We have followed the development of the Willesden Jewish cemetery in northwest London into a place of public heritage known as the House of Life for nearly a decade, posting a number of times — but always from afar. JHE’s Ruth Ellen Gruber finally got to visit the sprawling cemetery and toured the site — see pictures below.
One of the largest and most important of England’s Victorian-era Jewish burial places, Willesden opened in 1873 and today includes nearly 30,000 graves. It is listed as a Grade II historic site, as are its complex of neo-gothic buildings, several tombs, and its main war memorial.
The House of Life project is an initiative of the (orthodox) United Synagogue, which owns and operates the cemetery, still used for around 25 funerals a year. In 2018, it received a £1.7 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to enable it to open to the public as a place of heritage.
(There is an adjacent Liberal Jewish cemetery, founded in 1911, which is not part of the House of Life project.)
The House of Life is an exemplary model of an active venue that respects its sanctity as a burial site but enables visitors to explore Jewish history and heritage, as well as learn about the lives of the many prominent Jewish personalities buried there and engage with issues related to death, funeral traditions, and funerary art.
There is a visitors’ center and introductory exhibit in the old caretaker’s house, as well as an exhibit in the neo-gothic ceremonial hall/mortuary — part of the cemetery’s Grade II listed complex of buildings; and lots of explanatory signage amid the graves. There are also several major memorials to Jewish soldiers who fell in various wars.
It is well worth a visit — and, though it’s rather far from main London attractions, it is easy to reach from central London. The 52 bus goes almost right to the cemetery, and the Dollis Hill tube stop (Jubilee Line) is a 10 minute walk away.
Here are some images from Ruth’s visit.
