Description
This is the former burial ground of St Bartholomew's Church, which following its closure was re-ordered as a public garden by the MPGA. It opened to the public in 1885 and apart from one memorial there is no evidence of its former use. The garden was extended in the south in the 1970s. The church, built in 1843-4, was damaged in WWII and later restored; it was converted into flats in the 1990s.
Practical Information
| Site location | Coventry Road/Buckhurst Street |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E1 |
| What3Words | ///visual.organs.drag |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Tower Hamlets |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Whitechapel (District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan), Bethnal Green (Central). London Overground: Whitechapel. Bus: 253. |
| Research Updated | 26 July 2021 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Bartholomew's Church was built in 1843-4 and designed by William Railton. After the churchyard closed to burials it was re-ordered as a public garden by the MPGA and was opened to the public in 1885 by Princess Louise. In March 1884 Fanny Wilkinson, who had just been elected honorary landscape gardener to the MPGA, had obtained a contractor's estimate to lay out St Bartholomew's burial ground to her designs, making the following observations on the submitted costs: 'if with gravel paths and wood edging for £160; if with asphalt paths, for £245, and an extra iron guard railing would cost £57 if required'. Gravel paths were provided initially, deemed to be more attractive but also cheaper, although two years later the paths needed to be asphalted due to the large numbers of people passing through the garden, which was estimated to be 1,500 a day.
St Bartholomew's Gardens were maintained by the London County Council, who in the inter-war years built the large Collingwood Estate that now surrounds the small park. The first block of housing opened in 1923, and the estate was substantially complete by 1930 although it continued to be enlarged into the 1970s. St Bartholomew's Gardens were extended to the south in c.1973 where some of the ground is undulating. There is an obelisk to Tanner Lucas, c.1840, but otherwise no gravestones remain as evidence of its former history. The garden is largely laid to grass with perimeter planting and contains some holly, notable planes, ash and sycamore, and a few rose beds. A children’s playground is in the far corner of the site.
St Bartholomew's Church was damaged by bombing in WWII and was later restored and converted for residential use in the 1990s, re-named 'Steeple Court'. A public footpath, St Bartholomew's Path, flanked by iron railings, divides the church and the public gardens, which retain a proportion of the original C19th railings along this path, as well as partially on Coventry Road and Buckhurst Street, with iron coping on a brick parapet.
St Bartholomew's Gardens were maintained by the London County Council, who in the inter-war years built the large Collingwood Estate that now surrounds the small park. The first block of housing opened in 1923, and the estate was substantially complete by 1930 although it continued to be enlarged into the 1970s. St Bartholomew's Gardens were extended to the south in c.1973 where some of the ground is undulating. There is an obelisk to Tanner Lucas, c.1840, but otherwise no gravestones remain as evidence of its former history. The garden is largely laid to grass with perimeter planting and contains some holly, notable planes, ash and sycamore, and a few rose beds. A children’s playground is in the far corner of the site.
St Bartholomew's Church was damaged by bombing in WWII and was later restored and converted for residential use in the 1990s, re-named 'Steeple Court'. A public footpath, St Bartholomew's Path, flanked by iron railings, divides the church and the public gardens, which retain a proportion of the original C19th railings along this path, as well as partially on Coventry Road and Buckhurst Street, with iron coping on a brick parapet.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ349822 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.4615 |
| Site Ownership | LB Tower Hamlets |
| Site Management | Leisure Services, Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1844; 1885; 1970s |
| Designers | 1884/5: MPGA (Fanny Wilkinson) |
| 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 |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Trinity Hospital or Almshouses were built in 1695 by the Corporation of Trinity House to house retired master mariners or their widows. The land was donated by Captain Henry Mudd of Ratcliffe. The almshouses formed two rows either side of a small oblong green, with a central chapel. The path layout remains little changed, although the green was once enclosed by a wooden palisade fence and there are now two rows of dwarf trees. The almshouses were purchased by the LCC in 1954 then transferred to Stepney Borough Council for rented accommodation and renamed Trinity Green.
Brady Street Cemetery opened in 1761 as the New Synagogue Burial Ground on land that was originally a brickfield. It was extended in 1795 and became the New Synagogue and the Great Synagogue Burial Ground. When the burial ground was full a portion was raised in order to create space for more burials. It eventually closed to burials in 1858, although in 1990 Nathaniel, 3rd Lord Rothschild was buried here. There are numerous monuments including those of prominent Jewish people, and the cemetery has numerous mature trees.
Together with Stepney Green Gardens and Stepney Green Park, Mile End Waste is a remnant of Mile End Green, later called Stepney Green. It was the largest of several commons in the Manor of Stepney, which extended from St Dunstan's Church to Whitechapel, and was the site of historic events, including the Peasants Revolt. In 1910-12 Stepney Borough Council planted 2 long rows of plane trees on a strip of land along Mile End Road, laid out roadside gardens and erected commemorative statues for Edward VII and William Booth. In 1865 Booth had held services in the open air on Mile End Waste, before processing to a second site on the old Quaker Burial Ground, now part of Vallance Recreation Ground.
