Jesus Green Area Guide

We’ve told you all you need to know about Columbia Road. Now for the hidden treasure just behind it, Jesus Green. Jesus Hospital estate was established as a charity by James Ravenscoft. The beautiful area it is today is a far cry from the land before it was built!


The area and the land surrounding Jesus Green was once known as Nova Scotia Gardens. The area was dirty and full of waste. The cottages built on this land were low down and so were prone to flooding, making them undesirable to most, but not all. Amongst the desperate individuals occupying the cottages were Thomas Williams, John Bishop, Michael Shields and James May, known as ‘the London Burkers’. In the 1800’s anatomical cadavers demand was very high. So much so that there was not enough dead bodies to meet this demand. The London Burkers decided to dig up and sell fresh bodies to the surgeons at local hospitals, this is where their grave robbing careers started. It is thought that over a 12 year time period, they stole up to 1,000 corpses. In November 1831, May and Bishop delivered the body of a young man to a porter named William Hill and demanded money for it. The body was fresh, making Hill suspicious of how the boy had died. May and Bishop claimed they did not know where the body had come from, but the police were called. The cottages at Nova Scotia Gardens were searched and evidence pointed towards multiple murders being committed. All four men were arrested. It soon became clear that the men’s victim were drugged, hung upside down and drowned in a well on the property. Bishop and Williams were found guilty and were hanged at Newgate on 5th December 1831 in front of a crowd of 30,000 people. Their bodies were then sent to anatomical establishments for dissection… Shields and May were cleared as mere delivery men in the murders.


In 1822, houses were built on Jesus Hospital Estate to create a more ‘civilised lifestyle.’ However, the houses were badly built and were pulled down and rebuilt just 40 years later. Charity trustees Reverend T. H. Elwin and solicitor James Quilter hired Joseph Baxendale and Richard Durant to create the neighbourhood you see today. The roads on Jesus Estate are named after these men.


There have been numerous attempts to demolish Jesus estate. The first was in 1960 but it was stopped by multiple protests. A second attempt in 1971 led to the inner triangle of Quilter Street, Elwin Street, and Barnet Grove being knocked down. This led to the neighbourhood park, Jesus Green being built. Jesus Green Park is now a popular meeting place for residents, and makes the area more desirable. In 1985, there was another failed attempt at knocking down the rest of the estate, which resulted in the Jesus Hospital Estate Residents Association being established. It is now a conservation area, meaning the houses can’t be knocked down.


The local school, Columbia Primary is a 5 minute walk from Jesus Green. At Columbia Primary they pride themselves on their passion for teaching and preparing children for their future. In regards to getting here, Hoxton station is a 10 minute walk. Liverpool Street Station is also just a short walk away. So now you know all about Jesus Green, why not pay it a visit?

Jesus Green Area Guide

We’ve told you all you need to know about Columbia Road. Now for the hidden treasure just behind it, Jesus Green. Jesus Hospital estate was established as a charity by James Ravenscoft. The beautiful area it is today is a far cry from the land before it was built!


The area and the land surrounding Jesus Green was once known as Nova Scotia Gardens. The area was dirty and full of waste. The cottages built on this land were low down and so were prone to flooding, making them undesirable to most, but not all. Amongst the desperate individuals occupying the cottages were Thomas Williams, John Bishop, Michael Shields and James May, known as ‘the London Burkers’. In the 1800’s anatomical cadavers demand was very high. So much so that there was not enough dead bodies to meet this demand. The London Burkers decided to dig up and sell fresh bodies to the surgeons at local hospitals, this is where their grave robbing careers started. It is thought that over a 12 year time period, they stole up to 1,000 corpses. In November 1831, May and Bishop delivered the body of a young man to a porter named William Hill and demanded money for it. The body was fresh, making Hill suspicious of how the boy had died. May and Bishop claimed they did not know where the body had come from, but the police were called. The cottages at Nova Scotia Gardens were searched and evidence pointed towards multiple murders being committed. All four men were arrested. It soon became clear that the men’s victim were drugged, hung upside down and drowned in a well on the property. Bishop and Williams were found guilty and were hanged at Newgate on 5th December 1831 in front of a crowd of 30,000 people. Their bodies were then sent to anatomical establishments for dissection… Shields and May were cleared as mere delivery men in the murders.


In 1822, houses were built on Jesus Hospital Estate to create a more ‘civilised lifestyle.’ However, the houses were badly built and were pulled down and rebuilt just 40 years later. Charity trustees Reverend T. H. Elwin and solicitor James Quilter hired Joseph Baxendale and Richard Durant to create the neighbourhood you see today. The roads on Jesus Estate are named after these men.


There have been numerous attempts to demolish Jesus estate. The first was in 1960 but it was stopped by multiple protests. A second attempt in 1971 led to the inner triangle of Quilter Street, Elwin Street, and Barnet Grove being knocked down. This led to the neighbourhood park, Jesus Green being built. Jesus Green Park is now a popular meeting place for residents, and makes the area more desirable. In 1985, there was another failed attempt at knocking down the rest of the estate, which resulted in the Jesus Hospital Estate Residents Association being established. It is now a conservation area, meaning the houses can’t be knocked down.


The local school, Columbia Primary is a 5 minute walk from Jesus Green. At Columbia Primary they pride themselves on their passion for teaching and preparing children for their future. In regards to getting here, Hoxton station is a 10 minute walk. Liverpool Street Station is also just a short walk away. So now you know all about Jesus Green, why not pay it a visit?