Credit: Shutterstock – Photo by Dan Bridge
Yes, we are aware that cemeteries are not always the first choice when it comes to a nice afternoon walk. But if this cemetery is one of London’s ‘Magnificent Seven’, you can be sure you’ll see some great sights. Der Highgate Cemetery along with its six siblings, represents the best of Victorian funerary traditions, and it really is a very beautiful place to stroll.
To state the obvious straight away: It there are corpses here. It’s not a place everyone will want to visit – but for the faint-hearted that’s hardly a problem. After all, the bodies are all buried…
Kredit: Highgate Cemetery
Who is buried in Highgate Cemetary?
At Highgate Cemetery 170,000 people restand it’s not full yet. People are still buried here today, but you have to meet certain criteria if you want to get a place – you either have to be over 80 years old or have a terminal illness. Anyway, aside from the lighthearted stuff, there are some impressive sights to see here, as you would expect from a place that has been growing and changing since 1839.
Highgate Cemetery has some prominent residents, of which Karl Marx is probably the most famous. The staunch communist and well-known beard lover has a large statue of himself in his grave that survived being blown up by fervent capitalists. One of London’s greatest ironies is that you have to pay a fee to view his grave because (horror) it is private property. This comes after the cemetery fell into disrepair before being purchased and slowly restored by the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust.
Credit: Shutterstock – Photo by DrimaFilm
The literary personalities buried here include: George Eliot, Douglas Adams and the poet Christina Rossetti. Adam Worth, who may have been the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes’ nemesis Moriarty, is buried here in a pauper’s grave. Highgate Cemetery is also home to defected Russian spy and high-profile murder victim Alexander Litvinenko, who was buried in a lead-lined coffin to prevent radioactive poisoning.
Funeral designers can let their imagination run wild in the graves and mausoleums of Highgate Cemetery. In the West Cemetery, the Victorian fascination with Egyptians led to the breathtaking Egyptian Avenue as well as numerous impressive tombs. The equally impressive Lebanon Circle has been featured in many photos over the years. They are less beautiful, but much scarier underground Terrace Catacombs; enter it if you dare.
Kredit: Highgate Cemetery
It wasn’t just the Victorians who knew how to create an impressive tomb. The postmodern tomb by artist Patrick Caulfield has the word DEAD as a central element. However, sometimes the more modest graves are the best. As well as the grave of Victorian boxer Thomas Sayers, on which his faithful dog lies to keep him company.
Photo credit: Highgate Cemetery
I’m not crying – you’re crying! (Okay, I’m definitely crying…)
Elsewhere in Highgate Cemetery
But Highgate Cemetery is not just about the graves. The intricate labyrinth of trees is home to numerous species of birds and butterflies, as well as foxes and badgers.
Credit: Shutterstock – Photo by Dan Bridge
It’s less cute Highgate-Vampirewhich sparked mass hysteria after sightings were first reported in 1969. However, if you can avoid the supernatural creatures, you will find Highgate Cemetery a rather peaceful place to stroll.
