Willesden Jewish Cemetery

Willesden Jewish Cemetery is the oldest and most important cemetery for Orthodox Jews in this country, with the tombs of Rosalind Franklin, the chemist central to the understanding of DNA, the painter Mark Gertler, the Rothschild family and many others.

A project assisted by the NLHF has opened the cemetery to all, interpreted its history, refreshed its planting and repaired and converted the lodge into a visitor centre with a welcoming new loggia of oak and glass walls and a brick floor. The neo-Gothic central buildings comprising the Prayer Hall, the Cohanim Room, the Mortuary and the Portico were also repaired and now offer interpretation for visitors.

Further works were carried out to important monuments and tombs and a global landscaping plan was developed to improve access across the site. The large Prayer Hall presents an opportunity for a multitude of uses, from hosting funeral functions to auditorium lectures and gatherings.