Highgate Cemetery

Opened in 1839 and popular among the wealthy Victorian set thereafter, Highgate Cemetery makes for a cerebral, if slightly morbid, alternative to the usual tourist haunts.

It is perhaps best known as the burial place of Karl Marx, whose gravestone in the East Cemetery features a large sculpture of his head and the inscription “Workers of all lands, unite”. Marx may have had reservations about the tombstone; the head looks as though it is poking out from a confined space, with the body constricted, as though in a straightjacket.

The West Cemetery is the more atmospheric part. This steep and sloping warren of graves apparently provided Bram Stoker with inspiration for his novel, “Dracula”. The tombs of George Eliot (which resembles a mini- sized Washington Monument) and Dickens' estranged wife and daughter are here. Dickens himself is buried in Westminster Abbey.

The West Cemetery can only be explored on a guided tour. Hourly tours are held on weekends between 11am and 4pm; in summer, there are also three tours every weekday (telephone first to check the times). Due to limited spaces, you're best to arrive at least 15 minutes early. Video cameras and children under eight are not permitted in the West Cemetery.

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Contact Information

Highgate Cemetery
Swains Lane
N6 6PJ London

Tel. +442083401834

http://www.highgate-cemetery.org