St John-at-Hackney Churchyard Gardens was the burial ground of Hackney’s first parish church of St Augustin. The burial ground was converted into a public garden with the graves being grassed over and headstones moved to the perimeter and chest tombs into railed enclosures. Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, who invented the Beaufort Wind Scale, is in one of the tombs present today.

Solution

A ground penetrating radar survey was undertaken for Hackney Council to ascertain and record the position of the burial ground in the gardens. This was due to the appearance of holes on the surface and concern of further voiding with risk of injury to the public.