British Cemeteries
British Cemeteries, Talks and Virtual Tours
This group will offer a series of individual talks or virtual tours about British cemeteries and will focus on the history of each cemetery. The talks will highlight some of the people buried there and time will be allowed at the end of each session for Qs and As.
The first talk, on Willesden Jewish Cemetery, is on Wednesday November 4th. from 3pm to 4:30pm via Zoom. Ingrid Selman, one of the volunteer guides at the cemetery will give the main part of the talk.
Willesden Jewish Cemetery has been a prestigious burial ground for London’s Jewish community since 1873. Among the well-known people buried there are Rosalind Franklin – who played a key part in the discovery of the structure of the DNA, Jack Cohen – founder of Tesco, and several Rothschilds. Thanks to investment by the National Lottery, the cemetery has been made accessible for the wider public to discover and explore.
Highgate Cemetery: January 6th with Ben Nathan
Highgate Cemetery is one of the most well-known cemeteries in the world. Opened in 1839 it is one of the "Magnificent Seven" Victorian cemeteries around London. Originally set up as a commercial venture, it is now a grade 1 listed park that was rescued by the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust in 1975. While there are many notable figures buried in the cemetery, this talk will focus on the history of the cemetery and provide virtual tour of the Western section – including many of the original architectural features.
The intention is that the group will run every other month, on the 1st Wednesday, from 3pm to 4:30pm. (This could be changed to suit the group.)
Details of future talks will be announced later.
Please address any queries to the Groups Co-Ordinator and quote Cemeteries in your message.