A dissenters burial ground which was established in 1685 and taken over by the City of London as a public open space in 1867. It contains monuments to Bunyan, Defoe and Samuel Wesley. William Blake (1757-1827) was buried here, in an unmarked grave, and there is now a memorial to Blake and his wife. The cemetery was damaged during the war and reconstructed in 1960 to a design by Sir Peter Shepheard. It is a relaxed and well mannered place with quiet walks and sitting spaces, good paving and choice planting. Sir Peter worked on the great Abercrombie London plan of 1943-4 and, with these qualities, Bunhill Fields represents the London he hoped to create. The tomb stones give a pleasantly solemn character in which something more of Blake's swirling passions would not be out of place. A city needs grey space.
City Road EC1
See eBook Alicia Amherst on Bunhill Fields, 1907
