Restoration
Restoring Abney Park, Chapel and Monuments
Abney Park Restoration Project
2021-2024
Abney Park completed a major restoration project in 2024, run in partnership with Hackney Council, with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project was undertaken to conserve and develop all aspects of the park, including its built and natural heritage.
New cafe, toilets and education space
The major works included the building of a new cafe and public toilets at the entrance to the park, along with an attached education space designed for use by schools and other groups.
Restoration of the chapel
The Grade II listed chapel that sits at the heart of Abney Park, was also painstakingly restored to its former glory, creating a space for music performances, poetry readings and community events, as well as making for a dreamy setting for weddings and other ceremonies.
Accessible park entrance
The project also included work to create an accessible entrance at the Stoke Newington Church Street gates. The design was developed in conjunction with Historic England, and has been endorsed by leading disability campaigners as a way of ensuring that everyone can enjoy the park.
Biodiversity support
In addition, the park’s flora and fauna are now supported with the addition of green roofs, the creation of new spaces for bees and other insects, and other elements aimed at supporting biodiversity, led by Hackney Council’s Ecology Adviser with input from well-known local conservation activist Russell Miller.
Learn more about this restoration project, including talks, podcasts and documentation of the project here:
Abney Unearthed
2016 - 2023
Although not aimed at physical restoration, the Abney Unearthed project was created for the restoration of records of those buried at Abney Park Cemetery. The project initially began with funding allocated from the Heritage Lottery Fund (now The National Lottery Heritage Fund) and Hackney Council in 2016, but was extended with Hackney Council and National Lottery Heritage Fund until 2023. During this time, volunteers have worked to search names among the 200,000+ people buried here, updating mappings enabling them to locate nearly 2000 additional people and creating a digital database to facilitate future grave searches.
Learn more and read stories of the discoveries from Abney Unearthed here:
Monument Restoration
Abney Park Trust is dedicated to preserving the architectural and ecological importance of Abney Park Cemetery through the restoration and preservation of the many historical monuments located within the cemetery.
Discover the recent projects we have undertaken and learn more about our ongoing conservation efforts on our Monument Restoration page: