Around London’s Magnificent Seven
Abney Park: a hidden treasure in north London
A serotinal morning announces itself by blending extant estival greens with emerging autumnal reds. Perfect start for a Covid-delayed tour of London’s Magnificent Seven. These are Victorian-era cemeteries that were created to ease pressure on parish burial grounds.
It’s logical that as a north London resident I kick off at Abney Park, a graveyard opened in 1840, in nowadays trendy Stoke Newington. I don’t spend much time inside, though. I’m so used to these grounds, having found them by chance many years ago, on one of my many cycling jaunts. During the first lockdown in 2020 Abney was one of the two places, along with nearby Clissold Park, my girlfriend and I frequented.
Today I come across early-rising runners, friendly dog-walking strangers and school-age children following anxious-looking parents. Abney’s location serves as a quiet short cut between Stoke Newington High Street’s hustle-bustle and Stoke Newington Church Street’s café life with the added bonus of chancing upon famous graves.
