Two of Ealing’s most striking Victorian chapels will open their doors this weekend, with guided tours of both the buildings and the wider cemetery giving the public a rare chance to explore a site that has been largely hidden from view.
The Grade II-listed North and South Chapels at South Ealing Cemetery, designed in 1861 by local architect Charles Jones, are being opened by Ealing Parks Foundation as part of London’s Open House Festival. Volunteers will lead visitors through the chapels and around the cemetery grounds, highlighting their history and the progress of a community-led restoration project.
Inside, visitors will find the North Chapel’s 19th-century Gillett & Bland clock mechanism and the South Chapel’s stained glass windows, alongside a photography exhibition and displays on conservation work. The tours will also draw attention to the cemetery’s woodland, wildlife habitats and memorial symbolism, with spotter sheets encouraging families to explore.
The foundation’s ambition is to return the chapels to public life as a community resource, while ensuring the cemetery remains a place of nature, history and reflection.
Jane Fernley, co-chair of the Ealing Parks Foundation, said: “It is an opportunity for visitors to view the improvements made by volunteers, give us feedback on the project so far and suggest future uses for the chapels, which we hope to restore to community use.”
