Bunhill Fields
Supposedly the name is derived from βBone Hillβ, referring to the fact that the marshland that was once here was made stable by having bones from the charnel house of St Pauls dumped into it in the 16th century.
The 17th century saw some of the land put to use as a burial ground for plague victims. However, the ground was left non-consecrated, and soon the graveyard became a popular last resting place for the dissenters of the era β those who disagreed with the Church of England β and other denominations who could afford a plot.
Today the cemetery is one of those small patches of green amongst the grey city; on weekday lunchtimes it is likely filled with city bankers, though at the weekend I found the main inhabitants to be plump squirrels and pigeons, scratching their way between the graves of such notable figures as Daniel DeFoe, John Bunyan, and William Blake.
