When I first moved to London, a friend and I started with the 7 magnificent cemeteries around London. I have explored Nunhead and Kensal Green, and yesterday, although not planned, I ended up at Highgate cemetery.
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Normally in order to visit, you would need to book a guided tour, but now because of covid they are allowing you to buy tickets for a self guided tour. There are guides scattered around the area to answer any questions you might have and they are very knowledgeable so worth stopping to hear what they have to say.
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The cemetery opened in 1839, the biggest selling point to get people to buy a plot for a grave or tomb was the security such as gates and high walls surrounding the area. This was to stop grave robbers. The design of the cemetery shows how prestigious it was to be buried here with features such as the Egyptian avenue, Lebanon circle and terraced catacombs.
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The west cemetery was opened first, and you can see this by the age of the graves and design. In the 1850s new legislation banned burials in central London and therefore resulted in the opening on the east cemetery. Here, you can find many graves dating from the 1860s to today.
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The graves were not looked after so well during the 1900s and many were vandalised and left for ruin but today the entrance fee covers the upkeep of the area by the Friends of the Highgate cemetery trust and I must say that they are doing a great job!
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Although this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, exploring cemeteries, it is really beautiful when you look past the fact that the dead are buried there. There is a lot of history and beauty with in these spaces. I always try and find the oldest grave and love to see how long people lived for. It tells you so much about the times and the hardship they went through. Somethings we Could not even comprehend today. Some of the tombs tell you the family name and how they made their money which to me is amazing.
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I always wonder, how many of these graves are visited by family today? Do their families still exist? Do they even know they have family buried there?
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What do you think? Do you know where your ancestors are buried?
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