The dead will rise under plan to exhume thousands

05 October 2007

Thousands of bodies could be unearthed

By Ted Jeory

HUNDREDS of thousands of bodies could be exhumed as part of a Tower Hamlets council idea to re-open a disused cemetery as a "multi-faith" burial ground.

The Town Hall is considering re-opening famous Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park to solve a long running campaign for a local Muslim burial site.

The park, off Bow Common Lane in Mile End, was deconsecrated as a Church of England cemetery by Act of Parliament in 1966 after it was deemed full with around 350,000 bodies buried there.

Now a hugely popular nature reserve any move to transform it could spark an outcry.

Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park spokesman Ken Greenway said his charity, which works with visitors and schools all year round would, "strongly resist" it.

"It's a beautiful haven for wildlife and people here," he said. "Although they're saying it will be a multi-faith cemetery, all the calls for it are coming from one section of the community only. I'm concerned this could be divisive and polarise people in this borough."

But with no 'working cemeteries' for any faith currently in Tower Hamlets, the issue is complex and calls have grown louder among councillors for a Muslim burial ground.

While most non-Muslim East Enders are currently buried or cremated at the vast City of London Cemetery in Manor Park, Muslim families bury their dead at several other sites.

These include Woodgrange Park Cemetery in East Ham, which is also nearly full, and the private Gardens of Peace site in Hainault.

Councillors have been looking for new space and officers are now considering either buying land outside the borough, developing a site locally or re-opening the park, formerly called the Bow Cemetery.

Politicians are acutely aware of the sensitivities of changing the 166-year-old park, but they believe it would benefit all communities longer term.

Re-opening would not only require a new Act of Parliament, but also answers about what to do with existing plots, many of which are mass graves for Victorian paupers.

By law, any graves more than 75 years old can be removed. Labour's environment spokesman in Tower Hamlets, Abdal Ullah, said: "To preserve the respect and dignity for everyone, I think most of the graves would have to be cleared out and we'd start afresh."

He said a corner of the cemetery would be reserved for Muslims who are buried in shrouds at a depth of 6ft and on their side facing Mecca.

With the changing demographics of Tower Hamlets, it is likely that the cemetery would be mainly Muslim.