The historic Balls Pond Road Cemetery in Islington, London, will undergo significant restoration thanks to a £190,731 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, securing its place as a cultural and educational landmark.
Balls Pond Road Cemetery, owned by the West London Synagogue, is set to undergo a major restoration following the awarding of a £190,731 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This Grade II-listed site, recognized by Historic England in 2020, is one of the most important burial grounds of The Reform Movement and serves as the final resting place of many of its pioneers.
The funding, secured through a partnership between Islington Council and the West London Synagogue, will be used for both restoration and ongoing maintenance of the cemetery in the Mildmay ward. The project will also focus on transforming the site into a valuable cultural and educational resource for the community.
Key improvements will include the specialist restoration of memorials to preserve their historical significance, the enhancement of site access with improved entrances, biodiversity surveys to better understand and enhance the natural environment, and a range of community engagement opportunities, including educational programs for schools.
The project will also focus on transforming the site into a valuable cultural and educational resource for the community.
Cllr Santiago Bell-Bradford, Islington Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Community Wealth Building, said: “Here in Islington, we’re proud to be a borough with such a rich history, and we’re committed to celebrating and embracing that history. Balls Pond Road Cemetery is the final resting place of influential Jewish thinkers, and this funding will help bring their stories to life.”
Cllr Jenny Kay, a Mildmay ward councillor involved in securing the grant, added: “This grant marks a significant milestone in our partnership with the West London Synagogue. We aim to revitalise the cemetery, engage the local community, and highlight an often-overlooked part of British-Jewish history. This project is not just about preservation – it’s about restoring a vital community asset and ensuring the site becomes a resource that benefits all communities.”
“This funding will help bring the stories of influential Jewish thinkers to life, and the cemetery will become a resource that benefits all communities.”
– Cllr Santiago Bell-Bradford, Deputy Leader, Islington Council
Andrew Stone, President of the West London Synagogue, expressed his excitement for the project: “This project will be the start of a longer-term plan to restore this historic and fascinating cemetery, which is an important part of our British-Jewish heritage. We welcome the educational, community engagement, and other benefits that will follow. We are grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and to our partner, Islington Council, for their efforts in getting us to this stage.”
The West London Synagogue, which was founded in 1840 as the first Reform Jewish Community in the UK, has long valued the historic importance of the Balls Pond Road Cemetery, which was established in 1843 and closed for burials in 1951. The synagogue looks forward to working with Islington Council to deliver the specialist care and restoration the cemetery requires to make it accessible and beneficial to all communities.
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