Abney Park Chapel to reopen after restoration
Abney Park Chapel. Picture: Hackney Council - Credit: Archant
A 19th century Gothic mortuary will reopen to the public after being restored to its former glory.
Abney Park Chapel. Picture: Hackney Council - Credit: Archant
Abney Park Chapel has been boarded up since 2012 but a joint project between Hackney Council and Historic England (previously English Heritage) will see it brought back into use.
The building fell into disrepair after being gutted by fire and vandalism in the 1980s, when it was put on the Heritage at Risk register.
The work will stabilise its roof, secure loose masonry, replace missing architectural details and reform gutters and pipes.
It comes as part of a series of planned projects for the cemetery in Stoke Newington, spearheaded by the Abney Park Development Board.
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Rebecca Barrett, of Historic England, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the repair of the mortuary chapel, an imposing gothic revival building which sits at the heart of Abney Park Cemetery.
“We are very pleased to be working so closely with Hackney Council to bring the chapel back into good repair. With these stabilising works we are one step closer to removing it from the Heritage at Risk Register.”
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The Chapel, which sits in the centre of the nonconformist cemetery, was designed by architect William Hosking, the first professor in architecture and civil engineering at King’s College London.
A spokesperson for Abney Park Trust added: “The Trust is delighted that the Chapel, such an important part of Abney’s heritage, will be made safe and looks forward to it being brought back into use by the local community.”
