East Ham Nature Reserve, London

East Ham Nature Reserve, London

Visited July 2018

East Ham nature reserve is formed of the churchyard of St Mary Magdalene parish church, which was built in the early 12th century. The church is still in use, and is the oldest Norman church in London which is still in weekly use for worship. The 9.5 acre churchyard is managed by Newham Council as a nature reserve.

The graves are almost all Victorian or later, and most are a bit overgrown due to the site being managed for wildlife, rather than as an active burial ground. There are some parts around the entrance to the church which are still easily viewed, with mown grass around them. Other parts are surrounded by trees, overgrown by brambles, or in areas of long grass. Somewhere in the midst of it all, the antiquarian William Stukeley, 'the father of British archaeology' who died in 1765 is buried without a headstone, after choosing the churchyard as his burial place during his lifetime!

There are various artworks (presumably made by participants of the site's various clubs) hanging from trees, which adds to the local, well-loved feel of the site. Mind you, on a hot summer's day there was no-one there except two of us wandering around taking pictures and cooling down in the shade!