Highgate cemetery: A journey through London's hidden history

Highgate was the second private cemetery in London, opened under a Parliamentary Act in 1832. This new legislation aimed to address the issue of limited space in small church cemeteries, which emerged during London’s rapid development and growing population.

Seven such necropolises were established in the 1830s and 1840s, today known as the "Magnificent Seven." The first was Kensal Green, inspired by Paris's Père Lachaise, and the second was Highgate, specifically its western part, opened in 1839 by the London Cemetery Company.

The cemetery quickly gained popularity among the capital's wealthy residents. This was significant because the private companies establishing these necropolises promised not only to solve the problem of finding burial spaces and preventing coffin and body theft but also to make quick and substantial profits.

The popularity of Highgate led the London Cemetery Company to purchase 8 hectares on the opposite side of Swain’s Lane in 1854, in addition to the initial 7 hectares the cemetery occupied. Thus, the cemetery's picturesque and architecturally rich western section was joined by an eastern section whose main aim was to generate profits.

Today, it's hard to notice on the eastern side that money once prevailed over nature and beauty. Although this section lacks architectural gems like the Egyptian Avenue in Western Highgate, there are still places that truly captivate.

The nearly 200-year-old necropolis is one of the most magnificent monuments of the Victorian era. However, it is a unique monument because new graves continue to appear. The number of available plots at Highgate is greatly limited, yet burials still occur here.

Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust, the charitable organisation that has taken over the care of the necropolis, has stated on the cemetery's official website that available plots can only be purchased for immediate use. Only those over 80 years of age or terminally ill are permitted to buy a place in advance.

What makes Highgate considered one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world is the collaboration between nature and human influence. Both parts are lush with greenery. Some gravestones are hard to see among the trees, while others are entwined with vines and roots. It feels like you're walking through a jungle in certain corners.

Amid this greenery are true gems: stunning monuments, beautifully sculpted stone gravestones, and monumental tombs. In terms of funerary architecture, the western section has more to offer. Here, you'll find the Egyptian Avenue, which resembles an avenue of the dead from an ancient kingdom winding beyond two obelisks.

Nearby is the equally stunning Circle of Lebanon and the Terrace Catacombs. However, all these places can only be seen during a guided tour. This attraction is very popular, so booking tickets in advance is advisable.

While the more prestigious western section, also known as the "Old Grounds," is famous for its architectural monuments, many celebrity graves are located in the eastern section. The final resting places of many well-known writers, including George Eliot, Charles Dickens, John Galsworthy, and Douglas Adams, author of the classic novel "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", can be found here.

The grave, or rather the monument to Karl Marx, is a particular attraction. Initially, he was buried alongside his wife in one of the side alleys. However, in 1956, using the Marx Memorial Fund established by the Communist Party, a monument with an impressive bust of Marx created by socialist sculptor Laurence Bradshaw was funded in the central part of eastern Highgate.

The western section also contains the graves of famous people. In 2016, George Michael was buried here. Visitors to the famous musician's grave are asked not to leave any mementoes or gifts on the gravestone. While the organisation running the cemetery has no objections to pens left on the graves of writers in the eastern section, cemetery staff remove trinkets brought for the musician.

The area occupied by the cemetery is vast. With 53,000 graves in both parts of the necropolis, approximately 170,000 people are buried there. If you want to find specific graves, preparing in advance using the cemetery search tool is best. Similarly, suppose you want to see the most beautiful architectural monuments in the western section. In that case, they can only be viewed during guided tours, which are very popular, so it's worth reserving in advance.

The cemetery is open daily, except for the Christmas holidays, from 10:00 to 17:00 (from March to October) or 10:00 to 16:00 (from November to February). Tickets can be purchased online or at the venue (card payments only).