Willesden Cemetery opens to day-visitors after Lottery-backed conservation
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Willesden Cemetery opens to day-visitors after Lottery-backed conservation

Visitors can see the resting place of famous Jews including scientist Rosalind Franklin, jeweller Harriet Samuel, four Chief Rabbis and Tesco’s founder Jack Cohen

The London cemetery of Jewish A-listers opens its doors to visitors from all walks of life from Monday, following a five-year £1.7 million heritage conservation project.

Willesden Jewish Cemetery is the final resting place of scientist Rosalind Franklin, designer Kurt Geiger, jeweller Harriet Samuel, the Rothschild family, four Chief Rabbis, Tesco’s founder Jack Cohen and Pre-Raphaelite painter Simeon Solomon.

After years of “painstaking conservation and research,” followed by a Covid-related delay, the cemetery can now finally invite visitors to discover the lives of those buried there and to explore the customs and history of London’s Jewish community.

The orthodox Jewish cemetery in Brent, north-west London, is owned and looked after by the United Synagogue, and the only Jewish cemetery on England’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

Following £1.7 million of funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, support from the United Synagogue and partnership donations, visitors to the 21-acre site can now explore its new ‘House of Life’ visitor experience.

Tour at Willesden Jewish Cemetery

The conservation and refurbishment of the Listed funerary buildings will allow the cemetery to host public events and learning programmes, said organisers, who hoped that visitors would be “inspired by stories of past lives”.

Volunteers will lead socially distanced guided walks from October, taking in the newly planted gardens, as visitors “immerse themselves in artistic soundscapes that evoke the sounds of prayer and burial rituals in the Prayer Hall and Old Mortuary”, and take part in workshops, one intriguingly titled ‘History Mystery’.

“In Jewish tradition, the cemetery is much more than a place to lay our loved ones to rest,” said Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. “It is a sacred memorial to the times and achievements of our ancestors, so that we can pray for their souls and learn from their example.

“That is why the new heritage experience offered here is not only a valuable exercise in conservation, but also a wonderful opportunity to share its fascinating insights and rich history with the Jewish community and beyond.”

Established in 1873 by Victorian Jews of German and Dutch origin, Willesden is one of London’s most interesting cemeteries, with experts saying its “design and layout reflect an immigrant community’s desire to adopt prevailing English fashions”.

Curator Hester Abrams said the new ‘House of Life’ heritage experience “puts Willesden Jewish Cemetery on the map as a new place to come to explore, learn and reflect on the lives of a minority community and your own life experiences”.

Abrams added that “by careful conservation of buildings, memorials and the landscape, we’ve retained the site’s poignant atmosphere and slowed the effects of time. Our new displays… make visible hundreds of stories that would otherwise have been lost to history, which we can now share with the world”.

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: