Helping to preserve the unique nature of Abney Park, enabling all users to contribute to its care and maintenance, and have a say in how it’s run
Park current closing time is 7pm
WELCOME
The Abney Park User Group was set up in 2024 by members of the community who use and love the park. We are a rapidly growing group focused on conserving Abney Park as an amenity for local people, giving a voice to its users and enhancing user communications with Hackney Council and Abney Park Trust
Abney Park is one of the Magnificent Seven Cemeteries and a nature reserve, steeped in a fascinating history and rich with flora and fauna.
Abney Chapel was recently restored, has won GOLD in the London Venue and Catering Awards and is available to book for functions
Hackney Council's only dog-friendly venue!
NEWS
Here you will find Abney Park User Group, Abney Park Trust and Abney Park news.
MARCH NEWSLETTER
View previous newsletters here
ABNEY PARK AND ABNEY PARK CHAPEL REMOVED FROM
"AT RISK" REGISTER
November 2024
After years of campaigning and working for its salvation, Abney Park Cemetery has been officially removed from the Historic England “At Risk” Register. This is a landmark day following the completion of restoration work earlier this year. Being removed from the “At Risk” Register secures the park’s amenity and historical value for future generations. Since completion, Abney Park Trust has already welcomed thousands of visitors to open days, walks and tours to see the benefits and learn about the history of this Magnificent Seven cemetery and local nature reserve. Abney Park Cemetery was laid out in 1839-40 as a non-denominational burial ground and developed as an arboretum. It reached capacity by the mid-20th century and fell into neglect. Campaigns to save the cemetery in the 1970s led to Hackney Council taking ownership. The council now manages the cemetery as an urban woodland park, in partnership with the independent, volunteer-run charity, Abney Park Trust. Abney Park has been on the Heritage at Risk Register since it began in 1998 so its restoration is a major achievement. Work was funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund, alongside Hackney Council, with the total exceeding £5m. This magical urban woodland continues to play an important role in the local community, boosted by a new café, community room and workshop spaces. Passionate volunteers are actively involved in the Park’s ongoing care. The beautifully restored chapel now hosts events and has held its first ever wedding.
Article: Abney Park Trust
Photo Credit: Historic England
ABNEY PARK USER GROUP TAKES PART IN WORLD CLEANUP DAY 2024
September 2024
THANK YOU to everybody that volunteered for the APUGs participation in this event. The movement was started in Estonia in 2008 and this year the date was added to the UN calendar, with 198 countries taking part and 70 million people rallying for the cause. People came together and in just 2 hours we managed to collect over 42kg of waste and recycling that would have otherwise been floating around our beautiful green space and we reported some large littering sites and hazardous items to park management.
For more information on volunteering please visit our volunteering section or get in touch using our contact form
GRAND OPENING OF ABNEY PARK
July 2024
We had a brilliant day celebrating the reopening of Abney Park Cemetery. Big, big thank you to all those who helped on our stall and all those who came to the event.
EVENTS
Here you will find information on User Group, Abney Park Trust and regular events that take place in Abney park, its chapel, café, function rooms and workspaces.
Abney Park Trust is a registered charity working in partnership with Hackney Council, to put on heritage, ecology and community events.
To see all Abney Park Trust events taking place in the park click here
For ways to donate to Abney Park Trust click here
VOLUNTEERING
Here you will find opportunities to volunteer at Abney Park.
Most activities are run by the Abney Park Trust
For more information click here
To volunteer for litter-picking click here
To volunteer for landscaping click here
FAQs
Here you will find some of our Frequently Asked Questions
For more info please get in touch using our contact form
Can I volunteer at Abney Park?
Yes! If you are interested in volunteering at the park please see our Volunteering section or click here
How do I become a member?
Anyone who uses Abney Park and agrees with our Aims and Objectives is eligible to join. Members will receive our newsletter and updates about Abney Park. Members can join our WhatsApp group, introduce subjects for discussion and vote at meetings. Please get in touch using our contact form
How often does the user group meet and can I attend meetings?
The user group meets every 3 months. We post updates of our meetings on social media and send agendas and minutes to all members. If you are not a member, you will not be able to vote at meetings but are welcome to attend.
For more information please get in touch using our
contact form
MEMBERSHIP
Please use our membership form to join the Abney Park User Group
THE COMMITTEE
Abney Park User Group
The South Lodge
Abney Park Cemetery
219 Stoke Newington High Street
London
N16 0LH
USEFUL CONTACTS
Park Manager: Tom Dawson 0208 356 3616
Abney Park Trust: 0207 275 7557
Hackney Council: 0208 356 3000 or parks@hackney.gov.uk
Emergencies: 999 (police) - Non Emergencies 101 (police)
Police Safer Neighbourhood Team for Stoke Newington:
Cafe: abneyparkcafe@sabelfood.co.uk
Abney Park Trust: info@abneypark.org
Hackney Council Parks: parks@hackney.gov.uk or 0208 356 8428 Emergency Out Of Hours: 07772 227 337
Lost Property: contact the parks office at the High Street entrance
Anti-social Behaviour or any other issues in the park: reportaproblem@hackney.gov.uk or parks@hackney.gov.uk
Dog Warden: 0208 356 6688 Out of hours: 0208 356 2500
Dog control issues: enforcementsupport@hackney.gov.uk or 0208 356 4504
Dogs being mistreated should be reported to the RSPCA:
0300 1234 999
Park staff will not assist in catching stray/lost dogs.
Stray/found dogs can be taken to a local vet to scan for a microchip or to the Hackney Council reception centre at:
Millfields Depot
Milfields Road
E5 0AH
Closure due to inclement weather
Abney Park will be closed for public safety when there is a yellow wind warning in place over London. The park will reopen once the wind has abated and on-site safety checks have been made.
Parking
There are no parking facilities for visitors on site.
Public transport
-
By bus
Buses 73, 393 and 476 stop near the Park's Stoke Newington Church Street entrance.
Buses 67, 76, 106, 149, 243, 276, 393 and 476 stop near the Stoke Newington High St entrance. -
By rail
Stoke Newington Railway station is 200 metres from the Stoke Newington High St entrance.
Abney Park access information
There is level access via the main entrance on Stoke Newington High Street.
The entrance at Church Street now has a new ramp and wider paths to increase accessibility.
The internal drive from the main entrance is cobbled and the major paths within the park are solid, but uneven in places and can be slippery and slightly muddy when wet.
Smaller paths can be narrow, uneven and slippery.
Abney Park Cemetery opens at 8am at the latest
Closing times:
January 1st to January 19th - 4pm
January 20th to February 2nd - 4.30pm
February 3rd to February 23rd - 5pm
February 24th to March 9th - 5.30pm
March 10th to March 23rd - 6pm
March 24th to April 6th - 7pm
April 7th to April 20th - 7.30pm
April 21st to May 4th - 8pm
May 5th to August 10th - 8.30pm
August 11th to August 24th - 8pm
August 25th to September 7th - 7.30pm
September 8th to September 21st - 7pm
September 22nd to October 5th - 6.30pm
October 6th to October 19th - 6pm
October 20th to October 26th - 5.30pm
October 27th to December 31st - 4pm
