Highgate Cemetery is one of the Magnificent Seven Cemeteries of London that were built to relieve the overload of burials in the inner-city cemeteries in the 1800s. From its inception, the cemetery was designed to be a tourist attraction. Its architecture, nature reserve, and notable burials make it more than just an ordinary burial ground.
. Highgate Cemetery is located next to Waterlow Park, in the London Borough of Camden. The main gate is on Swain's Lane.
There are approximately 170,000 people buried at Highgate Cemetery in about 53,000 graves.
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History
Epidemics
Highgate Cemetery was one of several cemeteries created in response to a lack of space in existing cemeteries and churchyards. Between 1800 and 1850, London’s population swelled from 1 million to more than 2.3 million. Illness under these crowded conditions led to epidemics of typhus, influenza, scarlet fever, measles, diphtheria, cholera, and smallpox.
Traditionally, London burials had taken place inside of church buildings but as time went on, the church’s floors and walls were filled with bodies. To create more space, side chapels were added with more burial crypts. Eventually, the side chapels were also filled to capacity so burials were made outdoors in the churchyards.
Then as churchyards also became overcrowded, bodies were buried shoulder to shoulder or even stacked on top of one another. Coffins were often absent among the poor. Decaying matter leached into London’s water supply, which worsened epidemic conditions.
Rural Cemeteries
Rural cemeteries became the solution for the health crisis. Founded in 1839, Highgate Cemetery was originally a wooded area. It was designed by architect and entrepreneur Stephen Geary as part of a plan to provide seven large, rural cemeteries, now known as the "Magnificent Seven", outside of central London.
Highgate Cemetery, like the other Magnificent Seven cemeteries, quickly became a fashionable place for burials. It sat high on a hill, above the pollution and smoke of London factories. Burial rights could be purchased for a limited period or in perpetuity.
The first burial was for Elizabeth Jackson of Little Windmill Street, Soho, on May 26, 1839. She was 36 years old and the wife of a bootmaker. All three of her young children died soon afterward. Later her husband, George Jackson, and his second wife, Grace, when they died within a few days of each other during the 1854 cholera epidemic.
Religion
On May 20th, 1839, Highgate Cemetery was dedicated to St. James by Reverend Charles James Blomfield, Lord Bishop of London. The land was divided based on religion with 15 acres (6.1 hectares) being consecrated for members of the Church of England and two acres for dissenters.
Architecture
Just inside the cemetery gates, two symmetrical chapels were erected. The chapel for the members of the Church of England is called The Anglican Chapel and the chapel for those of any other religion is called The Dissenters Chapel [1].
The Anglican Chapel was restored in 2012 by architect Jon Allen to a style that would have been popular in 1890. The Dissenters Chapel is now used as the cemetery office.
Victorian families erected elaborate Victorian mausoleums, Gothic tombs, and Egyptian-style sepulchers.
In the 1800s, visitors climbed to the roof of Highgate Cemetery's Terrace Catacombs for spectacular views of London. This attraction was noted in cemetery advertisements. Today, the view of the city is blocked by trees.
Nature
The Highgate Cemetery grounds are a haven for more than 40 species of birds, such as tawny owls, spotted flycatchers, green woodpeckers, peregrine falcons, goldfinches, and more. It is home to small mammals like rabbits, badgers, bats, hedgehogs, and foxes.
Trees and flowers attract pollinators bees and hoverflies, as well as more than 20 species of butterflies. Highgate Cemetery is also known for its rare cave spiders[2] that dwell in the vaults.
Highgate Cemetery is rated as Grade 1 on the Register of Historic Parks and GardensThe rating of Grade 1 indicates that the site is of exceptional national, architectural or historical importance.Only 8.5% of registered parks and gardens are rated Grade 1.[3]
Charitable Trust
The cemetery is owned and maintained by a charitable trust called The Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust. The trust was established in 1975 to help maintain and restore the grounds. It cites its three main purposes[4] as:
- to preserve Highgate Cemetery as a place of historic beauty
- to permit the cemetery to be used as a public burial ground
- to secure the repair, restoration, and preservation of the cemetery for the public benefit
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is the nickname for seven huge cemeteries that surround London:
- Kensal Green Cemetery, 1832
- West Norwood Cemetery, 1836
- Highgate Cemetery, 1839
- Abney Park Cemetery, 1840
- Nunhead Cemetery, 1840
- Brompton Cemetery, 1840
- Tower Hamlets Cemetery, 1841
Each is a unique masterpiece of park-like greenspace. Highgate is best known for its winding paths and abundant trees.
Notable Burials
Notable burials at Highgate Cemetery include:
- Karl Marx (1818- 1883), a German philosopher and socialist revolutionary. Marx’s political publications led to his exile from his country, so his family moved to London and resided there for decades. His communist leanings were so divisive that enemies sought to vandalize his tomb. Marx’s stone bust was bombed so that now it leans – ironically – slightly to the left.
- Michael Faraday (1791 -1867), a British physicist and chemist, best known for his invention of the electric motor.
- Thomas Sayers, a successful boxer inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Sayers was so well-liked by the London masses that his funeral was attended by about 10,000 people, as opposed to the mere 11 that showed up for Karl Marx’s services.
Explore more about famous cemeteries
- London's Magnificent Seven Cemeteries, BillionGraves Blog
- Documenting Cemeteries with BillionGraves, Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Cemetery Records Worldwide, BillionGraves, MyHeritage Catalog Collection
- The Seven Largest Cemeteries in the World, BillionGraves Blog
- Three Amazing Cemeteries, BillionGraves Blog
- 10 Cemeteries to See Before You Die, BillionGraves Blog
- 10 of the World's Most Beautiful Cemeteries, BillionGraves Blog
- Stories in Stone – Cemetery Research webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars