Around the East End

Regents Canal in full bloom

Our favorite canal family

Columbia Road Flower Market [10 April 2011]

Brick Lane

Queen Mary, University of London [QMUL]
http://www.qmul.ac.uk/

MILE END 1922 -The 2 patches of green on this 1922 map are, left to right, old Velho and Nuevo Beth Chaim cemeteries - double click to enlarge. Queen Mary's College now covers a large part of Nuevo Beth Chaim Cemetery

Moving North from Stepney brings you into the vicinity of Mile End.  There is much to see if you know where to look - especially if you look behind Queen Mary's college in the Mile End Road!  Several treasures are hidden here. Firstly, if you turn off the Mile End Road and head North into Bancroft Road then turn almost immediately West into the grounds of Queen Mary's college, and then walk as far West as you can through Queen Mary's college, you will arrive at an old brick wall quite out of keeping with the modernity through which you have just walked.  The wall stretches a hundred yards or so to the North, and is the Eastern boundary of the Old Velho Sephardi Cemetery.  It is the oldest known Jewish cemetery in the UK.  It was opened in 1657 and closed in 1742.  It was the first Jewish cemetery to be opened following the readmission of Jews to this country under Oliver Cromwell.  A particular feature of Sephardi (Spanish and Portuguese) cemeteries are the laid flat tombstones.  This symbolises that all are equal in death - rich or poor, high or low - and you will see this in the photos below.  Abraham Fernandez Carvajal, the founder of the modern Anglo-Jewish community, is buried here as are Haman David Nieto, one of the greatest Sephardic spiritual leaders, and physician Dr. Fernando Mendes.  The map above shows you how the area around the cemeteries looked in 1922. --http://www.jewisheastend.com/mileend.html