It contains nine Grade II listed monuments and features. The Soanes Centre is located in the park.
Geography
The park covers in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The historic parish boundary between Mile End Old Town and Bromley-by-Bow runs north–south through the park, with Mile End to the west and Bromley-by-Bow (the greater part) to the east.