There is a small, walled burial ground tucked behind a college building in East London that almost no tourist ever sees. It is the Velho, the oldest Jewish cemetery in Britain, opened in 1657, just a year after Cromwell permitted Jews to return to England. The flat Sephardic tombstones lie close to the ground, worn smooth by more than three centuries of weather. Standing there, you are standing at the literal starting point of the modern Jewish community in England. The return that began on paper in 1656 became permanent here, in the ground, where the first families were buried.
For a rabbi or educator, cemeteries are among the most honest heritage sites there are. They ask for dignity, and they reward it with a directness that no museum can match.
For the full story of the Jewish return to England, start with our Jewish heritage in England guide.
The Velho: Where the Return Took Root
The Velho, meaning “old” in Portuguese, is the burial ground of the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardic community, the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal who were the first to return to England after 1656. The cemetery opened in 1657 in the Mile End area of East London, and it holds the founding generation of modern Anglo-Jewry.
What strikes most groups first is the form of the tombstones. Sephardic graves are traditionally marked with flat horizontal slabs rather than upright headstones, and the Velho is full of them, lying low and close together, many inscribed in Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish. The mix of languages tells the story on its own. These were people who carried the memory of Iberia, the trauma of the expulsion of 1492, and the cautious hope of a new beginning in England, all at once.
The Velho is small and not generally open to the public, which makes a coordinated visit feel like a genuine privilege. I always frame it for groups as exactly that. You are being admitted to the founding ground of a community, and the right response is quiet respect.
The Novo: The Growing Sephardic Community
As the Sephardic community grew and the Velho filled, a second cemetery became necessary. The Novo, meaning “new,” opened in 1733, also in the Mile End area. It served the expanding Spanish and Portuguese community through the 18th and 19th centuries.
Much of the Novo was cleared in the 20th century when the land was needed, and many burials were carefully reinterred, a process handled with the religious care that Jewish law requires. A portion survives today within the grounds of Queen Mary University of London, and that surviving section is itself a teaching moment. It shows both the growth of the community across the 1700s and the way urban pressure and time have reshaped the physical record of Jewish London.
Together the Velho and the Novo trace the Sephardic story across nearly two centuries, from the first cautious return to an established and growing community. They pair naturally with a visit to Bevis Marks, the Sephardic synagogue from 1701, which I describe alongside the other East End sites in our Jewish East End London guide.
The Ashkenazi Burial Grounds
The Sephardic cemeteries are only half the story. As the great wave of Ashkenazi immigrants arrived in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the community that I describe in our Sandys Row Synagogue guide needed burial grounds of its own.
The Ashkenazi cemeteries differ in form from the Sephardic ones. The graves are typically marked with upright headstones rather than flat slabs, often densely packed, with inscriptions in Hebrew and English. Several historic Ashkenazi burial grounds survive in East London and beyond, recording the workers, the families, and the institutions of the immigrant generation.
The grandest of the later cemeteries is Willesden, the United Synagogue cemetery in North West London, opened in 1873. Willesden became the burial place of much of the Anglo-Jewish establishment, including members of the Rothschild family and many of the leading figures of Victorian and Edwardian Jewish London. It has been restored in recent years and is set up to receive visitors, with a visitor center that tells the stories behind the graves. For a group, Willesden offers a more accessible and interpreted cemetery experience than the small, closed Sephardic grounds, and it captures the community at the height of its 19th-century confidence.
Visiting Jewish Cemeteries With Dignity
I want to speak plainly to group leaders about how to approach these places, because cemeteries are not ordinary heritage sites and should never be treated as photo stops. They are active religious sites governed by halachic considerations and by simple human respect for the dead.
A few practical points I always cover with my groups. Men should cover their heads. We do not eat or drink in the cemetery. We keep voices low. Cohanim may need to remain outside the boundaries of the burial ground, depending on the layout, and I always check this in advance and prepare anyone affected. Photography should be respectful and, in some grounds, is restricted, so we confirm what is permitted before anyone raises a camera.
Beyond the rules, there is the matter of tone. These are the resting places of the people who built Jewish England, from the first Sephardic returnees to the immigrant generation. Standing among their graves is a way of paying respect across the centuries. When a group understands that, the visit becomes one of the most moving parts of a trip, not despite the solemnity but because of it.
Planning a Cemetery Visit With Your Group
Several of London’s most significant Jewish cemeteries, the Velho and the surviving Novo in particular, are not generally open to the public and require advance arrangement to visit. Willesden is more accessible but still benefits from a booked, guided visit. Coordinating access across the Sephardic and Ashkenazi grounds takes planning and the right contacts.
Heritage Tours arranges the access, confirms the practical and halachic considerations in advance, including arrangements for Cohanim and guidance on photography, and provides a guide who can read the stones and tell the stories behind them. We build the cemetery visits into a London itinerary so they connect to the synagogues and the immigrant streets rather than standing alone.
Group leaders travel free when they bring 15 or more participants. Your role as the rabbi is to lead your community in honoring those who came before. The access and the arrangements are ours to handle.
See how our group heritage tours work, or explore our England heritage destination.
FAQ: Jewish Cemeteries of London
What is the oldest Jewish cemetery in London? The Velho, opened in 1657 in the Mile End area, is the oldest Jewish cemetery in Britain. It belongs to the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardic community and holds the founding generation of modern Anglo-Jewry, the first families to return after Cromwell permitted Jews back into England in 1656. Its flat Sephardic tombstones, inscribed in Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish, mark the literal starting point of the modern Jewish community in England.
What is the difference between the Velho and the Novo? Both are Sephardic burial grounds in the Mile End area. The Velho, meaning “old,” opened in 1657 and holds the founding generation. The Novo, meaning “new,” opened in 1733 to serve the growing community as the Velho filled. Much of the Novo was later cleared with careful reinterment as required by Jewish law, and a surviving portion remains within the grounds of Queen Mary University of London. Together they trace the Sephardic community across nearly two centuries.
How do Sephardic and Ashkenazi cemeteries differ? Sephardic cemeteries, like the Velho and Novo, traditionally use flat horizontal tombstones lying close to the ground, often with inscriptions in Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish. Ashkenazi cemeteries, serving the later 19th and early 20th-century immigrant community, typically use upright headstones, often densely packed, with inscriptions in Hebrew and English. The grandest later Ashkenazi cemetery is Willesden, opened in 1873, which holds much of the Anglo-Jewish establishment.
What are the rules for visiting a Jewish cemetery respectfully? Men should cover their heads. Do not eat or drink within the grounds. Keep voices low. Cohanim may need to remain outside the cemetery boundaries depending on the layout, so this should be checked and prepared in advance. Photography should be respectful and is restricted in some grounds, so confirm what is permitted first. Beyond the rules, approach the visit as an act of respect for the people who built Jewish England, which is what gives it its meaning.
Can groups visit these cemeteries, and which is most accessible? The Velho and the surviving Novo are not generally open to the public and require advance arrangement. Willesden, the United Synagogue cemetery from 1873, is the most accessible, with a visitor center and interpretation, and it offers a more guided experience. Heritage Tours arranges access to all of them, confirms the halachic and practical considerations in advance, and provides a guide who can tell the stories behind the stones.
A cemetery visit, handled with dignity, can be one of the most powerful hours of a heritage trip. If your group is ready to honor the founders of Jewish England, we would be glad to arrange it. Contact us to begin planning.