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New Churchyard

Archaeological sites in LondonCemeteries in LondonFormer cemeteries
Map 1682 Bethlem in Moorfields
Map 1682 Bethlem in Moorfields

The New Churchyard was a municipal and non-parochial burial ground in London. Established in 1569, it was used for burial from 1570 until 1739, by which date approximately 25,000 interments were estimated to have taken place. It was created to accommodate the ever-increasing number of new interments required as London's population expanded during 16th to 18th centuries. It was known as a "churchyard" despite not being associated with a church and, from the mid-17th century, became more commonly known as Bedlam or Bethlem burial ground because its location within the "Bedlam" or "Bethlem" area (land which previously formed the precinct of the Priory of St Mary of Bethlehem (later Bethlem Hospital)). The remains of the burial ground are now located under modern Liverpool Street, within the north-east corner of the City of London. As a municipal ground, it was available to any institution, parish or individual who wished to use it. People from all walks of life were buried there but especially those at the margins of society. It was nondenominational, and in practice was particularly favoured by nonconformists. The ground was heavily used for the burial of the poor and those who died in some of London's hospitals and prisons, as well as plague victims.In 1772, the burial ground was converted into private gardens and yards belonging to the adjoining houses, which had been built in 1737. However, burials were rediscovered during developments of the 19th and 20th centuries, chiefly during the creation of Liverpool Street (the road) in 1823–24 and the construction of Broad Street station in 1863–65. In 1985–87, and again in 2011–15, the site was the subject of major archaeological excavation and analysis in association with, respectively, the construction of the Broadgate development and the Crossrail railway project.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article New Churchyard (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

New Churchyard
Liverpool Street, City of London

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N 51.517708333333 ° E -0.083705555555556 °
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M&S Simply Food

Liverpool Street
EC2M 7QA City of London
England, United Kingdom
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Map 1682 Bethlem in Moorfields
Map 1682 Bethlem in Moorfields
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Great Eastern Railway War Memorial
Great Eastern Railway War Memorial

The Great Eastern Railway War Memorial is a war memorial installed at the Liverpool Street station in the City of London, United Kingdom.The large marble memorial plaque was created by Farmer & Brindley at a cost of £3,326. It lists over 1,100 names in 11 columns, with carved marble pilasters to either side, surmounted by a segmental pediment housing the arms of the Great Eastern Railway. An inscription at the top reads: "To the glory of God and in grateful memory of the / Great Eastern Railway staff who in response to the call of their / King and Country, sacrificed their lives during the Great War". The memorial was originally located in the station's booking hall. It was unveiled on 22 June 1922 by Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson and dedicated by the Bishop of Norwich. A few hours later, Wilson was shot and killed on his own doorstep in Eaton Place, Belgravia, by members of the Irish Republican Army as he returned home from unveiling the memorial. It was relocated c.1990 when the station was renovated, and moved to a site above the main station concourse, near the entrance from Liverpool Street. An inscription reading "Great Eastern Railway", removed from the nearby Harwich House when it was demolished as part of the renovations, was installed above the relocated memorial. Also relocated to the wall below the large war memorial are smaller memorials to Wilson, and to Captain Charles Fryatt, an officer of the Great Eastern Railway's marine service who was executed by the Germans in 1916 after being convicted at a court martial as a franc-tireur.