Description
St Patrick's Catholic Cemetery opened in 1868 to cope with the population expansion in Hackney in the C19th. The cemetery buildings, including its yellow brick Gothic mortuary chapel, were designed by the Roman Catholic architect Samuel J Nicholl who designed a number of RC churches as well as the cemetery buildings of St Mary's Catholic Cemetery at Kensal Green. By the early 1980s 168,000 burials are recorded as having taken place at St Patrick's. In order to cater for the demand for burials, land was reclaimed by adding a further 6-foot layer of earth over the old graves. Among those buried here is Mary Kelly, the last victim of Jack the Ripper, murdered in 1888.
Practical Information
| Site location | Langthorne Road, Leytonstone |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E11 4HL |
| What3Words | ///layers.lists.spends |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Waltham Forest |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Weekdays 8am-4pm; Sundays/Bank Holidays 9am-4pm |
| Special Conditions | No dogs |
| Public Transport | Tube: Leyton (Central). Bus: 58, 69, 97, 158 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2003 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The cemetery is crossed by tarmac roadways and paths, with trees planted throughout including mature oak, poplar, Lombardy poplar, plane and sycamore. Some areas are quite densely packed with gravestones and monuments. Towards the outer edges of the cemetery is evidence of the two-tier burial system with raised turfed mounds. There are a number of fine monuments, including the striking modernist Ferrari mausoleum of 1965 and also a section for graves of Lithuanians. The war memorial consists of a raised platform with rows of white headstones hedged to the rear, with a white stone monument in the front.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ386862 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 17.4 |
| Site Ownership | St Mary's Catholic Cemetery Co. |
| Site Management | St Mary's Catholic Cemetery Co. |
| Dates | 1868 |
| Listed Structures | Mortuary chapel: locally listed |
| 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 | Waltham Forest |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
The site was formerly that of the West Ham Union Workhouse, which was built in 1842 in what was then a rural area. It later became Langthorne Hospital, named after Stratford Langthorne Abbey, which had owned much of the area in medieval times. After the hospital closed in the late 1980s the buildings were acquired for new housing, with the remainder of the site acquired to create a new public park. Langthorne Park was opened on 17 June 2000 and features a number of specially commissioned art features to enhance both the physical environment of the park as well as providing visual representations of the site's long history. An amphitheatre and pavilion provide community facilities adjacent to a children's play area; other facilities include sports pitches, a quiet garden with ornamental pond and a small lake with a fountain that is important for nature and wildlife.
Sidmouth Park is on a strip of sloping land, sandwiched between two streets of housing, the site being over the culverted Filbrook which runs underneath. It was created in the 1970s during the new Waltham Forest Council's first general improvement works in the area. There is some planting of shrubs, flower beds and trees plus a number of playground areas.
Harrow Green was established as a separate ecclesiastical district in 1879. Formerly forest land, this small triangle between road junctions was given to Leyton Board to be maintained as an ornamental enclosure. The War Memorial was erected after WWI, now commemorating the dead of both world wars, located in the centre of a formal 1930s style layout comprising a circular paved seating area with four radial pathways to the surrounding streets. Stone piers are at each entrance, those on the main entrance from High Street surmounted by small glass flame shades. Four planted areas have grass and lozenge-shaped beds, with small trees around the perimeter. Winter flowering cherry trees were replaced by silver birch in the C21st. Nearby is the 1930s Harrow Green Library on Cathall Road.
