Abney Park reopens visitor centre ahead of its 181st Anniversary
UPDATE: In September 2021 the visitors’ centre closed again due to ongoing renovation works.
The Abney Park Trust, which works to protect the heritage and biodiversity of Stoke Newington’s magical urban woodland and cemetery, has reopened its shop and visitor centre following a successful year of online events.
The Trust’s shop has been closed for over a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, during which time its events and fundraising efforts have moved successfully online.
Now the Trust – which works in partnership with Hackney Council – has opened the doors to its South Lodge shop and visitor centre as pandemic restrictions begin to ease.
A year of online success
The Trust responded to the pandemic by moving its events online. Since the start of the pandemic it has held 14 online events for which almost 900 people secured tickets.
These events included a popular walking tour on Abney’s Music Hall stars with BBC Radio 4 star Colin Sell, as well as talks on Abney’s connections to Abolitionists, gender equality campaigners and many more.
In total, the Trust has received generous donations of almost £15,000 from members of the public.
These donations have and will be put towards the Trust’s core work – including monument restoration, event preparation, archive work and community outreach.
The Trust restored the granite Irish Celtic Cross of brothers Andrew Holmes Reed and Talbot Baines Reed as well as the lid of the slate sarcophagus for William Williams. And it also organised an important anniversary commemoration for the victims of the Coronation Avenue bombing during the Second World War.
Coming up in 2021
The Trust is looking forward to an exciting year. In-person events and walking tours are now being planned.
There will be a National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported £5m renovation of the park, and this will include essential repairs to the historic chapel, improved accessibility and new community classrooms and other buildings.
And the Trust is also looking to recruit new trustees in three key areas: nature/ecology, fundraising and history/heritage. Enthusiasm, and a commitment to the formal and practical sides of the role, are essential. People from all walks of life are very welcome to apply.
The shop and visitor centre is staffed part-time. A range of products are available, including books, t-shirts and four different guided walking tours. If you’re planning a visit at a particular time, please email info@abneypark.org to check the latest opening hours.
181st anniversary around the corner
This month, too, is a busy one for the Trust. On Thursday 20 May it will be celebrating its 181st anniversary with a talk from local ecology expert and Hackney Council biodiversity advisor Russell Miller on “The Story of Abney's Arboretum Survivors”.
Tom Walker, Chair of the Abney Park Trust, said:
“The coronavirus pandemic has been a challenge, but the Trust has adapted thanks to the hard work of staff and volunteers.”
“We’re now looking forward to a successful opening-up full of exciting in-person events and walking tours – as well as the £5m renovation that will bring sustainability and increased accessibility to the park.”
Cllr. Caroline Woodley, Hackney Council Cabinet Member for Parks, said:
"I already knew that Londoners loved Abney Park, and it has long been a place of solace for me and my Hackney neighbours. When attending events online I realised just how far and wide its reputation has travelled."
"As the visitor centre re-opens, we will enjoy building on the non-denominational ethos of this beautiful place and ensuring it is truly open to all – adapting the entrance to make it more accessible and building a new cafe and classroom to provide space for reflection and learning to visitors for generations to come."