East End Jewish Cemeteries

The Brady Street and Alderney Road cemeteries are among the oldest Jewish burial grounds in the UK, dating back to the arrival of the Jewish immigrants in the time of Oliver Cromwell. As the Jewish community expanded, by the middle of the nineteenth century both cemeteries had reached capacity and were closed. Since that time nature has been reclaiming these tranquil and unique spaces in the heart of one of the most densely populated areas of London. The cemeteries are natural oases of trees and shrubs which support an environment that contradicts the dense housing blocks surrounding them and the imposing commercial towers of the City of London seen in the distance. Photographer and writer Louis Berk was given exclusive access to the cemeteries by their owner, the United Synagogue of Great Britain, and charted the impact of the seasons on the landscape over a four-year period. The result is a collection of beautiful images that provides the reader with the opportunity to see the unique environmental aspects of the cemeteries which are hidden from ordinary view.