Dark Destiny Cemetery Photography
Highgate Western Cemetery
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Western Chapels -
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Highgate Eastern Cemetery
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History and setting
The cemetery in its
original form — the western part — opened in 1839, part of a plan to
provide seven large, modern cemeteries (known as the "Magnificent
Seven") around the outside of London. The inner-city cemeteries, mostly
the graveyards attached to individual churches, had long been unable to
cope with the number of burials and were seen as a hazard to health and
an undignified way to treat the dead. The initial design was by
architect and entrepreneur Stephen Geary.
Highgate, like the
others, soon became a fashionable place for burials and was much admired
and visited. The Victorian attitude to death and its presentation led
to the creation of a wealth of Gothic tombs and buildings. It occupies a
spectacular south-facing hillside site slightly downhill from the top
of the hill of Highgate itself, next to Waterlow Park, both of which
were part of the former Dartmouth Park which covered the area.
In
1854, the area to the east of the original area across Swains Lane was
bought to form the eastern part of the cemetery. This part is still used
today for burials, as is the western part.
The cemetery's
grounds are full of old-growth trees, shrubbery and wild flowers that
are a haven for birds and small animals such as foxes. The Egyptian
Avenue and the Circle of Lebanon (topped by a huge Cedar of Lebanon)
feature tombs, vaults and winding paths dug into hillsides. For its
protection, the oldest section, which holds an impressive collection of
Victorian mausoleums and gravestones, plus elaborately carved tombs,
allows admission only in tour groups. The newer eastern section, which
contains a mix of Victorian and modern statuary, can be toured
unescorted.
The tomb of Karl Marx, the Egyptian Avenue and the Columbarium are Grade I listed buildings.
Additionally, the Highgate Cemetery is well known for its so-called occult past, being the site of the alleged Highgate Vampire.
Interments
Although
its most famous occupant in the east cemetery is probably Karl Marx
(whose tomb's most recent bombing is still recalled by some Highgate
residents), there are several prominent Victorians buried at Highgate
Cemetery.