Novo Cemetery

Today I went to Queen Mary University open day with my son. I was suppressed to come across this cemetery in the middle if their Me End campus. The plaque reads...

In 1657, with the encouragement of Oliver Cromwell, the then Head of State, Jews were allowed to return to England after an absence of over 350 years.

Many who arrived were descendants of families that had fled prosecution in Spain and Portugal. Upon arrival in London they founded a synagogue in the City of London and acquired a burial ground in Mile End not far from here.

In 1733 a second Jewish burial ground was required, and it was established here in what was once an orchard. It became known as The Novo - or the new - cemetery.

By the 20th century this too was almost full and was formally closed in 1936. In 1974 most of the cemetery was acquired by Queen Mary University of London for the expansion of its campus.

In 2012 Queen Mary, University of London, and the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' congregation came together to preserve the remaining part of the cemetery. It is now a place to reflect on the shared history and of all the people who have made London their home.