Inventory Site Record

Bancroft Road Cemetery is a small Jewish burial ground that opened in 1811, set up by the Amude Yesharim (The Pillars of the Upright), who opened their Maiden Lane Synagogue in 1811. The cemetery was closed for burials in 1907 and was much neglected during the C20th, suffering bomb damage in WWII. It consists of a small strip of land bordered by railings to Bancroft Road and walled to the back. There are a number of upright headstones, monuments and gravestones laid flat on the ground, and a few trees.

Previous / Other name:

Maiden Lane Synagogue Cemetery; Globe Fields

Site location:

Bancroft Road, Stepney

Postcode:

E1

What 3 Words:

giant.thick.meals

Type of site:

Cemetery

Borough:

Tower Hamlets

Open to public?

No

Opening times:

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Stepney Green (District/Hammersmith & City). Bus: 25.

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Research updated:

01/03/2008

Last minor changes:

14/07/2022

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.theus.org.uk

The Amude Yesharim (The Pillars of the Upright) were a group of Jewish congregants who had separated from the Western Synagogue early in the C19th. They eventually established themselves in Maiden Lane in Covent Garden where they opened Maiden Lane Synagogue in 1811. They had purchased a plot of land called Globe Fields for a burial ground in 1810, and the first burial took place in 1811. It closed for burials in 1907, although the burial of Philip Philips is recorded in 1918, and there were around 500 burials here. According to Mrs Basil Holmes writing in 1896 it was still in use with 'room for about four more graves'. Among the graves was that of Rabbi David Joseph (d.1871) of the Maiden Lane Synagogue who was also Secretary to the Loyal United Brethren Benefit Society. The Maiden Lane Synagogue, now defunct, continued to own this strip of land in Bancroft Road, but its upkeep was neglected and the walls in particular were in need of repair by the 1920s, when some maintenance was carried out. Damage was caused by bombing in WWII and the state of the cemetery continued to be of concern. It was later incorporated into the Federation of Synagogues Cemetery at Edmonton (q.v.) and the register remains with the Burial Society of the Western Marble Arch Synagogue. Bordered by railings along Bancroft Road, the small ground is not publicly accessible.

Sources consulted:

Wolfston, Greater London Cemeteries and Crematoria, 3rd ed., London 1994; Bancroft Library, Clippings; The United Synagogue website; Cemetery Scribes website, www.cemeteryscribes.com: 'History - Bancroft (Maiden Lane) Cemetery' and Marcus Roberts History - Maiden Lane Synagogue Burial Ground (www.jtrails.org.uk) (conflicting information); Dr Sharman Kadish, 'Jewish Heritage in England' (English Heritage, 2006)

Grid ref:

TQ357825 (535750,182550)

Size in hectares:

Site ownership:

West End Chesed V'Ameth Burial Society

Site management:

The United Synagogue

Date(s):

1811

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

None

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

Bancroft Road Cemetery, March 2008. Photo: S Williams

Click a photo to enlarge.