Highgate Cemetery in London: history, photos

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Ancient English cemeteries, where the spirit of Victorian Gothic has been preserved, often become filming locations for various horror films. They arouse genuine interest among the guests of England, who dream of visiting not only the most famous sights of the country.

One of the most interesting historical complexes in the UK, which no tourist can do without, is the Highgate Cemetery in London, full of secrets and mysteries. Photos of destroyed tombstones, unusual sculptures, mourning angels on ivy-covered graves cause an irresistible desire to get to know the mysterious place as soon as possible.

A quiet corner full of secrets

The mystical corner where famous personalities are buried, who left their mark on the history of the state, gained fame thanks to its architectural monuments. The gothic atmosphere reigning in the churchyard attracts filmmakers who shootmystical thrillers. In addition, the necropolis is the scene of many literary works, where the main characters are ghosts and vampires. For example, the famous Bram Stoker described in his novel "Dracula" the events that took place here.

And in the 70s of the last century, Highgate Cemetery, whose history began two centuries ago, attracted the attention of newspapermen who learned about the strange events that took place here.

The story of the appearance of a mystical place

In the 19th century, due to population growth, there were almost no places left in small cemeteries around churches in the city, and therefore seven graveyards were created outside London so that the problem of burying the dead did not turn into a sanitary disaster. They were private properties, and their owners demanded significant sums for providing a place for the grave. Highgate Cemetery, which quickly became popular, appeared in 1839 on the slopes of a hill called Highgate. The last resting place for the outstanding people of England amazes with Gothic monuments, which are real architectural masterpieces.

Necropolis turned rainforest

In 1975, Highgate Cemetery, where people were buried regardless of their religious affiliation, was closed as the company that owned it went bankrupt. Now its owner has become a recently created charitable foundation, whose members organize excursions and take care of abandoned graves. However, forAt the time when there were courts and trials, trees grew on the territory of the cemetery, and their roots damaged numerous tombs. Currently, visitors see the churchyard, where people are now rarely buried, a rainforest, frightening and mysterious.

The popular Highgate Cemetery (London, UK) is a unique place where no one struggles with the ravages of nature and time, but those who look after the graves do not allow the process to go far.

Two parts of the cemetery

Initially, the western part of the churchyard was the last refuge of the English we althy aristocrats, who paid about five thousand pounds for the construction of luxurious monuments after their death. In 1854, burials appeared in the east, and both sectors were once connected by an underground tunnel. The western necropolis with crypts and columbariums, forming complex architectural ensembles, surprises with its unusual beauty and desolation. Many graves are overgrown with grass and moss, and because of the centuries-old trees intertwined with crowns, eternal twilight reigns here and the outlines of many tombstones are not visible. Some guests visiting Highgate Cemetery, whose description evokes a sense of curiosity, even feel eyes on them.

Now the western part of the most prestigious burial site of the 19th century is closed to solo tourists. You can get here only as part of an organized tour, which must be booked in advance. wander aroundwell-groomed territory of the eastern sector of the most mysterious corner of London is available from 10 am to 4 pm on all days except weekends.

Egyptian alley

The famous Highgate Cemetery is a real oasis of peace and tranquility, a quiet place that combines natural charm, the majestic beauty of architectural monuments and a special mystical atmosphere. The rich did not spare money and bought plots for subsequent burial, on which luxurious mausoleums were erected. Beautiful tombstones and crypts appeared here, striking the imagination of visitors.

Noble lords were fond of ancient pyramids and other attributes of the afterlife in Egypt, and soon a whole plot grew up here, located around an ancient cedar, planted even before the appearance of the cemetery. The Egyptian alley, the entrance to which is closed by overgrown trees, leads to the Lebanese circle - a huge hill surrounded by a ring of mausoleums destroyed from time to time. They are located below ground level and diverge in different directions. There are many empty lots here as the fascination with Egyptian culture soon faded away.

Pantheon of outstanding people who left their mark on history

Currently, visitors are attracted by the gloomy atmosphere of the necropolis, which gives the impression of being abandoned, and the opportunity to view the graves of many famous people. More than 800 prominent people found peace here, and the most famous "inhabitants" of the cemetery are Karl Marx and Michael Faraday. You can see the empty graves of Dickens, buried elsewhere, and Galsworthy, whose ashes are scattered above the ground.

Highgate Cemetery in London, turned into an open-air museum, recently received the last star "guest" - the famous singer George Michael, who died at the end of last year. He was buried in the western sector of the churchyard, closed to the public, and relatives asked that the artist's grave be excluded from the tourist route.

The stories that made Highgate Cemetery famous

Vampires are now seen as the heroes of popular TV shows, and few people really believe in them. However, people used to regard the existence of blood-drinking ghouls with superstitious fear.

More than 35 years ago, all publications in London were full of headlines about the strange events that took place at the place of eternal rest. There were rumors that the cemetery was inhabited by vampires who attack passers-by who did not have time to leave before dark. After the stories of eyewitnesses, interest in the necropolis awakens, where many observe the appearance and mysterious disappearance of strange figures, and visitors discover the bloodless corpses of animals.

After numerous articles by journalists trying to find out whether bloodsuckers really exist, Highgate Cemetery has become a place of real pilgrimage. Crowds of curious townspeople came here, dreaming of seeing a terrible ghoul. Immediately, a whole detachment of volunteers was formed, who began the hunt for terrible ghouls. People opened the crypts and plunged aspen stakes into the remains of the dead.

After one morning it wasthe decapitated and half-burnt body of a young woman was discovered, the police arrested the vampire hunters, and the public demanded that they be severely punished for their abuse. After such "feats", the relatives of the deceased walled up all the entrances to the tombs of their loved ones.

New surge of interest in the cemetery

It seemed that over time the hysteria had passed, but in 2005 there was again talk about the evil spirits living in the churchyard. A couple from Scotland who came on a tour heard a story about the horrors of the cemetery from a local boy. The couple did not believe the word, believing that these were inventions for visitors, and visited the infamous Highgate Cemetery, where they met an elderly lady in old-fashioned clothes at the entrance. She familiarized the couple with the rules for visiting the necropolis and warned that it was forbidden to say the word "vampire" aloud here.

However, it so happened that the tourist nevertheless violated the condition of staying at the cemetery, and the couple saw a strange trinity appear out of nowhere, consisting of a young man, a girl and a sad old woman. The man filmed people quickly moving away on a video camera, and later discovered that there was nothing on the film except the destroyed ancient crypts that fell into the frame. And when the couple asked the locals about the woman they met on the way, the townspeople recognized in the description the churchyard usher who died a few years ago.

Fiction or truth?

No one knows what is true and what is false in this story, and the tourists' story seems realfiction. However, many believe in the prescribed scenario, which was invented by churchyard workers, thus fueling interest in an unusual attraction. True, no one undertakes to explain the oddities with the videotape.

Be that as it may, to this day the legendary Highgate Cemetery is considered one of the most mystical areas of the capital of England. Photos of the ancient necropolis, where unnatural silence reigns, fully convey its unusual beauty and evoke various emotions. Some dream of getting into such an amazing place shrouded in legends, while others prefer to bypass it.

A peaceful corner that evokes thoughts about the value of human life and the brevity of earthly sojourn, worth a visit in order to feel the taste of life.