Abney Park Cemetery is a free-to-enter Victorian garden cemetery and nature reserve in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney. It opened in 1840 as one of London’s “Magnificent Seven” cemeteries, was laid out as a non-denominational arboretum, and holds more than 200,000 burials, including Salvation Army founder William Booth. The park is open daily from 8am until dusk, and Stoke Newington station is 200 metres from the main entrance.

History of Abney Park Cemetery

Fleetwood House, Abney House and Isaac Watts

Historic England’s register entry records that the cemetery was laid out in 1840 on the grounds of two earlier private houses, Fleetwood House and Abney House. The same entry says the hymn writer Isaac Watts (1674–1748) stayed at Fleetwood House in 1696 and was closely involved in planning Abney House, which was built for Thomas Gunston and passed after his death in 1700 to his sister, the wife of Sir Thomas Abney, a Lord Mayor of London. Historic England’s listing for the surviving gates adds that from 1722 the widowed Lady Mary Abney laid out a park there, assisted by Watts and the neighbouring Hartopp family. The Abney Park Trust says the Watts connection quickly made the site the foremost burial ground for Dissenters, meaning people who practised their religion outside the Church of England. Abney House itself was demolished in 1843, according to the Trust, but its iron gate and railings on Church Street survive as a second entrance and are listed Grade II by Historic England.

The Abney Park Cemetery Company and the Opening of 1840

The Abney Park Trust explains that London’s inner-city burial grounds were overflowing in the early 1800s, and that Parliament passed a bill in 1832 to encourage new private cemeteries. Seven were established within ten years and later nicknamed the “Magnificent Seven” by the architectural historian Hugh Meller, of which Abney Park was one. The Abney Park Cemetery Company ran the site, and the Trust records the opening ceremony on 20 May 1840 and the first funeral on 3 June 1840. The first person buried was the Rev James Mather, whose grave lies partly hidden north of the chapel. Historic England describes Abney Park as London’s main nonconformist cemetery throughout the 19th century, and the Trust counts more than 5,000 burials in its first decade and nearly 9,000 between 1850 and 1855.

William Hosking, the Chapel and the Arboretum

Historic England credits the architect William Hosking (1800–61) with the cemetery’s layout, its chapel, and its entrance gates and lodges. The Abney Park Trust calls the chapel the oldest surviving non-denominational chapel in Europe and Hosking’s only surviving public building. According to the Trust, Hosking gave it a cruciform plan with the equal arms of a Greek cross to express equality before God, and built it in London Yellow Stock brick with Bath Stone facings. The Lord Mayor of London, Sir Chapman Marshall, laid its first foundation stone on the day the cemetery opened. The Trust says the grounds were also planted as an arboretum, uniquely in London, with some 2,500 trees and shrubs and around 1,000 varieties of rose. Historic England credits the planting to Loddiges of Hackney and notes that the garden writer J C Loudon singled the cemetery out as the most richly ornamented near London.

Decline, the Abney Park Trust and the Return of the Woodland

The Trust’s history page says maintenance almost stopped from 1960, once burial space had run out and income collapsed, and that Japanese knotweed, sycamore, bramble and ash quickly colonised the open ground while the chapel fell into disrepair. Campaigners formed Save Abney Park Cemetery in August 1974. The cemetery company was declared bankrupt in 1979, and Hackney Council bought the land and buildings for £1. Save Abney Park Cemetery became the Abney Park Trust in 1991, which managed the site until Hackney Council took back management in 2015. The two now work together, and the Trust describes Abney Park as Hackney’s first designated Local Nature Reserve.

Abney Unearthed and the 2021–2024 Restoration

Abney Unearthed was a volunteer project, running from 2016 to 2023, to re-map the cemetery’s burials and research the lives of the people in them, according to the Trust. A National Lottery Heritage Fund grant paid for the chapel roof repair in 2017, and the Trust says the same funder supported a larger restoration between 2021 and 2024. That project restored the chapel, added a cafe and education space, and created a more accessible entrance. In 2024 Abney Park was removed from Historic England’s “At Risk” Register, the Trust reports.

Abney Park’s Residents: Dissenters, Abolitionists and Music Hall Stars

The Trust says more than 200,000 people are buried at Abney Park, from William Booth to relatively unsung figures such as the Welsh nurse Betsi Cadwaladr, who worked alongside Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War. Its residents pages also feature Booth’s wife Catherine, Joanna Vassa (daughter of Olaudah Equiano, whom the Trust calls Britain’s first Black activist), the Chartist leader Bronterre O’Brien, the firefighting pioneer James Braidwood, the music hall star George Leybourne (“Champagne Charlie”), the menagerie owners Frank and Susannah Bostock, and the aeronaut Margaret Graham. The Trust also traces Abney Park’s links to the World Anti-Slavery Convention of 1840 and publishes a free self-guided abolitionists’ walking tour. Fans of Amy Winehouse may recognise the chapel, which the Trust says appears in her 2007 “Back to Black” music video.

Visiting Abney Park Cemetery: Practical Information

Opening hours: Daily from 8am until dusk, and open on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The Trust lists closing times of 18:00 until 18 October, 17:30 from 19 October to 1 November, and 16:00 from 2 November to 31 December 2026. The park closes for public safety during a yellow wind warning over London.

Admission: Free. There is no entry fee and no ticket is needed.

Address: 219 Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 0LH. There is a second entrance on Stoke Newington Church Street.

Getting there from London: Take the London Overground Weaver line from Liverpool Street to Stoke Newington. It is a direct journey of about 13 minutes, and the station is 200 metres from the High Street entrance. You can pay with a contactless bank card or an Oyster card (London’s reloadable travel card). Buses 67, 76, 106, 149, 243, 276, 393 and 476 stop near the High Street entrance, and buses 73, 393 and 476 stop near the Church Street entrance.

Accessibility: The main High Street entrance has level access, and the Church Street entrance has a ramp and wider paths. The cobbled main drive and the major paths are solid but uneven in places and can be slippery or muddy when wet, while smaller paths are narrow and uneven. Contact the Trust at info@abneypark.org with access queries.

Facilities: Abney Park Cafe by Sabel is an independent cafe next to the main entrance, and accessible toilets are in the cafe building. The Trust does not offer visitor parking, and the visitors’ centre is currently closed.

Self-guided tours: The Trust offers free self-guided tours and audio walks, plus a downloadable park map, on its walking tours page. Guided events and private tours for groups are also available.

Dogs: Allowed, as long as they stay in sight and under control and you pick up after them.

Who runs it: Abney Park Trust, a registered charity, works in partnership with Hackney Council, which looks after the trees and memorials.

Prices last checked: October 2026

Opening hours last checked: October 2026

Where to book: No booking is needed because the park is free. For guided walks and events, see the Trust’s events page. For other details, see the Trust’s visitor information page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Abney Park Cemetery free to visit?

Yes, there is no entry fee, and the park is open every day of the year, according to the Abney Park Trust. It closes for public safety when there is a yellow wind or weather warning over London.

What time does Abney Park Cemetery open and close?

Abney Park opens at 8am and closes at dusk, which the Trust lists as 16:00 from 2 November to 31 December 2026. Closing time changes through the year, so check the Trust’s closing times before you go.

How do I get to Abney Park Cemetery from central London?

Take the London Overground Weaver line from Liverpool Street to Stoke Newington, a direct journey of about 13 minutes, then walk 200 metres to the High Street entrance. Buses 67, 76, 106, 149, 243, 276, 393 and 476 also stop near that entrance.

Is Abney Park Cemetery worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you want a free, wooded Victorian cemetery with a restored 1840 chapel and the grave of Salvation Army founder William Booth. Historic England puts the site at 13 hectares, and the Trust offers free self-guided tours and audio walks.

Who is buried in Abney Park Cemetery?

More than 200,000 people are buried there, including William and Catherine Booth, the Welsh nurse Betsi Cadwaladr and the Chartist leader Bronterre O’Brien. The Trust’s residents pages also feature Joanna Vassa, James Braidwood and the music hall star George Leybourne.

Is Abney Park Cemetery still used for burials?

No, the Abney Park Trust says it is not a working cemetery and has no spaces for new burials. The cemetery company that ran it went bankrupt in 1979, after which the site passed to Hackney Council.

Can you take dogs to Abney Park Cemetery?

Yes, dogs are allowed, according to the Trust, provided they stay in sight and under control and their waste is picked up.

Nearby Chronicle Trails Guides

Abney Park is one of London’s “Magnificent Seven” cemeteries, and our Highgate Cemetery guide covers another. For a second London burial ground with Dissenting history, see Bunhill Fields Burial Ground. You can also browse more Landmarks & Monuments or head to the England hub.