As we enter 2022, at Bonfire Films HQ we’ve been looking back at the, at times slightly surreal, 18 months we’ve all been living through and thought we would share some of what we’ve been up to in that time and a few of the stories behind the films we’ve made.
To kick things off, here are a couple of films we made at the amazing Abney Park Cemetery earlier this year, filmed during the lockdown on a freezing cold day with crisp snow still on the ground! We were there filming for Historic England, documenting how the Abney Park Trust has used the support they were given by the Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund. Watch the film here to find out more about what how they’ve used the money to keep going during the pandemic:
Opened in 1840, Abney Park is one of London’s 'Magnificent Seven' cemeteries, established to address the dangerous overcrowding of the city’s parish graveyards. It’s now a unique urban nature reserve, heritage site and cultural venue, right in the heart of Hackney. Built on the site of a Victorian arboretum, it has 13 hectares of woodland hosting a wide range of birds, butterflies and other wildlife. It’s also rich with fascinating history and non-denominational graves including 19th century non-conformists, abolitionists, musical hall stars and both civilian and military victims of the world wars.
Grave of George ‘Champagne Charlie’ Leybourne
Despite the arctic conditions when we visited, and the challenges of filming in a pandemic - we came armed with masks, hand gel and anti-bacterial wipes as well as hats, scarves and gloves – we absolutely loved getting lost in the peaceful surroundings of Abney Park with Zach and Haydn from the Trust. We also really enjoyed meeting some of the people from the local community who were there enjoying a short break from lockdown in the tranquillity of Abney’s wild surroundings. And we decided to share a few of their stories in this short film about escaping from the confines of their homes:
We’ll share some of the other films we’ve made, including other films for Historic England here soon. And you can find out more about some of the other sites that have received funding here:
https://historicengland.org.uk/coronavirus/culturerecoveryfund/uncover-more/
Find out more about Abney Park: