London: Bunhill Fields and Wesley's Chapel

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A quiet and often overlooked area on the northwestern fringe of the City is the ancient burial ground, 'Bunhill Fields'. The name 'Bunhill' is derived from from 'Bonehill' and has been used for centuries for burials. Long ago and before London expanded, the area was open fields or fens, and it was a part of Fensbury (now spelt Finsbury), and the fen expanded to the village of Hoxton (now also an area of London). 

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Dried bones from St. Paul's chapel were regularly brought here in the 1500s to make more room in St. Paul's chapel, and these were covered with a thin layer of soil. Eventually, this created a small hill amongst the flat surrounding land, and three windmills were built here. Plague victims were later buried here, and the cemetery became a burial ground for Non-Conformists (any belief other than the Church of England). Many bodies were buried on top of each other with several in a grave. The last burial in the cemetery was in the mid-1850s.

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Today, the burial ground is a quiet place to retreat from the bustling City. The burial ground is eerie with gravestones side-by-side. Some of the inscriptions and images on the stones are interesting to look at and to imagine the history and the lives of the people buried underneath the soil. Many more individuals do not have gravestones and have been lost to time.

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The cemetery is also a thriving place for birds and animals. Pigeons and squirrels scurry about the stones. I visited Bunhill Fields in the autumn, and the leaves were beginning to fall and cover the ground. The crunching noise of the leaves when walking on them was eerie and it felt as though I was not alone. I was the only one in the cemetery at times during my visit; others used it as a walk-through.

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The cemetery has many famous residents. These include John Bunyan, Daniel Defoe, members of the Cromwell family, Susanna Wesley, William Blake and his wife.

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William Blake's gravestone

A Quaker Burial ground is next to Bunhill. Also across the road is Wesley's Chapel and home. John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist Church. Many Methodists and other Protestants were buried across the road in Bunhill Fields, including Susanna Wesley, John Wesley's mother.

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Wesley's Chapel and entrance to Bunhill Fields

The cemetery is a nice place to visit to take a break from the busy City and crowds.

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