Description
In 1857, with its Brady Street Cemetery full almost to overflowing, the congregation of the New Synagogue joined with that of the Great Synagogue, becoming the United Synagogue, to buy land for a new cemetery. A plot of just over 2 hectares was purchased from the Quaker banker and local landowner Samuel Gurney who had previously sold land adjacent to this to the West Ham Burial Board for its new West Ham Cemetery. The cemetery was later extended to its present size and is laid out simply, with tombs surrounded by gravel, straight paths and little vegetation. The original prayer hall was demolished and a new one was built in 1874. In 1960 the remains from a small Jewish Cemetery in Hoxton Street were reinterred in the north of the cemetery.
Practical Information
| Site location | Buckingham Road, Forest Lane |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E15 1SP |
| What3Words | ///sports.medium.award |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Newham |
| Open to Public | By appointment only |
| Public Transport | Rail: Maryland. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The most prominent monument in the burial ground is the magnificent circular mausoleum designed by Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt for Evelina de Rothschild who died in childbirth in 1866. Sir Matthew, the architect of the India Office in Whitehall, was commissioned by her husband, Ferdinand de Rothschild, who was later himself buried here in 1898. The design of the mausoleum reflects de Rothschild's interest in Renaissance art, of which he was a collector. He later had a mansion built resembling a French chateau. He endowed the Evelina Hospital for Children in Southwark, which opened in 1869, and for the last 14 years of his life was MP for Aylesbury. Others buried here include David Salomons (d.1873) and Sir Benjamin Phillips (d.1889), both of whom had held the office of Lord Mayor of London, Salomons being the first Jewish Lord Mayor and also Liberal MP for Greenwich. Also buried here is James Samuel (d.1866), founder of the firm of monumental masons, J Samuel and Son, responsible for many fine monuments in Jewish cemeteries across London.
The cemetery has been closed to burials since 1965. It is one of three Jewish cemeteries in Newham, the others being Plashet Jewish Cemetery (1896), and East Ham Jewish Cemetery (q.q.v.), the later established in 1919 and which remains open.
The cemetery has been closed to burials since 1965. It is one of three Jewish cemeteries in Newham, the others being Plashet Jewish Cemetery (1896), and East Ham Jewish Cemetery (q.q.v.), the later established in 1919 and which remains open.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ396855 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 4.25 |
| Site Ownership | The United Synagogue |
| Site Management | The United Synagogue |
| Dates | 1857 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Evelina de Rothschild Mausoleum |
| 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 | Newham |
| 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
West Ham Burial Board was set up following the passing of the Burial Acts in the 1850s and in 1857 purchased 4.85 hectares of land for its new cemetery from Samuel Gurney, a Quaker whose family was related to the prison reformer Elizabeth Fry. West Ham Cemetery was extended to its current size in 1871. The emphasis was on creating good drainage and keeping costs low so the cemetery's layout is a simple grid plan. It retains its small ragstone chapel designed by T E Knightly but its non-conformist chapel has since been demolished. A small mock-Tudor lodge is situated just inside the metal entrance gates. There are no prominent monuments, and gravestones are set among grass. Among the memorials are those who died in two disasters, the sinking of the Princess Alice pleasure boat in 1878, and the Silvertown Explosion of 1917.
Although Forest Lane Park is a new park it is on the site of Wood Grange Manor, purchased in 1847 by Quaker banker and philanthropist Samuel Gurney, who conveyed the land to the Whitechapel Board of Guardians in 1852. Forest Gate Industrial School for poor children was built here in 1854 and remained until 1906. It became a workhouse, workhouse infirmary and then a hospital, before finally becoming redundant in 1984. The facade was retained and the southern and central part of the grounds remained. Forest Lane Park was developed on the site by Newham Council from 1991 as an environmentally themed facility, with lake, dipping pond, raised bed garden area, a small orchard with pear and cherry trees, woodland to the east, and a wildflower meadow. A Restoration Project is underway, due for completion in 2027,
Jubilee Gardens was created for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. A plaque on the site records that it was undertaken by Leyton Society in 1977 The small open space consists of an open access paved area along the busy High Road, with raised beds, seating and shrubbery. It is opposite Langthorne Park, which was created in 2000 on the site of the former West Ham Union Workhouse.