Search results
Bunhill Row is a street located in St Luke's, London Borough of Islington, London. The street runs north–south from Old Street to Chiswell Street. On the east side are the cemetery of Bunhill Fields and the open space of the Honourable Artillery Company 's Artillery Ground .
See resources, certification information, and permits related to state right-of-way (ROW, R/W).
- A Hill of Bones
- The Great Plague
- A Dissenter’s Burial Ground
- William Blake’s Two Gravestones
- Daniel Defoe’s Obelisk
- The Stoic Dame Mary Page
- John Bunyan’s Effigy
- Other Burials
The name Bunhill is thought to derive from ‘Bone Hill’. In 1549 the charnel house of St Paul’s Cathedral was demolished and all the bones were removed. Since the 13th century the charnel house had been used to store old and loose bones disturbed by other burials or from exhumations. Charnel houses fell out of use after the Reformation, as they were...
In 1665 the Great Plague killed around 100,000 Londoners, which was around 20% of the whole population of the city. Graveyards rapidly filled up and new ones were urgently needed. This is when Bunhill Fields opened as a burial ground under private hands. There is however no evidence that plague victims were buried here. There are no records of what...
Due to its location outside the city walls and the fact it was not attached to any particular place of worship, it became predominantly a non-conformist burial ground. There are thought to be around 123,000 bodies buried here, including many radicals, intellectuals and writers. It was also a hotspot for body-snatchers, who in the late 18th and earl...
One of the most well known people buried here is the poet, artist and visionary William Blake. Unappreciated in his lifetime, Blake died in 1827 and was buried in Bunhill Fields where his parents also lay. The graveyard suffered bomb damage during World War Two and headstones were moved around when the gardens were laid out in the 1960s. They there...
Daniel Defoe, best known of course for writing Robinson Crusoe, died in 1731. It is thought he was on the run from his creditors when he died and was buried in Bunhill Fields. Defoe’s fame increased steadily after his death and the headstone of the Defoe family tomb was not considered adequate. A large marble obelisk was erected in 1870, funded by ...
Look out for the tomb of Dame Mary Page. She was the wife of Sir Gregory Page and died on 4th March 1728 at the age of 56. The other side of the tombstone reads ‘In 67 months she was tap’d 66 times, had taken away 240 gallons of water without ever repining her case or ever fearing the operation’. It is thought she probably had a rare form of dropsy...
John Bunyan, the writer and Puritan preacher who spent 12 years in prison after the Restoration of King Charles II for refusing to give up his preaching, is also buried here. He is best known for writing the Pilgrim’s Progress and died in 1688. Similar to Blake and Defoe however, the current, more impressive, tomb you see dates from 1862 after a pu...
Most gravestones are protected behind railings, however you can speak to the wardens and they can take you to any specific graves you may want to see. Others buried here include descendants of Oliver Cromwell, Susanne Wesley (1669-1742); mother of John Wesley (founder of Methodism) and mathematician Thomas Bayes (1702-1761). Thank you for reading, ...
Bunhill Fields is a former burial ground in central London, in the London Borough of Islington, just north of the City of London. What remains is about 1.6 hectares (4.0 acres) in extent [1] and the bulk of the site is a public garden maintained by the City of London Corporation .
- 1665
- 1.6 hectares (4.0 acres)
- 120,000
Jun 25, 2014 · 17th Century · 18th Century · City of London. The Hill of Bones: the story of Bunhill Fields. June 25, 2014 Caroline. Originally a stretch of open land to the north of the City of London, Bunhill Fields got its name from its use as a burial ground during the Saxon period and a macabre event that took place in the mid-sixteenth century.
People also ask
Where is Bunhill Row?
Where is Bunhill Fields?
Where is Bunhill Fields burial ground?
How did Bunhill Fields get its name?
Top 10 Best Restaurants in Bunhill Row, London EC1Y, United Kingdom - April 2024 - Yelp - Blacklock, Old Fountain, Cozzo, Gloria, Duck & Waffle, Pasta Nostra, The Jugged Hare, Shoreditch Grind, Daffodil Mulligan, The Three Crowns