Highgate Cemetery

  

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A celebrated and extremely atmospheric Victorian cemetery in north London, Great Britain. It's known mainly for two things: a) it's the final resting place of Karl Marx (plus a number of other celebrities), and b) its western part in particular is wonderfully enchanting, semi-overgrown and full of fabulous sepulcral architeture and "Gothic" graves. In that latter respect it is indeed one of the most superb cemeteries that I know of!! 

More background info: As with other celebrated cemeteries (cf. Pere Lachaise or Vienna’s Central Cemetery), Highgate Cemetery owes its existence to the fact that with the beginning of the 19th century, as urbanization took off alongside the Industrial Revolution, the older inner-city cemeteries became overcrowded and unsanitary. Up to then, people were usually buried in their local church graveyards. But as graves were increasingly stacked high (or deep) and ever shallower, they started posing health hazards as well as raising ethical questions. A cholera outbreak in 1832 in London further highlighted the urgent need for a way round this pressing problem.

 

Whereas in other places decrees from above provided the solution (cf. Vienna’s Central Cemetery again), in the case of London (or Paris) it was private companies that came to the rescue … making a healthy profit in the process. In the case of Highgate it was the London Cemetery Company (LCC); it bought a plot of land on a hillside north of London to create the third of what were to become known as the “Magnificent Seven”, a ring of commercial cemeteries, of which Kensal Green (founded in 1832) and Norwood (1837) were the first two, Highgate followed in 1839.

  

These companies set up private cemeteries outside the then city limits, and modelled them on the fabled and successful Pere Lachaise (opened in 1804). They were deliberately conceived as ‘garden cemeteries’ with fancy architectural features in order to attract a moneyed clientele. From the off, Highgate aimed at becoming the “jewel” of these new cemeteries. The landscaping and design took some inspiration directly from Pere Lachaise, which had already become a visitor attraction as much as a successful commercial cemetery.

 

Highgate rode on a fanciful wave of romanticized “orientalism” that was a typical element of the Victorian era, with Egyptian features added (complete with faux obelisks) and a “Circle of Lebanon” ring of tombs/catacombs around a genuine Lebanon cedar tree, which had apparently already been in existence long before the cemetery’s construction and was thus fittingly integrated into the design.

 

As a business, Highgate was in instant success, a smash hit of cemeteries, if you like. In its first year of operation the LCC sold over 200 plots, the following year that figure grew to 2000. In keeping with the Victorian attitude towards death, many magnificent Gothic tombs and mausoleums were constructed, an en vogue way of showing off wealth.

 

When burials within central London were banned outright in 1850, this gave another boost to the new garden cemeteries. By then, however, they in turn were also beginning to feel the pressure from overcrowding. And so the LCC purchased another plot of land to the south-east, which in 1860 opened as the East Highgate Cemetery. It is more densely designed and lacks the exuberantly grand architectural features of its Western counterpart, but it was still riding high on the Victorian sepulchral fashions.

 

That was about to change, though, as with the onset of modernity, more practical, sanitized and less show-off-y funerals and burials became the norm (such as cremation). At the same time, the fact that grave plots were back then usually sold in perpetuity, space was inevitably running out. Moreover, maintenance became an increasing problem as surviving relatives/families failed to look after their “eternal” plots and as did the LCC.

 

Hence neglect began to take its toll and the cemeteries became gradually overgrown. Vandalism also played a role in the decline of the magnificence of the “Magnificent Seven”, with Highgate being no exception. Come the second half of the 20th century, the LCC was running into financial difficulties and eventually went bust in 1960. The cemetery was taken over by the United Cemetery Company but they too failed to keep the business afloat and so Highgate Cemetery was closed in 1975. With no one to look after the abandoned site it became lost in time, overgrown and almost forgotten. Closed to the public Highgate Cemetery became a kind of otherworldly “Lost World”.

 

Shortly after, however, a charity was founded to save Highgate from complete disrepair. It’s called Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust (FOHC); it acquired a freehold of the two sections in 1981 and soon started offering guided tours of the Western section, while the Eastern part (with Karl Marx’s tomb) remained freely accessible.

 

I cannot recall how or when exactly I first learned about the existence of Highgate Cemetery, but it must have been quite early on in my phase as a young adult, who had just left home, when I became rather obsessed with London (especially its then Docklands) and travelled there as often as I could afford. Maybe I picked up the first book about the place (“Highgate Cemetery. Victorian Valhalla” by Felix Barker and John Gay, published in 1984).

 

But in any case I went on one of those early guided tours sometime in the 1980s and it left a deep and lasting impression on me. I took some analogue photos back then but the prints have since deteriorated or been lost, yet my visual memory of the site remains vivid and strong, especially of the Circle of Lebanon with its magnificent cedar tree – and also the overall Hammer-horror-like overgrown Gothic atmosphere of the cemetery. By then only a few paths had been cleared to allow access, but there were still trees growing directly out of some graves and there was a blanket of ivy and sycamore covering large areas like a shroud of green with the Victorian sepulchral stonemasonry just poking through.

 

Already then it had become clear that especially the sycamore, as an invasive species, was causing too much damage and that the “enchanted” overgrown state that I had seen the cemetery in would be unsustainable in the longer term. As the problem reached crisis level, a conservation plan was drawn up in 2019. In line with this plan, intervention in the unchecked growth of invasive species was initiated, and such plants were to be cut back, giving the original trees space again, opening up lost views and preserving the architecture and tombs. This development would also benefit local urban wildlife (foxes, say).

  

At the same time more room was made to enable new burials. While the Eastern section had remained active in that function to a degree already, the Western part too would now also see new grave plots being sold. Thus the not-for-profit Trust received funds that way too, in addition to the fees from guided tours.

 

Attracting more visitors, however, has also been a key part of the strategy adopted by the FOHC. This recognizes the attraction the cemetery exudes as a tourist site. Yet, as I know from reading this book, the reality that it is obviously a key form of dark tourism is almost pettily rejected by the FOHC. Instead they claim that it is the surge of interest in genealogy that accounts for Highgate’s popularity – that and the fact that relatives can visit the newer graves these days.

 

Highgate receives some 100,000 visitors annually. To claim that these are all genealogists (a hobby mostly done online anyway) or relatives visiting graves is simply ludicrous. Of course the majority of visitors are tourists (whether domestic or international). And because Highgate Cemetery, as a place associated with death, is undeniably a dark attraction, those visiting tourists are by definition dark tourists, no matter whether they are aware of it it or not and no matter whether or not the FOHC likes it. But as the author of this book has encountered on many occasions (just like myself), the logic in this line of reasoning is – like a reflex – simply rejected. As if you could argue away logic. But that’s how it often is when you try to defend dark tourism as something that simply is, without value judgement. Sadly, for some the urge to make misguided negative value judgements somehow overrides logic.

 

But anyway, that doesn’t have to deter you or me or anybody else who wants to visit Highgate Cemetery for what it is: one of the world’s best dark-tourism attractions in the cemeteries category! (Maybe just don’t mention the dirty “D word” when you’re there ...)

  

But back to more contemporary burials. The opening up of the Western section of Highgate attracted some high-calibre names, most notably perhaps pop star George Michael, who passed away on Christmas Day 2016. He had already purchased a plot at a crossroads of paths not far from the main one, namely for his mother. He was buried alongside her, though not really in an unmarked gave (as claimed in this book) but under his original Greek name of Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, not his adopted stage name. His sister, who died three years later, somewhat spookily also on Christmas Day, is buried here too. The FOHC make a big point of this being a private plot and a sign admonishes visitors not to take photos or leave any mementoes (these would be removed). So Highgate also has its superstar pop icon, like Pere Lachaise has Jim Morrison, yet here this is not to be celebrated but swept under the rug, as it were.

   

Another notable contemporary grave, and one with an altogether darker death story, is that of Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian ex-KGB man turned journalist, who had fled to exile in Britain and who much angered his former homeland of Russia by publishing highly critical books and articles, especially raising personal allegations against Vladimir Putin. In 2006, Litvinenko was poisoned with the extremely rare highly radioactive substance Polonium-210, of which he died a few weeks later. Suspicions were naturally flying about that he had been murdered in this bizarre way and that Russia was in some way responsible. The whole case remains shrouded in mystery and controversy, even though investigative journalists claim that they have found a direct line to Putin’s door … Anyway, this is certainly a grave worthy of a dark pilgrimage!

 

Most grave pilgrims, however, head to the Eastern section of Highgate Cemetery, namely to visit the tomb of Karl Marx (1818-1883 – arguably the most famous “resident” here (see below). Other than the Victorian Gothic splendour of the Western section it is Marx that Highgate is best known for.

 

But there are also much more recent graves of notable names in the Eastern section. One is that of Malcolm McLaren, the punk rock impresario and fashion designer, or Douglas Adams, author of the legendary “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” five-part trilogy of books (plus a radio play, TV series and a movie) … On a darker note, there is also the grave of journalist Farzad Bazoft, who was executed (for "spying") in Iraq under Saddam Hussein in 1990.

 

For yet more see below …

 
 

What there is to see:  First of all note that while in the past the Eastern section was freely accessible and the Western section only on guided tours, this has long since changed. An admission fee is now also charged for the Eastern section (to some controversy, but it’s allegedly needed for the upkeep of the cemetery); see below. On the positive side, access to the Western section is now also possible on a self-guided basis. This was first trialled during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and fortunately has been kept ever since. You can still go on guided tours, and for first-timers it’s still recommended (see below), but otherwise you can use the cemetery map you are given when buying your ticket to navigate the cemetery’s paths on your own – or even just wander aimlessly. Good.

 

The Western section is the far more atmospheric half, so on my return visit in January 2025 that’s where I headed first, but I know that for many others the key attraction is the “star” grave in the Eastern section, so let’s get that out of the way first:

 

The main attraction for most tourists comiong to Highgate Cemetery is Karl Marx's grave. His large monumental marble tombstone with a bust of the distinctively bearded philosopher was erected by the British communists in 1956, after they had him exhumed and moved to the more open location for reburial in 1954 (the old site of the original grave can also still be seen – with a broken old simple horizonal tombstone). The monumental tomb of Marx has become quite a pilgrimage site. The most famous line from the Communist Manifesto "workers of all lands, unite" shines in gold under Marx's chin. There are usually fresh flowers at the foot of the monument.

 

In addition I found several other mementoes as well as letters (in both Chinese and English) and: money! Yes, indeed, people leave token coins and notes at Karl Marx’s grave … well, he penned “Das Kapital” (‘Capital’), so … I spotted Chinese, Mexican and Argentinian currency in addition to some pounds sterling.

 

By the way, the monumental grave is not just for Karl. His wife, daughter and grandson are also buried here and even his housekeeper Helene Demuth (who after Marx’s death took on that same role for Marx's mentor Friedrich Engels for a few years).

 

On the other side of the path is a fairly open patch of graves that includes an assortment of other communists who clearly wanted to be buried near their great messiah Marx. This includes people from countries not immediately associated with communism by everyone, such as Iraq, Iran or South Africa. Various human rights activists’ graves can also be found here.

 

Amongst the more modern graves with famous names elsewhere in the Eastern section is that of Malcolm McLaren (1946-2010), the clothes designer and punk rock impresario (e.g. he managed the legendary Sex Pistols). Remarkably his elaborate tombstone even features his death mask!

 

The grave of another big name worthy of a pilgrimage (the one I was most keen to find here) is a rather humble affair: the simple plain tomb of Douglas Adams, with a headstone that other than the name simply states “writer” and “1952-2001”. But it’s the mementoes left behind by pilgrims in front of the headstone that are the remarkable thing here, including a whole pot full of biros (perhaps over a hundred) as well as instances of the number 42 – both references to Adams’ legendary spoof Sci-Fi trilogy (of five parts!) “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, a work that played a significant part in my younger years too. So coming here did indeed feel like a pilgrimage for me … and I now wish I’d had a spare biro on me to leave behind …

 

There are yet more noteworthy names represented here, e.g. Bruce Reynolds (1931-2013), the mastermind behind the infamous 1963 train robbery. Furthermore there are various artists (including Anna Mahler, the sculptor daughter of composer Gustav Mahler), authors, scientists, actors, journalists and whatnot. Too many to list here – refer instead to the brochure and map you are given with your ticket when you visit Highgate!

 

While some people concentrate mainly on famous people’s graves, a cemetery’s key attraction for me is rather the whole atmosphere of the place as well as individual pieces of sepulchral art, especially statuary. This being a Victorian cemetery, there is obviously no shortage of stone angels and suchlike. But there are also a few more unusual pieces.

 

The best known amongst those is the famous grand piano grave of Harry Thornton, a pianist who died of the Spanish flu in 1918 aged only 35. The stone piano sculpture above his grave is indeed one of the most recognizable pieces of sepulchral art anywhere in the world. I remember it well from my first visit to Highgate in the 1980s. Back then the propped-up lid was missing – having fallen victim to vandalism some years earlier. In the meantime this has been restored, and you can tell by the colour and (mostly) absence of moss that it is newer than the rest of the sculpture.

 

 

But now for the Western section of Highgate Cemetery. This is the prestigious and architecturally more appealing of the two halves. First you pass through the arch of the chapel and into the courtyard with the colonnades at the back (where there’s also a simple café). When I was there in January 2025, there was a set of text-and-image panels outlining the conservation plans for the cemetery and its architectural and ecological elements.

 

Through the centre of the colonnades you reach the main path into the old cemetery. As you walk up the main path (“Colonnade Path”), just beyond the first small path branching off to the left, take note of the simple red-marble headstone for Alexander “Sasha” Litvinenko (see above!). There are usually some flowers and/or mementoes left at the base of the stone.

 

At the next crossroads turn left and where a smaller path branches off left you find a mulch-covered patch with three white marble graves, one in the centre with a cross, the other two plain horizontal square stones with simple inscriptions. The one on the right is marked Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou – that’s George Michael’s grave (see above!), avoiding his stage name and giving only his Greek birth name. There are no mementoes here and you’re not supposed to take photos (hence this spot is not represented in the photo gallery below).

 

Further on up the Main Drive you come to the celebrated architectural highlights of Highgate Cemetery. First there is the “Egyptian Avenue”, whose entrance is marked by a pair of faux antique obelisks. The almost tunnel-like avenue goes past family crypts on either side (for the most part firmly padlocked) until you emerge into the light again at the other end. The ring of crypts around a central “island” is called the “Circle of Lebanon”. In the centre of the grassy circular patch at the top there used to be a genuine Lebanon cedar tree. This magnificent specimen actually predated the cemetery and was cleverly incorporated into its design, and I remember it vividly from my first visit in the 1980s. Sadly, though, after having survived for some 250 years, the tree succumbed to disease and had to be taken down in 2019. It was replaced by a sapling, but at the time I saw it in January 2025 it was still rather pathetic looking compared to its predecessor. Hopefully over time it will grow into a proper replacement …

 

Steps either side lead up to the upper level of the Circle where there are several noteworthy graves. At the apex of the circle stands the grandest of them all, the oversized mausoleum that German-born financier Julius Beer, owner of The Observer, had built for his eight-year-old daughter Ada when she had died.

 

Beyond this, along the northern perimeter of the Cemetery, are the Terrace Catacombs. These are normally locked but are opened up to visitors on the guided tours of the Western section (see below).

 

There are numerous “big names” of artists, writers, actors, scientists, etc. here too, mostly from the 19th century, but I won’t go into details – the brochure and map provided on admission has enough details.

 

What I’ve always found more important at places such as this, is taking in the general atmosphere and the details of the sepulchral artwork, especially where the “ravages of time” have created blurred bas-reliefs, missing limbs on statuary or foliage creeping over stone angels and crosses. And of course there are remarkable elements in the design of the tombs too – several involving animals in stone, e.g. a lion (at a travelling circus owner’s grave) a dog, a set of pelicans and even a horse atop a tombstone (for Queen Victoria’s horse slaughterer). But most prominent are Victorian angel statues, some pretty much intact and still looking beautiful, others withered away by erosion and damaged over time.

 

It’s something that is difficult to represent in prose – so instead I refer you to the photo gallery below for a set of images of some remarkable examples!

 

You are free to walk around most of the paths, even some that are narrow and often muddy. Some are closed off, though, with little signs proclaiming “danger – no entry”. The map you’re given at the entrance also says: “If the path you’re on is not on this map, then you shouldn’t be on it.” Note also that conservation work is still ongoing, so occasionally a path may be blocked off by work teams and their machinery.

 

At the entrance to the Eastern section there is also a small gift shop (adjacent to the ticket booth), selling mainly books and brochures but also a few postcards, but no really cheesy souvenirs, thankfully. Tucked away a short distance behind it is a set of toilets. Those who can’t go far without a caffeine fix can find relief in the “Colonnades Café” in the courtyard of the Western section.

 

All in all, my return visit in January 2025 has confirmed that Highgate Cemetery is really one of the grandest such sites in the world – even though some of the former “spooky” overgrown aspects I remembered from the 1980s had to be removed for preservation reasons. On the other hand, more of the sepulchral artwork is now properly visible, so that balances things out. If you’re into atmospheric old cemeteries and/or pilgrimages to famous people’s graves, Highgate ticks all the boxes and should not be missed!

 
 

Location: in north London, on Swain's Lane in the south-western part of Highgate, a bit east of Hampstead Heath, adjacent to Waterlow Park.
 
Google maps locator: [51.5669, -0.1466]

  

 

Access and costs: a bit out of the centre but not too hard to get to; entrance fees are charged, but they’re comparatively reasonable.

 

Details: You no longer have to go on a guided tour to get access to the cemeteries, even the Western section. You just turn up at the ticket booth, buy your ticket, pick up a map and then you can go exploring self-guided.

 

Admission to both sections combined is: 10 GBP (children 7 GBP); if for some reason you only want to see the Eastern section you can get a single ticket for that for 7 GBP (children 3.50 GBP), though I really cannot see any reason why one would not want to see the far more atmospheric Western section … (well, maybe old communists who only want to visit Marx and have no interest in the cemetery as such).

 

Note that only card payments are accepted, no cash!

 

Opening times: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry 4.30 p.m.) between March and October, only to 4 p.m. (last entry 3.30 p.m.) rest of the year. Closed only over Christmas.

 

The Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust still recommends that first-time visitors go on a guided tour to get a good introduction. These tours are led by knowledgable volunteer guides. There are two versions: the main one is the Highlights Tour, which however concentrates on the Western section only. These last ca. 75 minutes and cost 18 GBP (children 9 GBP, members 8 GBP). The price includes access to both parts of the cemetery on the same day so that you can go exploring on your own afterwards. There is also an East Side Tour costing 15 GBP (children 7.50 GBP, members 8 GBP), including access to the East side only, but not to the Western section.

 

You should book tours online (and pay) in advance on the Trust’s website (highgatecemetery[dot]org). There are up to eight slots a day to choose from if you book well enough in advance.

 

You could also book your non-tour admission ticket in advance online, but for this it’s not really necessary. There are usually no queues and nobody gets turned away (unless there’s a special event on or severe weather conditions don’t allow for visits).

 

Photography is generally allowed for private purposes only. Tripods are only allowed on individual non-guided visits but not on the tours. Anything beyond this (e.g. pro photo shoots) requires prior permission. Ongoing funerals or visits by mourners should not be photographed.

 

You should behave in an appropriately quiet, respectful manner, i.e. make no noise, don’t eat, drink alcohol or smoke and stay away from any ongoing funerals and give visiting mourners space.

 

Paths can be slippery and muddy so it’s best to wear appropriate footwear.

 
 

Time required: If you’re going on a guided tour, factor in ca. 75 minutes for the tour plus extra time for looking around independently afterwards. When I was last there (in January 2025), without being on a tour, I spent about two hours in total at both sections of the cemetery.

 
 

Combinations with other dark destinations: see London. 

 

The most natural combinations would be visiting the other six of the “Magnificent Seven”, e.g. Kensal Green or Brompton Cemeteries. When I’m next in London with sufficient time on my hands I will do exactly that and then report back in more detail.

 
 

Combinations with non-dark destinations: Hampstead Heath, London's highest natural point, is just half a mile further west of the cemeteries. Good views over the city can be had from here (weather permitting, as always in England).

Otherwise see undert London in general.