Highgate Cemetery, London (3-10-2005)

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

The best known cemetery in London!

The western cemetery was openend in 1838 and the eastern extension added in 1854. This is a private cemetery (Kensal Green is a public one!). The western part hasn't been used for burials since 1975.
Highgate is famous among every-one interested in the Victorian age and (neo)-Gothicism and even has it's own vampire-myth! The famous Pre-Raphaelite model Elizabeth Siddal, wife of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, is buried in the western cemetery.

The western part is now sadly only open in weekends so as it's monday we have to settle for just visiting the eastern cemetery. You have to pay to get in and extra for a guide. Buy the guide because you will need it! It's not always easy to find your way here and with the guide you at least have a clue ;-)

Marx is buried in the eastern cemetery so we set out to visit him. He is near the back so we stroll along the winding paths ending up in what looks and smells like a forest. Except gravestones grow here...
According to the site there are a lot of animals living here too including foxes! And there's lots of interesting flowers and trees too.

It's a really exciting and eerie place to be! There's ivy and brambles and tree roots growing everywhere under and over graves. One grave is covered in mushrooms. Angels and crosses appear behind bushes and trees. Finally we end up near the gates so we now know where we are and can find the bigger lane towards Marx grave.

After making a pic of Marx extremely big head (on his grave) and trying to remember the words to "The Internationale" (see http://home.planet.nl/~elder180/internationale/) we set out to get back to the entrance because it's almost closing time and we choose to not be locked in here today (not enough food ;-p).
We make it out in time and sit some more in the nearby Waterlow Park, watching the big black crows that forage here.

Next time we'll surely visit the other part! For more info on Highgate Cemetery: http://www.highgate-cemetery.org/