HIGHGATE CEMETERY, SWAINS LANE, HIGHGATE, LONDON, N6 6PJ. Tel: 0208 340 1834
Highgate Cemetery western section is accessible by guided tour only. The cemetery operate three kinds of tours; Weekends, Weekdays, and Special Tours.
WEEKEND TOURS operate every hour on the hour with the first at 11 am, and then every hour until 4pm, April to November. Then during the months December to March the final tour is 3pm. Just turn up and hope there is enough room, it is advisable to get there 15-30 mins before the tour is due to depart, especially during the summer months, and stand close to the gate. There is a yellow notice that is essential reading as it informs what conditions can be expected. Flat sensible shoes or boots as the terrain can be rough and steep. Children aged 8 or under and not allowed for safety reasons.
WEEKDAY TOURS operate April to November only, there are NO WEEKDAY WINTER TOURS. The tours are Mon to Fri and there is only one tour a day, which leaves at 2pm. The weekday tours can be booked in advance and this is advisable. Once booked on the tour make sure you are there at least 15 mins before the tour is due to leave. If you are not there when your name is called out the reserved place or places will be given to people waiting at the gate who have not booked. Please read the Yellow Notice for reasons given above.
Weekend and Weekday tours last between 50 mins to an hour.
SPECIAL TOURS Are for groups of ten or more and can be made available on weekday mornings or on early evenings during daylight hours. They must be booked in advance. There is a non-refundable deposit of £90.00 and for every extra person over the 10 there is a charge of £9.00 per person.
However, it is advisable to contact the Cemetery office directly during office hours, on 0208 340 1834, to book, confirm details, and for further information.
The nearest tube station is ARCHWAY, which is on the Northern Line. From Archway proceed up Highgate Hill to Laurderdale House either by Bus, No's 271, 210 or 143, or on foot. Then into Waterlow Park and down to the South/West exit and the entrance to the cemetery is directly opposite.There are no parking facilities at Highgate Cemetery. Either park in Highgate Village or further down Swains Lane and then walk to the cemetery entrance.
I should like to thank members of staff at English Heritage and staff at the Public Records Office, Kew.
I also owe thanks to the following authors and their relative publications:
JAMES STEVENS CURL
The Victorian Celebration of Death
David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0 7153 5446 9
HUGH MELLER
London Cemeteries An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer New Edition out July 2008!
Avebury 1981 ISBN 0 86127 003 7
JOHN GAY and FELIX BARKER
Victorian Valhalla
John Murray 1984 ISBN 0 7195 4137 9
TREVOR MAY
The Victorian Undertaker
Shire Publications 1996 ISBN 0 7478 0331 5
There are a few websites that may be of interest to the visitor (Each link below will open the respective site in a new window.):
Find A Grave
The first, which I cannot recommend highly enough, is Findagrave. This is essential for anyone trying to locate a grave of the famous and infamous. It is mainly an American site about American cemeteries but has expanded well to accommodate cemeteries in Europe.
Dead Or Alive
However, firstly you might like to check whether the person you are searching is dead, and you can do that with the website Dead Or Alive.
FoHCT
Last but by no means least is the official website for The Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust.
Feedback is most welcome, please let me know your experiences of visiting Highgate Cemetery, good or bad. Or just tell me what you think of the site. Click HERE to send me an email
PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT © Highgcem-1
To see images of some of the people mentioned on this site visit the website for the NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY. High quality copies of all images can be obtained directly from the NPG either in person or through their website. National Portrait Gallery