Tania Olive’s Cemetery Walkers: dogs and their owners [photoessay]

Local photographer Tania Olive shares her photographs of owners and their dogs exploring the depths of the wonderful Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park.

Roman Road is lucky to be surrounded by some incredible green spaces in East London, from the vast expanse of Victoria Park to hidden treasures in Mile End Cemetery.

Once the graveyard of one of London’s most deprived areas, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park (aka Mile End Cemetery) is one of the biggest stretches of semi-wild woodland in London. Its quiet, winding paths are a favourite for dog walkers and their canine companions.

This was the source of inspiration for local photographer Tania Olive.

Olive is a dog lover and has her own pet Chihuahua, Jam. They live close to the cemetery and frequently walk through the woods. ‘When you have a dog you get to know others dogs and their walkers’ Olive explains.

She wanted to show the diversity of a community of people she would never have met if she did not have Jam.

‘I also wanted to do a project which showed tower hamlets cemetery in all its glory. It really is a little gem in the heart of East London and never fails to make me smile and be in the moment’ says Olive.

One of the most commonly said things about the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is “How come I’ve never been there?” It is a hidden gem, but these photographs give us a glimpse of what goes on off the beaten track as well as a candid insights into the relationship between man (or woman) and his (or her) best friend.

If you like this, you might like our gallery of Roman Road Market on a sunny winter’s day.