Join Abney Park Trust for a walk through the site and an introduction to the site’s delicate and unique ecology. Abney Park was designated a local nature reserve in 1993, a central London woodland, a place where fungi can flourish on fallen trees and invertebrates find a home. 33 years on, as the climate emergency increases, inevitably the site’s importance and vulnerability increases and the need for support from its local community becomes more vital.

Gates of the Abode : A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park. This lecture is part of the Tales of Departure series. Between the Crimean War and WWI, Military Pin-Stuck Cushions (MPSCs), commonly known as sweetheart pincushions, hand-made by men, were gifted in their thousands. This lecture will reveal how the Salvation Army, the YMCA and the Church Army played an important role in the life of the military, and what their work meant in conjunction with these deeply personal trench art keepsakes.

Join Abney Park Trust for a walk through the site and an introduction to the site’s delicate and unique ecology. Abney Park was designated a local nature reserve in 1993, a central London woodland, a place where fungi can flourish on fallen trees and invertebrates find a home. 33 years on, as the climate emergency increases, inevitably the site’s importance and vulnerability increases and the need for support from its local community becomes more vital.

Between 11am and 1pm join us for an opportunity to view inside the newly restored Abney Park Chapel.

And at 12 noon, as part of a celebration of Black History Month, come to our free talk about the life and times of JJ Fuller. Minister, orator and mission leader, Joseph Jackson’s spent over 40 years working in Cameroon before settling in Stoke Newington for his later life.

Occurring on the first Sunday of every month and led by Abney Park Trust, this tour focuses on Abney Park's uniqueness – from its diverse permanent residents to the striking funerary architecture, as well as its historic dual function as both burial ground and arboretum since it opened in 1840.

A film by Elin Moe and Winstan Whitter, How To Get On with Everybody is an intimate portrait of the unique life of Herschel Gluck, a Rabbi from the Haredi Jewish community. One of life's true optimists in a time of global tension, Rabbi Gluck reminds us that power lies in empathy and in our shared humanity.

Gates of the Abode - A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park; this lecture is part of the Tales of Departure series. In the 18th century, it was not uncommon for children to be abandoned or left in the care of others. In 60 years, the 'Hospital for the Education Maintenance of Exposed and Deserted Young Children' recorded a record-breaking 18,500 admissions. This talk explores the emotional narratives behind the foundling tokens, reflecting the heart-wrenching decisions faced by parents and the enduring love that persisted despite separation.

Join Abney Park Trust for a night walk to encounter the bats who are just one of the many species of wildlife who reside in our nature reserve.

Gates of the Abode - A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park; this lecture is part of the Tales of Departure series. Engraved coin keepsakes, customary between 1752 and 1868, are a durable material culture of absence and separation. Although already known by numismatic collectors, these tokens remained virtually anonymous to scholarly research until the 1990s. Join us at Abney Park, final resting place of reformers and reprobates alike, for a talk on these small, defiant tokens of love against impossible odds.

Join poet and former Poetry Society Chair Hilary Davies for a special evening of poetry in Abney Park’s Harriet Delph Room.

Gates of the Abode - A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park; this event is part of the Second Sight series. Dreaming for Dreamers is a workshop exploring how dreams can become an active part of our creative process - in both art and life. Blending information-sharing, practice and ritual, the session opens with the many ways dreams have been worked with across traditions: as oracle, as medicine, as another plane of existence for meaning making. 

Gates of the Abode - A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park; this lecture is part of the Tales of Departure series. What significance lies in the early legend of Dick Whittington resting in a cemetery, and how does this imagery reflect the deeper themes of life and fate, and their connection with London history? This talk will delve into the early texts and chronicles that trace the roots of Whittington's legend, revealing how historical narratives and folklore have evolved over time.

Join Paul Gambino an internationally published author specialising in topics of the macabre for an Illustrated talk in the Chapel. Step into the shadows of Victorian England — an era when death was not hidden away but was an unavoidable presence woven into everyday life. This richly illustrated lecture goes beyond the familiar story of Victorian mourning to ask a larger question: Why did death become such a defining feature of Victorian culture?

Gates of the Abode - A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park; this lecture is part of the Tales of Departure series. It's 1872, and a new phase of British Spiritualism is developing. Driven by the Victorian need for evidence of the afterlife, the collodion process of early photography seemed to hold the key to ghost manifestation — a potential upgrade for Spiritualism from faith to science. This talk explores the concept of capturing spirits on camera, and the deceptions of the first UK spirit photographer, unmasked in the 1870s by none other than the Psychic and Spiritualistic societies themselves.

Gates of the Abode - A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park; this event is part of the Second Sight series. Telepathic Drawing is a practice-based workshop exploring the astral plane, non-verbal communication, intuition and shared awareness through mark-making. Participants will be guided through a series of exercises that invite deep concentration and attention to subtle cues. This event is aimed at all those who wish to explore their extra-sensory abilities. Participation is intuitive; no previous experience or artistic background needed.

Gates of the Abode : A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park. This workshop is part of the Tales of Departure series. The medium of life drawing theatre is a unique type of interactive storytelling. This performance of sonnets from The Divine Comedy, narrated by Paul McGill, will give attendees the opportunity to create their own storyboard of sketches inspired by the model's pose or by the overall meaning of the poetry and its folkloric analysis.

Gates of the Abode - A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park; this lecture is part of the Tales of Departure series. Seafarers embodied intangible values such as bravery, stoicism, and loyalty at a time when the prevailing military ideals condemned any display of vulnerability or excessive sensitivity, fostering an environment rife with homophobia. This talk explores the folk narrative of the departing Jack Tar, the epitome of manhood for the whole nation during the Georgian and Victorian era.

Gates of the Abode - A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park; this lecture is part of the Tales of Departure series. Hairwork is the almost forgotten craft of manipulating human hair into decorative designs for jewellery or artwork. Some are purely ornamental, others for commemoration, but always imbued with meaning, folklore and ritual significance. Join us for a lecture exploring four distinct hairwork techniques from the Georgian and Victorian eras, examining their applications for the deceased, the living, or both, and the cultural contexts that shaped them.

Grave Gazers Club is an observational drawing workshop exploring the monuments, symbols and inscriptions of Abney Park Cemetery. All Hallows’ Eve marks the opening of the three days traditionally given over to the dead: a time for visiting and attending to those who are gone. In this workshop, we’ll explore looking as a form of contact - with the site, its heritage and the people held within it. Participants will be guided on a walkabout around the park, recording gravestones, lettering, symbols and details through the medium of drawing.

Gates of the Abode - A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park; this event is part of the Second Sight series. This hands-on workshop invites participants to create a personalised Major Arcana tarot card using the art of collage. Drawing inspiration from traditional tarot symbolism, attendees will design their own unique card, selecting images, textures, and colours that resonate with their personal journey, intention or interpretation of the card drawn.

Two of the UK’s most acclaimed musicians celebrate saxophonist John Coltrane's centenary year by playing a selection of classics from his spiritual jazz canon. This is the latest in a series of sold-out One Jazz shows in the beautiful and intimate surrounds of the restored Chapel of North London's Abney Park Cemetery.

Two of the UK’s most acclaimed musicians celebrate saxophonist John Coltrane's centenary year by playing a selection of classics from his spiritual jazz canon. This is the latest in a series of sold-out One Jazz shows in the beautiful and intimate surrounds of the restored Chapel of North London's Abney Park Cemetery.