London is about to enter Tier 3. The highest level of Covid-19 restrictions.

Under tier 3, while guiding is allowed, it comes down to a question of ethics. We therefore think the severity of Tier 3 needs to be followed through. So, unfortunately this tour will now be conducted online, via Zoom, rather than in-person. Sorry.

Scheduled Online for: Saturday 19th December at 6:30pm only.

Please choose any date and time but please note that this event will only run once on the date & time specified above.

Back By Popular Demand!

Prepare yourself for a Cockney Christmas as the East-End dead of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park are to be resurrected during this season of good will!

Leave thoughts of the pandemic and misery at the Cemetery Park gates and immerse yourself in gritty, warts-and-all East End history, to a specially rewritten telling of the 'Twelve Days of Christmas'.

Peruvian sailors, animal showmen, the female Ebenezer Scrooge and a soldier who should have known better are all buried or connected here: disproving the preconception that cemeteries are solely places to be sorrowful.

Here's what previous attendees of tours in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park have said:

• "Using the 12 days of Christmas as inspiration, we went through 12 stories of people from East London who are resting there. It was fun, respectful and interesting. I may have a new found love for cemeteries as places to discover stories from old." Tomas

• "The tour itself was so insightful and fascinating, with clearly a lot of research and care taken to be informative. The stories told were heartfelt and sad, but respectful and warm. It was a brilliant way of celebrating the history of East London where I live and feel a real sense of life there in Victorian times" Gemma

• "A collection of grim yet intriguing stories about the folk buried there, told in a very engaging and entertaining way. The guides were very charismatic, and it was enjoyable to hear them impart the various histories of the dearly departed." Greg

The tour will start at the War memorial by the Soanes Centre - remember to dress appropriately and wrap up warm as December can be chilly!

Please read this before booking:

Spaces are limited due to Government guidance around Covid-19.

We will maintain social distancing and ask visitors to wash their hands on arrival.

Please note the Soanes Centre won't be open for general visiting or toilets.

You must book a ticket so we can monitor the number of people attending (maximum of 17 people including two walk leaders, made up of either, Sheldon, Sacha or Dan).

Before you decide to book:

Do not attend if you or a member of your household/support bubble have COVID-19 symptoms. If you develop or display symptoms on the day you will be asked to leave.

Please check your symptoms and whether it’s suitable for you to attend.

Follow government guidance on travelling to the Cemetery Park. Avoid public transport unless necessary.

If you travel by bike, we can’t offer indoor storage. You are able to lock up your bike outside on the Soanes Centre railings.

On the day

1) Please arrive on time and go to the meeting area: the War Memorial in front of the Soanes Centre (on the right as you enter via our main gates on Southern Grove E3).

2) You will be asked to clean your hands before the tour starts.

3) Maintain two metres distance between other tour participants, general park visitors and our staff throughout the tour. Please be respectful of others. The risk you are willing to accept is not the same as what others are willing to accept.

4) The Friends will collect contact information on attendees and they will be provided to national or local government Test and Trace services on request. Apart from Test and Trace, we will treat your data in accordance with our data protection policies.

Click here for more information and to view our full COVID-19 policy and data protection policy.