Restoration begins at Victorian Jewish cemetery thanks to £190,000 grant
Balls Pond Road Cemetery in north London is resting place for pioneers of the Reform Movement
London’s first Victorian Jewish burial ground is to undergo major restoration thanks to a £191k National Lottery grant.
Grade II-listed Balls Pond Road Cemetery, founded in 1843 in Kingsbury Road, Canonbury, is owned by the West London Synagogue.
Recognised by Historic England in 2020, it is the most significant burial ground of The Reform Movement and the resting place of many of its pioneers. In use until 1951, around 1,000 people are buried there.
The funding, secured by Islington Council and the West London Synagogue, will go towards restoring and maintaining the site as well as developing it as a cultural and educational resource.
Planned improvements include specialist restoration of memorials to preserve historic significance, enhanced site access with improved entrances and biodiversity surveys to enhance the natural environment.
Cllr Santiago Bell-Bradford, Islington Council’s deputy leader and executive member for community wealth building, said: “Here in Islington, we’re proud to be a borough with such a rich history, and we’re committed to celebrating and embracing that history. Balls Pond Road Cemetery is the final resting place of influential Jewish thinkers, and this funding will help bring their stories to life.”
Cllr Jenny Kay, Labour Member for Mildmay Ward, said: “This grant marks a significant milestone in our partnership with the West London Synagogue. We aim to revitalise the cemetery, engage the local community and bring attention to on an often-overlooked part of British-Jewish history. This project is not just about preservation – it’s about restoring a vital community asset and ensuring the site becomes a resource that benefits all communities.”
Andrew Stone, president of the West London Synagogue, said: “This project will be the start of a longer-term plan to restore an historic and fascinating cemetery, which is an important part of our British-Jewish Heritage. We welcome the educational, community engagement and other benefits which will follow. We are grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and to our partner Islington Council, for their efforts in getting us to this stage.”
Notable burials include Phinehas Abraham (c.1812–1887), a West Indian merchant born in Jamaica, one of its largest landed proprietors and one of the earliest members of West London Synagogue; Montague Durlacher (1824–1894), who, in 1869, was appointed surgeon-chiropodist to Queen Victoria’s household; Ney Elias (1844–1897), English explorer, geographer and diplomat, most known for his extensive travels in Asia and Amy Levy (1861–1889), essayist, poet, novelist, the second Jewish woman at Cambridge University and the first Jewish woman to be cremated in England.
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