Highgate Cemetery, Highgate, London

I lived near here for a few years and visited the cemetary a few times at different times of the year with friends who wanted to see an unusual part of London. It’s quite interesting to see the different feel you get simply by going in the spring as opposed to the autumn, and each guide focuses on different parts of the place, history and graves. You learn (and see) something new each time.

The cemetary is in two sections. The “newer” Eastern part has a few famous people buried in it, including Karl Marx and George Eliot. Admission includes a photo pass.

The Western section is seen by guided tour only. This is the older Victorian section, and you get a sense of how the Victorians thought of death is so different from modern day. Depending on your guide, you may see the graves of Michael Faraday, the Rosetti family, Elizabeth Siddal or Radcliffe Hall (to name but a few).

The Egyptian Avene and Circle of Lebenon are both impressive sites and as you walk deeper (and higher-the cemetary is on the side of a hill), you may think that you are no longer in London due to hearing wildlife and little traffic noise.

It’s well worth a trip to Zone 3 to see this Victorian gem (and you can check out the pubs and shops of Highgate Village when you are done), just be sure to get your timing right so you don’t miss the last tour of the day!

if you want to know the real victorian london, then come here. Victorians loved to preen and wanted to show their wealth even after death. the west side is so vast you need a tour guide to get around. most go to the east side just to look at karl marx’ tomb (he isnt even laid to rest here). . The catacombs and the cedar tree sprouting from the top is a wonderful sight. the tours around are hourly and you may be lucky to get the devoted Mrs Jean Pate who is the chair lady of the Highgate trust.

It may seem an odd place to go for a visit unless you know someone buried here, but Highgate cemetery is much more then a line of tombstones. First off, everything is green. There are trees everywhere, and secondly, there are all manner of interesting burial tombs, graves and mausoleums. The combination of the two makes for an extremely peaceful, serene atmosphere.

Its like walking through an abandoned, overgrown city in some places.Take one of the guided tours and you’ll find the burial locations of some of the most influential people to have ever lived. Well worth the visit.

I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn’t have been turned away the day before by an extremely officious woman as we had - only just- missed the last tour of the day, in fact we could see everyone walking away but she wouldn’t let us in. It is a fascinating place, not at all depressing or morbid as I thought it might be. Some beautiful architecture.

Such a beautiful and peaceful place to visit. You have to visit the west part of the cemetery on a tour but the knowledge from the guides is well worth it. Interesting to find out that there was fashion for tomb and headstone decoration with a part of the cemetery showing that influences from Ancient Eqypt were popular at one time.

Wear some sturdy shoes as the cemetery is quite overgrown and could be a bit slippery underfoot.