Visiting Highgate Cemetery, A Unique London Experience

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It’s Halloween week, and I can’t think of a better place to take you than on a trip to Highgate….

‘What are you doing this weekend Hannah?’, a colleague asks. ‘Well’, I say, ‘I’m actually off to a graveyard for the day’. ‘Oh right’ they conclude, looking at me like I’ve lost my marbles and might need to get checked out. But bear with me because…….this graveyard is AMAZING. It’s so atmospheric, so full of history, so peaceful and calm and interesting to walk around. And it’s so worth a visit if you’re in London and have the time.


  1. Contents
  2. The History of Highgate Cemetery
  3. What to see at Highgate Cemetery
    1. Circle of Lebanon
    2. Egyptian Avenue
    3. The Terrace Catacombs
    4. West Cemetery Famous Graves
    5. East Cemetery Famous Graves
  4. Is Highgate Cemetery worth visiting?

In Victorian times, London’s population had almost doubled in a short space of time. It meant there wasn’t enough grave space at local churches, and people were being put in mass graves, or not properly buried in the street (complete with limbs sticking up). Savvy entrepreneurs of the time saw a business opportunity – to open a cemetery in the countryside (at the time) outside of London, offering a resting place for you or your loved ones.

The biggest selling point was safety. This was at the time of grave robbers, who would punch through coffins, pull out the whole body – sell off the hair, the teeth and then the body to medical research! Highgate offered the Victorians somewhere with guards, well secured, so that resting in peace really could be that. The Victorians spent a lot of money on death, it was important to them, and so business boomed.

But only for so long. Grave sites were sold forever meaning once the plot of land had sold, that was it. So eventually, money dried out of course. Eventually the cemetery passed from private ownership to the council, who left it open and to fall in to ruin. Graves were vandalised, trees and ivy grew everywhere (all trees here are self seeded!), gravestones were split and lots of people used it as a site for vampire or ghost hunting.

Thankfully, the local residents decided they’d had enough and set up the ‘Friends of Highgate’ organisation, which now runs the site. Whilst the graveyard hasn’t been restored, it’s been cleared and is now open for paying visitors only. So visit I did, and what a treat it was.

Walking through Highgate

Highgate is split in to the East and West cemeteries. You can turn up and visit the East cemetery, but for me the West is the main attraction. You can visit the West cemetery on a guided tour for £14, which I really recommend doing, and then self guide around the East on the same ticket.

In the West cemetery, the star of the show is the Circle of Lebanon – which previously housed a massive ancient Lebanese cedar tree at its centre, around which a circle of tombs was built. However in 2019, significant decay was found in the tree, which was at high risk of collapse so it was removed completely and replaced, but it will be decades until it grows so at the moment it looks like a bed of wildflowers.

Another highlight on this side of the cemetery is the Egyptian Avenue. Interestingly, the Victorians were fascinated with all things Egyptian and Greek, as they still had in recent memory Napoleon’s campaigns, and travel was just starting to happen. The cemetery is full of Egyptian symbology, such as obelisks. An obelisk cut in half represents a life cut short – i.e. someone who has died before their time, and these can be seen all around the cemetery marking young people’s graves.

The West cemetery is also home to The Terrace Catacombs, which were part of the original buildings of the cemetery in 1838.  Inside, there is a brick-vaulted gallery, lit by oculi set in the terrace. It is lined with separate sections, each large enough to take a single coffin end on, from floor to ceiling down both sides of length, 825 in all.

There are a number of people in the West cemetery worth paying respects to as well. Mrs Henry Wood is near the Circle of Lebanon, and most won’t have heard of her. She actually sold more books than Dickens in her time, but wrote in her husband’s name rather than her own (Ellen Wood). Unsurprisingly, given the limited power of women at the time, her memory has largely been lost to time, but apparently she’s very popular in Australia!

Another highlight is the Julius Beer Mausoleum, a testament to a father’s love for his lost daughter, and based on one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Inside, Beer’s daughter Ada is shown being lifted heavenwards by an angel (bearing her mother’s face) in a very touching sculpture. You can also see tributes to a teenager who lost her life when her dress caught fire, the grave of Thomas Sayers – a famous bare knuckle boxer who’s dog is immortalised on his tomb, famous poet Christina Rossetti and even Michael Faraday, who invented electromagnetism.

The most special part of the West cemetery for me though was visiting my family. Under a broken and damaged headstone, lies a grave with my great, great, great Grandfather, and 4x great Grandparents in it. The Victorians believed in visiting the dead, and talking to them, as you would in life. I didn’t do that, but I paid my respects and had a few moments of thought for the people without whom I wouldn’t be here at all.

Mum and I trying to read the headstone of our ancestors!

You can still be buried at Highgate (for a fee, of course!) and so there are also some more recent graves. Alexander Litvinenoko, a Russian who spoke out about Putin and was poisoned on British soil in 2006 is buried here, as well as Ugo Ehiogu, an ex-professional football (soccer) player who died of cardiac arrest on a training ground in his 40s. I didn’t take photos out of respect.

In the East cemetery, the main draw is the grave site of Karl Marx, which is a must see – though it draws the most crowds too. I personally found the tomb a little grotesque, having his face on it, unlike any other grave in the cemetery. Also in the East is Douglas Adams (of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame) and George Eliot, the famous author – and yet another woman who had to write under a man’s name (she was actually called Mary Evans)!

Karl Marx’s grave

This cemetery is incredible, so yes it’s absolutely worth visiting and blew me away. It’s true Victorian Gothic and so atmospheric. The volunteers who run the tours and the cemetery are wonderful, fun and genuinely passionate about the site. To step back in time and see how things were in the Victorian age with mausoleums and monuments and so much symbolism is very interesting.

What I found hardest is two fold. One, like everything, you had to pay for it. The poor couldn’t be buried here, and I often feel like the poor are written out of history. It’s the same for women. Whilst many women are buried here – it’s more often than not under their husband’s name. Women are defined as ‘wives of’ or ‘Mrs Henry Wood’, rather than wonderful women in their own right. Nothing summed this up more than the ‘lost girls’. In the West cemetery there is a small strip of land for a common grave which isn’t marked. It was bought by a charity to bury the bodies of girls working as prostitutes who didn’t survive – there are 10 girls here, one just 12 years old. They were poor and female, but thankfully – for 10 of them at least out of a population of thousands – they aren’t completely forgotten or erased from history.

I hope that as a society we are better at recognising women, those from disadvantaged backgrounds and all minorities – both in life and in death. But with child prostitution still a huge issue, racism and nationalist views seemingly on the up, and everything going on in the world, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if we’ve learnt anything at all.


So, what did you think? Would you visit this unique place if you were in London? I hope you enjoyed the tour and found it interesting. Happy Halloween everyone!!

35 responses to “Visiting Highgate Cemetery, A Unique London Experience”

  1. Absolutely fascinating Han! This has gone straight onto our London list for next year. I learned a few things too, so thanks for the great share.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yey I’m so glad it interested you, it’s so worth a visit and great it’s made your list. I think it’s one of those lesser known amazing sites 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  2. I love walking through cemeteries- and this one looks like the best there is to walk through! Such a beautiful and interesting cemetery. And what a special experience to share with your mom as you found the headstones of your ancestors. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I totally agree, I find them so peaceful. It was super special to visit my ancestors there 🙂 So good they managed to save the cemetery and it didn’t fall in to complete ruin! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  3. That is a very interesting cemetery. A little too creepy for me. You should go back at night. 😄😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I wouldn’t dare go back at night, I’d be having nightmares for the rest of my life haha!

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  4. I love old cemeteries and this one looks great. Glad you found your 4x grandfather, that’s pretty cool. Maybe if we make it back to London someday. Maggie

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah it’s a really interesting place to explore and so beautiful in its own way! Thanks for reading and have a nice day 🙂

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  5. I would definitely visit. It look so atmospheric. Great, informative post, and so cool that you have ancestors there!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Definitely a really atmospheric setting and such a cool place to explore. Thanks for reading 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I have a morbid fascination with cemeteries, and I’ve visited a few beautiful ones in Zagreb, Paris, and even Los Angeles, my hometown. It’s the quiet and calm atmosphere that draws me in, along with well-kept lawns and passageways that make you reflect on each tombstone and each person’s life lived– all fruitful and fulfilling. Highgate Cemetery is definitely on my list to go!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m totally with you on the morbid fascination – I have the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania high on my list to visit next year for the exact same reasons. I find it fascinating that the tombstone is all that can be left of someone and interesting to read their story and think of their life, such a long time ago in many cases. Thanks for reading 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, I visited the Hill of Crosses two years ago, and it’s pretty eerie, but really cool! It’s also in the middle of nowhere, so it’s a ways to get there from Vilnius. But a quick trip there is doable!

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  7. Visiting Highgate Cemetery has been on my wish list for several years now Hannah and although I’m frequently in London, I never seem to get around to going there but now that I’ve read your informative post I definitely will!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. it’s definitely worth a visit Marion, I highly recommend it as a half day trip when in London. it’s really beautiful and super interesting! Thanks for reading 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. How fitting to visit a graveyard around Halloween. This cemetery does looks pretty awesome, but I wouldn’t want to be alone here after dark. That’s pretty neat that you found a tombstone from your relatives.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yes Halloween felt the right time to post it!! Oh no, I’d definitely not visit after dark – but in the day time it’s a peaceful and beautiful place I found. Thanks for reading and have a great day 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  9. This was really fascinating to read about! Seems very Halloween appropriate. And how special to be able to see the graves of your ancestors.

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  10. Wow so beautiful and a great post for Halloween week!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Lyssy – I was getting in the spirit 🙂

      Like

  11. Janet’s Journeys

    This is SO fascinating to read about! I need to visit one day!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s definitely worth a visit if you ever get the chance – thanks for reading Janet 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  12. So nice to see that the Highgate Cemetery was restored, and then some. What wonderful architecture, paths and passageways to explore. Interesting history, as well. Thank you for sharing, my friend 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah they’ve done a beautiful job of restoring it for sure 🙂 It’s a lovely peaceful place and super interesting – thanks for reading and have a great day!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you, Hannah ~ you too 🙂

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  13. This might sound creepy, but I do enjoy visiting graveyards when I travel :). There is something peaceful about them. I’ve never visited Highgate Cemetery though. I’ll need to add it to the list.

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  14. I’ve never been much of a graveyard tourist, but this one sounds fascinating – the Lebanese and Egyptian influence especially. Your ancestors are in good company there!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes for sure – it’s such a unique place and really interesting to see all the architecture.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. This is so interesting – I’ve wanted to visit Highgate Cemetery for years, but I’ve never known much about the tour! I assumed some of the graves I wanted to see (Douglas Adams, Karl Marx even with his face lol) were in the west part – is the east free to get into? Also that’s amazing that you have relatives buried there – silly question, but did you have to pay? I mean I don’t know if you can prove that you’re related, but it seems harsh to charge someone to pay their respects to family!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. So the west part you have to pay, and the east is free. Douglas Adams and Karl Marx are both in the east so free to visit. That said, the west is the truly beautiful part of the cemetery and to visit it you have to pay for the tour and book in advance. If you have an ancestor buried in the West, you can claim the plot by saying the name on the grave, and then producing ID only (no proof of genetic link needed) provided no-one else has already claimed it, and then they will escort you to visit your ancestor, but I don’t think you’re then meant to just wonder around, though who would notice! Post pandemic I wonder if it will change again, as I do think they used to do paid entry to the west side and self guide. Hope that helps and hope you get to visit, it’s really worth a trip!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ahh thanks for all the great info! That’s really interesting. Will definitely try and go next time we’re in London.

        Liked by 1 person

  16. […] Highgate Cemetery – a unique gothic Victorian cemetery, home to Karl Marx […]

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  17. Thank you, this was so great to read.

    Liked by 1 person

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About the author

Hi! My name is Hannah, I’m a travel blogger from the UK who fits travel around a full time (and full on) job. In this blog I share my adventures around the world and hopefully help you to find some inspiration for destinations, things to do or places to stay. Thanks for stopping by – stay safe and happy travelling.

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