Highgate Cemetry
Since opening in 1839, shortly after Queen Victoria's accession to the throne, the cemetery has reflected and become part of the history of London. It has plenty of fascinating stories to tell, including its own. Wild woodland Victorian cemetery. Burial ground, site of historic buildings and managed woodland. Features include bizarre Victorian buildings, Chapels, Catacombs, Lebanon Circle and Egyptian Avenue, all of outstanding architectural importance.
Perched at the top of the winding and woody Swain’s Lane, close to Highgate village with its soaring views over the city, Highgate Cemetery offers a romantic, rambling, rustic retreat from everyday life – in more ways than one. Crammed full of gravestones, tombs, catacombs, monuments and mounds dating from Victorian times to the present day, the cemetery is a more a woodland wilderness than a neatly laid out burial ground. Divided into two cemeteries – the East and the West – many of the graves are either covered in ivy and brambles or overrun with tree roots. As a result, spotting the graves of most importance is hard, which makes a guided tour an ideal option for those who really want to explore the cemetery’s hidden treasures. The West Cemetery boasts some of the finest tombs and can only be entered as part of a guided tour, which is reason in itself to take a tour. There are known to be at least 850 notable people buried at Highgate. Among these are 18 Royal Academicians, 6 Lord Mayors of London, and 48 Fellows of the Royal Society. You are also likely to stumble across the familiar names of Faraday, Karl Marx, George Eliot, Radclyffe Hall, Carl Rosa and Sir Ralph Richardson. One of the nicest cemeteries in London, Highgate Cemetery has a peaceful air about it and a truly unique charm. Finish off by walking up to Highgate village through Waterlow Park, taking in the views over London. Finish off with a pint at the historic Flask pub (77 Highgate West Hill) in Highgate village.
Famous Interments:
Although its most famous occupant in the east cemetery is probably Karl Marx (whose tomb's attempted bombing in the 1970s is still recalled by some Highgate residents), there are many other prominent figures, Victorian and otherwise, buried at Highgate Cemetery.
Did you know?
Highgate Cemetery Becomes a Grade 1 Listed Cemetery.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
Highgate Cemetery Facilities:
Opening Times
East Cemetery:
Open: from 10 am weekdays, 11am weekends
Closing Time:
1st March - 31st October 5pm (last admissions 4.30pm)
1st November – 28th February 4pm (last admission 3.30pm)
Tickets (cash only): £3 per adult / £2 for students with valid NUS card or equivalent
West Cemetery:
Admission by guided tour only.
Tours: Weekdays at 2pm from 1st March to 30th November (please book by telephone 10am-5pm Mondays to Fridays only) Weekends hourly from 11am - until 3pm from 1st November to 28th February and
until 4pm 1st March to 31st October (no advance booking)
Tickets (cash only): £7 per adult, £3 for children aged 8 to 16 .
There are no other concessions.
Children under eight years old are not allowed on the tours.
They are welcome to visit the East Cemetery.
Travel:
Underground Stations
Archway Tube (14 minutes)
Highgate Tube (15 minutes)
Railway Stations
Upper Holloway Railway Station (21 minutes)
Gospel Oak Railway Station (22 minutes)
By Bus
The 271 route starts at Liverpool Street and ends in Highgate Village, going via Holloway and Archway.
The 214 route also starts at Liverpool Street and ends at Highgate Village, going via Islington, Kings Cross and Camden Town
The C2 route starts at Victoria Station and ends at Parliament Hill Fields (at the bottom end of Swains Lane), going via Green Park, Oxford Circus and Camden Town.
From the centre of Highgate village, turn down Swains Lane. It's a 6 minute walk. From the bottom of Swain's Lane, head uphill for about 10 minutes.
By Taxi
Getting a taxi to the cemetery is straightforward but it can be difficult to find one heading back into London (the best option is from Highgate High Street). It is advisable to book a return taxi.
By Car
Part of Swain's Lane is one-way heading north (uphill) so you are advised to avoid turning into Swain's Lane from Highgate Village.
There is no parking at the Cemetery (other than for Blue Badge holders) and parking on local streets can be difficult, with most of the surrounding area covered by controlled Parking ones.
There are some 'pay and display' bays on Swain's Lane and in Highgate village.
If you chose to drive, check the parking regulations carefully as parking wardens are very active in the area.
Address:
Highgate Cemetery
Swain's Lane
London
Highgate
N6 6PJ
United Kingdom
Highgate Cemetery Terrace Catacombs Open To The Public
New Paths: A significant number of the main paths in the Western Cemetery have recently been re-edged and resurfaced.
The cemetery is an early and important example of an early Victorian commercial cemetery (1839) laid out in the garden style.
The site is the third metropolitan cemetery.
The cemetery contains an outstanding collection of funerary monuments which reflect the social and political history of Victorian London.
The cemetery contains an outstanding collection of structures designed by Stephen Geary and, from 1839, by James Bunstone Bunning, both of whom were noted cemetery designers.
The cemetery layout is complex and survives substantially intact.
New Paths: A significant number of the main paths in the Western Cemetery have recently been re-edged and resurfaced.