Description
St Mary's Gardens was the site of St Mary's Church, whose burial ground was referred to as White Chapel Church Yard in the C18th. The last church was built in 1875 but later destroyed in air raids in 1940, and demolished in 1945, although part of the C19th boundary walls and gate piers at the former entrance remain. Adjacent to the latter is a gothic drinking fountain dated 1860, erected here in 1879, with the inscription 'erected by one unknown and yet well known'. In 1966 the church site was laid out as a public garden, with the footprint of the church outlined in concrete blocks flush with the grass. A number of monuments remain from the churchyard within the grass and stacked in the west corner. The gardens were re-named Altab Ali Park in 1989 in memory of a young Bengali man who had been murdered in a racist attack here in 1978; a Memorial Gateway was commissioned and inscribed plaques were set into the pathway. Re-landscaping is being carried out in 2011.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | White Chapel Church Yard; St Mary's Gardens; St Mary Matfelon |
|---|---|
| Site location | Whitechapel Road/Whitechurch Lane |
| Postcode | E1 |
| What3Words | ///modern.jabs.played |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Tower Hamlets |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Events | Outdoor stage used for events |
| Public Transport | Tube: Aldgate East (District; Hammersmith & City). Bus: 25, 15, 253. |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Mary's Gardens was formerly the burial ground of Whitechapel parish church and referred to in the C18th as White Chapel Church Yard. The church here was the second oldest in Stepney and there are records of a church from 1329, built as a chapel-of-ease and called St Mary Matfelon. It may have been known as White Chapel because it was painted with whitewash. It became the parish church for the western part of Stepney in 1338. The third church on the site was built in 1877 but this suffered a fire in 1880, only its tower, vestry and church rooms remaining. It was, however, rebuilt by December 1882 and it could accommodate some 1600 people, with an outside pulpit used for sermons in the summer. The church was destroyed in air raids in December 1940.
In 1966 the site was laid out as a public garden when the footprint of the former church was outlined in concrete blocks flush with the lawn. There are a number of monuments remaining, particularly near the entrance on Whitechurch Lane / Whitechapel Road junction as well as a number of chest tombs, including one tomb to the ?Mattock family. An old drinking fountain is on the corner of Whitechurch Lane and Whitechapel High Street, with the inscription ‘erected by one unknown and yet well known' stating that it was erected from another location. There are remains of old railings on the gardens side of the structure.
St Mary's Gardens were re-named in 1989 after Altab Ali, a young Bengali man who was murdered in St Mary's Gardens on his way home from work on 4 May 1978 in a racist attack. Stepney Neighbourhood of LB Tower Hamlets commissioned a commemorative gateway from Welsh artist-blacksmith David Petersen to mark Altab Ali's death as a ‘turning point in the struggle against racism that his death marked' (press release). The opening ceremony took place on 1 October 1989, re-naming the park Altab Ali Park. In the park a raised concrete stage/platform was erected, a copy of a structure in Dhaka. The park (2011) is currently being re-landscaped.
In 1966 the site was laid out as a public garden when the footprint of the former church was outlined in concrete blocks flush with the lawn. There are a number of monuments remaining, particularly near the entrance on Whitechurch Lane / Whitechapel Road junction as well as a number of chest tombs, including one tomb to the ?Mattock family. An old drinking fountain is on the corner of Whitechurch Lane and Whitechapel High Street, with the inscription ‘erected by one unknown and yet well known' stating that it was erected from another location. There are remains of old railings on the gardens side of the structure.
St Mary's Gardens were re-named in 1989 after Altab Ali, a young Bengali man who was murdered in St Mary's Gardens on his way home from work on 4 May 1978 in a racist attack. Stepney Neighbourhood of LB Tower Hamlets commissioned a commemorative gateway from Welsh artist-blacksmith David Petersen to mark Altab Ali's death as a ‘turning point in the struggle against racism that his death marked' (press release). The opening ceremony took place on 1 October 1989, re-naming the park Altab Ali Park. In the park a raised concrete stage/platform was erected, a copy of a structure in Dhaka. The park (2011) is currently being re-landscaped.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ341814 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.505 |
| Site Ownership | LB Tower Hamlets |
| Site Management | Leisure Services, Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | C18th; 1966 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Tower Hamlets |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Upgrading of Local Open Space |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Christ Church Spitalfields was built 1714-1729 following the 1711 Fifty New Churches Act with money raised by tax on coal. Its churchyard was much larger than the present garden, the original ground enlarged in the late C18th and mid C19th when it extended from Brick Lane to Commercial Road and used for some 67,000 burials.
The Holland Estate consists of former LCC and Tower Hamlets Council housing in the Spitalfields area built from 1927 onwards. Among the interwar buildings are three 4-storey Neo-Georgian blocks, Carter House, Brune House and Bernard House, ranged around a courtyard garden with a fourth 3-storey building, Barnett House in the centre facing onto Bell Lane. This communal garden is now Holland Estate Residents' Garden, which was refurbished in spring 2010 with part-funding under Section 106 from LB Tower Hamlets. The garden consists of areas of lawn and paving, raised beds and a number of trees.
The site was formerly a Quaker Burial Ground established in 1687, the last burial taking place in 1857. It was laid out as a public garden and opened in 1880, later called as Vallance Road Recreation Ground. The garden had a granite drinking fountain, grass, serpentine paths, mature plane trees, some rose beds and a children's playground, but by the late C20th was in a poor state. In 2002 new housing was built on 3 sides, much improving the setting of the garden, which was also re-landscaped. It re-opened in 2003 with new paths, seats, railings and children's playground. Tree planting included a conifer to mark the opening of the housing and gardens.
