Willesden Jewish Cemetery reveals new visitor experience
Willesden Jewish Cemetery in London opened its new heritage experience to the public on 7 September.
Following a five-year project, £1.7 million in funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and support from volunteers, the United Synagogue, which operates the cemetery, has created a ‘House of Life’ visitor centre featuring a permanent exhibition shedding light on the city’s Jewish community.
The United Synagogue has also revived garden planting areas in the cemetery; conserved listed memorials and buildings for use for events and school visits; installed artistic soundscapes; produced a range of guided and self-guided walks around the 21-acre site; and collaborated with the Jewish Museum on a hands-on learning and schools-outreach programme.
Willesden Jewish Cemetery opened in 1873 and is the last resting place of many famous British Jews, including members of the Rothschild banking dynasty, the founder of Tesco Jack Cohen, and scientist Rosalind Franklin.
FamilySearch adds new Free website familysearch.org has launched a new database of Mayflower records to mark the 400th anniversary of the ship’s departure from Plymouth to America on 16 September. The database, developed with the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, combines records from Mayflower Society member applications and documented descendant family trees. The database is available at familysearch.org/ mayflower and can be searched by the name of a particular ancestor.
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Editions of the Church of Ireland Gazette from the decade can now be searched for free online at bit. ly/coig-1950s
Number of Lancashire electoral records covering 1832– 1935 added to ancestry.co.uk