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| Headstone in Brady Street of Hannah Hyam of 53 Gower Street, died aged 70 in 1884 |
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| Me in Brady Street cemetery Nov 2001 |
| Cemeteries are often an oasis of calm in a teeming city. One of the most curious examples is Brady Street in London E1. Turn left into Brady Street off the Whitechapel Rd (facing East past Whitechapel underground station). Walk past the school on your left and note the high grey wall. Go A few yards beyond the wall and walk into the carpark by the Council flats. There is a gate at the end of the old wall, look through it and marvel! You will see an ancient Jewish burial ground that closed in the latter half of the C19. It was so full by this time that burials had to be conducted on top of previous burials. Hence the centre of the site is raised several feet above the sorounding land. This secret corner of the East End is so well hidden that you could walk right by it and not notice it was there. In November 2001 I was fortunate enough to be allowed inside the locked gate and took the photos you see on this page. There is status in death just as there is in life. The grandest people have the grandest tombs, but in this cemetery the occupants went one better. Not only did they have grand tombs but they made sure visitors knew their grand addresses by putting this information on their tombstones. This would also have been handy for creditors chasing up monies owed! A number of famous people are buried here including several Rothschilds. The last burial took place around 1990 when a Rothschild was buried. If you want to visit the cemetery take note that it is under the control of the United Synagogue Burial Authority. Occasionally visitors are allowed in - for more information on this check out Jewish Heritage Events at the Museum of Jewish Life |
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| General view across Brady Street Cemetery |
| Brady Street opened in 1761 and closed officially (except for reserved burials and 'specials') in 1858. The people buried here are Ashkenazi Jews of predominantly Germanic origin. We should be grateful that this quiet and beautiful cemetery still exists. A Jewish cemetery of similar age half a mile East in the grounds of Queen Mary's College has been turned into a car park. Rest in Peace (or not!) |
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| Here is another view across Brady Street Cemetery |
| Other Jewish cemeteries well worth visiting and probably more useful for those checking on family history can be found in Willesden, Plashett, East Ham & West Ham. For more information and a phone number for these cemeteries contact the United Synagogue Burial Authority. |
| The remains of a bomb damaged Ashkenazi cemetery are just about visible in Bancroft Road, Mile End, and an ancient C17th Ashkenazi cemetery is hidden behind a high brick wall in Alderney Rd, Mile End. Adjacent to this is an equally ancient Sephardi cemetery. It is located just behind a building that used to be a Sephardi old people's home...very tactful!. |
| MATTERS OF GRAVE IMPORTANCE.............. |
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