In just over a week [from the time of writing], West Norwood Cemetery - one of London's fabled "Magnificent Seven" Victorian cemeteries - will be opening the gates of their beautiful, historic grounds on Sunday 7th July for a day of family fun to celebrate the commencement of their new Heritage Lottery Fund project
‘West Norwood Cemetery: A New Beginning’ is a Heritage Lottery Fund project that seeks to conserve the cemetery’s magnificent landscape and built structures, as well as offer new experiences and facilities to increase community use.
The project proposals include ideas for the conservation of historic monuments, improved visitor amenities and additional pedestrian access to encourage more use and overall appreciation of this wonderful Lambeth asset.
So with this in mind, scheduled activities on the 7th so far include:
10am Bird Walk with the acclaimed Lev Parikian [more info on Lev - https://levparikian.wordpress.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/levparikian/ https://www.facebook.com/LevParikianWriter/]
11am Bugs and Beasts children's activity
11.30am Guided Walking Meditation with private yoga teacher Ellie Grace [more info on Ellie - https://ellie-grace.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/elliegracelondonyogi/ | https://www.facebook.com/elliegraceyogameditation/]
1pm Art Class with award-winning Richard Tait [more info on Richard - https://www.riseart.com/artist/richard-tait/ | https://www.instagram.com/thepaintingdivision/]
1.30pm Bugs and Beasts children's activity
2.30pm Friends of West Norwood Cemetery guided tour
... and Renegade Production will be there all day taking photographs, doing some filming and speaking with everyone.
Keep a look out online and on social media for ongoing details and updates:
Renegade Production:
West Norwood Cemetery and Crematorium:
https://www.facebook.com/WestNorwoodCemCrem/
West Norwood Cemetery: A New Beginning
https://westnorwoodcemetery.org/
https://www.instagram.com/wncemetery/
A diverse activities plan is being developed to provide members of the public with learning opportunities and to help support a volunteering programme. It will also inform digital and interpretation materials, designed to unlock the extensive heritage of the cemetery and tell the stories of those who lay within, from local residents to household names such as Mrs Isabella Beeton, Sir Henry Doulton, Baron Julius Reuters and Sir Henry Tate.
Through working in partnership with the Friends of West Norwood Cemetery and ongoing public consultation, the project seeks to safeguard this significant cemetery for future generations by securing funding from the National Lottery.
In the meantime, enjoy some amazing photography of the grounds by Renegade Production: