Nunhead Cemetery is not exactly what one would think of as a typical park. Traditional parks are often expected to have things like playgrounds and football pitches, but you won't find anything like that here. What the cemetery does have, however, more than makes up for the absence of park-like amenities.

Founded in 1840 as part of the London movement to combat the overcrowding of London burial grounds, Nunhead is perhaps the least famous of the seven cemeteries that were constructed at this time.

It is 52 acres in size and is perhaps one of the most attractively laid out of these cemeteries. Its main avenue is lined with tall lime trees and Victorian plantings adorn the pathways, making it a lovely place to walk.

The main structure at Nunhead is a ruined Gothic chapel at the centre of the cemetery. The walls stand on this Anglican chapel, but the roof has long since gone.

The Friends of Nunhead is a group working to preserve and restore the cemetery, much of which has fallen into disrepair over the years.

Indeed, the place resembles a nature reserve in terms of the reclamation of the area that has taken place by the vegetation and the local wildlife. It is a haven for birds, and you can commonly see woodpeckers, jays, and warblers flitting through the trees and vines.

The Friends of Nunhead offer a guided tour of the grounds on the last Sunday of the month at 2:15 PM, visitors interested in taking this tour should meet at the Linden Road gate. There is also an Open Day once a year to raise funds for preservation.

The cemetery is open to the public daily from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Visitors are discouraged from entering the woodland areas as many of the gravestones and sites have become unstable; in fact, some areas of the cemetery are virtually impassable.

The cemetery may have seen better days, but it is still a peaceful and pleasant place to visit.

Linden Grove, SE15 3LF

Telephone: 020 7732 9535

Photo courtesy: bridgetmckenz

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