Highgate Cemetery is a large burial place in the North of London with more than 50.000 graves and 170.000 people buried there. The area is also a nature reserve known for the many famous people buried there.
Douglas Adams, Malcolm McLaren, Michael Faraday, George Michael, Karl Marx and Patrick Caulfield are among the memorials there, which is my favorite.
I visited the Highgate Cemetery in North London at the end of March 2018. I went to London for work and wanted to spend my time visiting some of the communist sights in the city. I had already visited the only Lenin statue in the town and the Karl Marx Library, so it was time to visit the Tomb of Karl Marx.
Highgate Cemetery: A Visitor’s Guide to London’s Most Famous Cemetery
Walking around the Highgate Cemetery is not as creepy as most people would imagine. Some of the tombs and graves are decorated beautifully, and, at least during the afternoon I was there, people were going around everywhere, and it almost didn’t feel like a cemetery.
The Highgate Cemetery is part of the Magnificent Seven, a series of cemeteries established in London to move burials out of the city. The city was growing fast, and there were health concerns about overcrowded churchyard cemeteries. So, in 1832, Kensal Green, West Norwood, Abney Park, Nunhead, Brompton, Tower Hamlets, and the Highgate Cemetery were created.
The west part of the Highgate Cemetery was dedicated to Saint James on a Monday in May 1839. Some acres were consecrated for the Church of England, and the first person to be buried there was Elizabeth Jackson of Little Windmill Street on May 26.
Over time, the cemetery became fashionable for burials, and visiting and admiring the area became expected. I blame this on how Victorian England saw death and how people wanted to present their wealth even after death.
When you walk around the Highgate Cemetery, there are trees everywhere. Together with wildflowers, the nature side of the cemetery is a haven for foxes and other small animals and birds.
By the end of the Second World War, the cemetery was in bad condition. It was unattended and overgrown, and most people believed it to be too creepy. Because of that, the movie studio Hammer shot horror movies there. This generated some public interest in the cemetery, which created stories of grave robbery and other stories.
One of the most famous ones was the Highgate Vampire Sensation, which culminated with a couple of magicians being arrested while they were looking to kill a vampire in the cemetery. This story became so famous that the cemetery became a popular location for paranormal, occult and vampire enthusiasts. But I was there for something different. I was there to see Karl Marx’s final resting place.
A visit to the Tomb of Karl Marx at the Highgate Cemetery
Located in the Eastern part of the Highgate Cemetery, the Tomb of Karl Marx is the burial site of Jenny von Westphalen, his wife, other members of his family and, of course, Karl Marx.
Initially, the bodies were buried across the cemetery, but in 1954, they were reburied together in a large tomb designed by Laurence Bradshaw and unveiled to the public in 1956.
The tomb is more massive than I was expecting. It consists of a bust of Karl Marx set on a marble pedestal, on which you can read the final words of the Communist Manifesto: Workers of all lands unite.
Since its construction, the tomb of Karl Marx has become an important pilgrimage place for communists and all those interested in his writings. But, it also became a target for those who opposed his ideas, including two bomb attacks: one in September 1965 and another one in 1970.
How to visit the Highgate Cemetery
The cemetery is open daily, except on 25 and 26 of December. The West and the East side of the Highgate Cemetery have different opening hours. The East part is where you can visit where Karl Marx is buried, and it’s open from 10 to 17 in the warmer months and from 10 to 16 between November and February.
The West part of the cemetery is only open for guided tours, and it’s where you can find the burial site of George Michael.
Look at the map below to see how to reach the cemetery from your location in London. You will find Hodge the Cat near this cemetery, which we also wrote about here.
Highgate Cemetery in Photos: A Stunning Visual Journey Through London’s Historic Graveyard
Swain’s Lane, Highgate – London
United Kingdom
