Caught by the River

Meet Me at the Cemetery Gates: A Sound Walk

10th August 2015

This project was originally conducted as a part of Shuffle Festival, an annual event in Mile End which aims to build a more integrated community presence.

Get lost in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park following tales of kids playing long ago, Serbian foragers, secret plum trees and resident twitchers.

Radio journalist Jo Morris spent days listening to the thoughts and memories of regular visitors to the cemetery and recorded them. Tower Hamlets resident and producer Susanna Grant has collected and woven them together in this unique exploration of the borough’s history as a refuge and home for immigrants.

From recollections of playing the Lone Ranger just after the war and recipes for foraged rose hip jam to murderous tales of carrion crows and the history of scrapyard meadow all threaded through with field recordings of wildlife and bird song, discover how this unique wildlife and nature reserve changes and grows with its residents and surroundings.

All original music composed and arranged by Darren Hayman