This heavily atmospheric network of paths twisting through rows of gravestones, statuary, tombs, mausoleums and family vaults was created in 1839 as one of seven such out-of-town burial sites designed to deal with excessive overspill from London's central cemeteries. It was highly regarded at the time for its idyllic, south-facing hillside setting and the incorporation of a swathe of picturesque woodland, which still stands today. Some beautiful mature trees, climbing plants and shrubbery also grow within the burial ground and afford a softening, romanticizing effect to the chilling Victorian Gothic stonework.

Much of the handsomely macabre architecture has been restored to a remarkable standard, so despite the modern clothing of its visitors and the more recent additions to the areas still in use (the western section and a piece of ground on the other side of Swains Lane from the original grounds), Highgate Cemetery looks and feels much as it must have done in the days of England's Catholic revival, when these gloomy, ornate medieval images stirred the imagination and the soul.

If celebrity grave hunting appeals, you won't be disappointed: Karl Marx, Michael Faraday, Alexander Litvinenko, Carl Mayer, Christina Rosetti, Adam Worth and Henry Moore are just a sampling of the many luminaries to whom you can pay your respects here. (Some particularly old parts can only be visited with a guide, though.) There's also an intriguing local legend: the Highgate Vampire...

Written by  larapiegeler.

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