In response to this crisis of the dead, Parliament passed legislation in 1832 encouraging the establishment of private cemeteries outside of what was then London’s urban core.

Seven cemeteries were subsequently created between 1833 and 1841—later dubbed the “Magnificent Seven” in the 1980s. Kensal Green was the first, opening in 1833, followed by West Norwood, Highgate, Abney Park, Brompton and Nunhead. Tower Hamlets Cemetery (originally named “The City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery”) was the last to be opened, in 1841.Its establishment was backed by a £20,000 share subscription, authorised by a specific Act of Parliament. This would be equivalent to around £2-2.5million today based on inflation alone, or closer to £20million considering the purchasing power at the time. This was significantly less than the £75,000 raised for West Norwood Cemetery, suggesting that East London’s cemetery was more modest from the outset. 

The cemetery was laid out on open pastureland south of the Stepney to Bromley-by-Bow footpath and north of the Soanes & Son ropeworks. It occupied a site near Mile End Road—a major arterial route from the City—and a developing area that, by the 1820s, had become home to a growing middle-class population of merchants and tradesmen.

However, from the mid-19th century onwards, the middle classes increasingly moved westward, and Tower Hamlets Cemetery came to serve predominantly lower-middle-class and working-class communities, along with a significant number of pauper burials. In 1841–42, around 60% of burials were common (meaning unpaid or publicly subsidised) internments, rising to 80% by 1851.

The cemetery was formally consecrated on Saturday, 4 September 1841, by the Bishop of London, Charles James Blomfield. The first burial took place that same afternoon, for Walter Gray, aged 61, of Alfred Street, Bow in plot 1, Square 62. The stone is weather-worn but still visible, close to the main entrance within the ‘Lodge Graves.’

The two chapels—Anglican and Nonconformist (referred to at the time as the ‘Dissenters’ Chapel’)—were not completed until 1849, and were designed by architects Thomas Wyatt and David Brandon, who had also determined the site’s planting and pathways.

The new cemeteries were established not only to relieve overcrowded churchyards but also to address urgent public health concerns. Designed landscapes, tree plantings, and formal paths contributed to a park-like atmosphere, making them destinations for leisure walks and carriage rides from their opening.

Many of these ‘garden-cemeteries’ featured impressive monuments that reflected the wealth and status of some of those interred. In Tower Hamlets Cemetery, the most elaborate gravestones date largely from its first two to three decades of operation, especially in the north-western section between the Southern Grove entrance and the former Anglican Chapel (see ‘Lodge Graves’ or the colloquially called ‘Millionaire’s Row’ as the route from the Main Entrance to the site of the Anglican Chapel).

From 1856, wealthier individuals opted for newer cemeteries further afield, such as the City of London Cemetery near Epping Forest. As the East End became increasingly industrialised, the cemetery continued to reflect the lives and deaths of working-class Londoners.

Financial pressures on the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Company grew, compounded by overcrowding and maintenance issues. In 1882, the Bow Cemetery Grievance Committee alleged that over 80 bodies had been buried in a single grave. In response, legislation was passed limiting graves to 8 adults or 14 children, although our research and archival evidence suggests this rule was frequently ignored.

By 1889, some 247,000 people had been buried in Tower Hamlets Cemetery, making it one of London’s most densely used burial grounds.

Despite being the second smallest of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in terms of acreage, it now contains an estimated 350,000 burials—by far the highest of the group. We further recognise that because of the social context, the majority of these graves had no marker or one of a poor quality stone which has eroded to time.

Just because the stones have eroded should not mean that the stories of these individuals should too. Our research, and the extensive work of volunteers and other partners, points to a very rich history of the East End across so many topics and themes which are still relevant today.