Highgate Cemetery in London is located near Highgate Village, and enjoys a wonderful view of the city.
The original part of the cemetery, known as the West Cemetery, opened in 1839 as part of a plan to alleviate the over-crowded inner city cemeteries by building large, modern cemeteries around the outside of the city.
Highgate Cemetery proved to be a very popular and fashionable place to be buried, and another area was acquired and put into use in 1854, this is now known as the East Cemetery.
The West Cemetery was closed to new burials in 1975, and the management of the cemetery was taken over by the Friends of Highgate Cemetery and it is still operating as a cemetery.
The West Cemetery boasts perhaps the finest assortment of tombs and monuments. It is heavily overgrown with ivy and other vegetation, all self sown over years of neglect. Small markers sit next to broken columns and angel statues, a jumble of Victorian funeral excess that is lovely in a rather sad way.
The Egyptian Avenue and Circle of Lebanon feature family vaults and mausoleums dug into the hillside.
For the protection of the oldest monuments, entrance to the West Cemetery must be done via guided tour, but the East cemetery can be toured unaccompanied.
The entire grounds are a haven for wildlife, birds and foxes abound in the wild setting.
Perhaps the most famous occupant of Highgate Cemetery is Karl Marx, who is buried in the East Cemetery. Novelist George Eliot, John and Elizabeth Dickens (parents of Charles Dickens), and Thomas Sayers, a popular Victorian boxer are also buried there.
More recent occupants of the cemetery are Douglas Adams, Michael Faraday, and Sir Ralph Richardson.
Highgate Cemetery has more than its share of ghostly rumours and supernatural sightings.
One of the most compelling rumours is that of the Highgate Vampire. The legend arose in the late 1960s, a time when the cemetery was woefully overgrown and prone to vandalism.
Several people reported seeing shapes and figures in the cemetery at night, and eventually a story about a vampire living in the cemetery arose. Reports of dead animals found drained of blood soon followed, and the vampire legend took hold, bolstered by books and media stories.
No one knows if there is any truth to the legends, but if a vampire had to live somewhere, Highgate Cemetery in London would be a good choice.
Visiting Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery, Swain's Lane, N6 6PJ
Telephone: 020 8340 1834
Opening Times
Weekend Tours: Hourly from 11:00-16:00 Weekday Tours: 14:00.
Ticket Prices
Admission Only: £2 | Tours: £5
Photo courtesy: rusticus80
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