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Temple Hill Trust marks 100 years since young nurse's death

By: Juliana Cruz Lima jcruzlima@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 16:04, 25 November 2022

Updated: 16:06, 25 November 2022

People living in one part of town have marked the centenary of the death of a nurse whose gravestone is the only evidence that the site was once a burial ground.

Apart from some yew trees, the marker at the final resting place of Ethel Chapman is all that remains of what was once Joyce Green cemetery in Dartford.

The young nurse's gravestone is the only visible in the former burial ground. Picture: Kelly Grehan

It was attached to the Joyce Green Hospital but is now part of the Temple Hill estate, with Ethel's grave in an area now known as the Enchanted Woodland.

Many burials took place at the cemetery up until 1951, with more than 80% occurring in just one year in 1902, when London and surrounding areas saw a severe smallpox epidemic.

Later the cemetery fell into dereliction before The Temple Hill Trust took ownership of the wood in 2009 and it is now maintained by volunteers.

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Ethel was born in the vicinity of West Ham in 1898.

According to her memorial, she was a nurse at the Poplar Institution, which was formally known as the Poplar Workhouse. She died aged only 22 on November 7, 1922.

People in Temple Hill paid their respects to Ethel. Picture: Kelly Grehan

Her grave is cherished by people living in the area and many placed flowers on the site during the week to mark 100 years since she died.

Cllr Kelly Grehan, who is a trustee of the Enchanted Woodland, said: "I always say the Enchanted Woodland is the hidden gem of Temple Hill, being such a great sight for nature and history.

"I am grateful to the volunteers who maintain it week in week out.

"It’s sad that we don’t know more about the other people in graves in the wood. But I am glad we can mark Ethel’s life."

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