Events

We run all sorts of events throughout the year. If you'd like to hear about them first, why not join the Friends of Highgate Cemetery, or sign up for our e-newsletter? Subscribe

The Life and Times of Malcolm McLaren. Online: Paul Gorman with Toby Amies

Thursday 22 April 2021 £5Book now

Paul Gorman in conversation with Toby Amies

On the eleventh anniversary of the burial of Malcolm McLaren in Highgate's East Cemetery, writer and cultural commentator Paul Gorman will be in conversation with filmmaker and photographer Toby Amies about the ‘late cultural iconoclast’ McLaren, locating him as a leading visual artist ‘whose influence can be detected across contemporary culture’.

Malcolm McLaren is perhaps best known as the manager of the Sex Pistols, who shook up music as punk arrived to shock the world.

There is nobody better qualified to talk about McLaren than Paul Gorman, whose work spans fashion, art and music. His book The Life and Times of Malcolm McLaren: The Biography was published by Constable & Robinson in April 2020 to great critical acclaim and is the definitive work on McLaren.

7.00pm

The Marx Memorial Lecture: The Plot For Karl Marx. Online talk by Alan Dein

Thursday 6 May 2021 £5Book now

A talk by Alan Dein

Over a ten year period, oral historian and broadcaster Alan Dein recorded interviews and dug deep into the archives for a BBC Radio 3 feature on the creation of Laurence Bradshaw’s Karl Marx memorial. He interviewed Bradshaw’s wife Eileen, art and social historians, and hundreds of visitors to Marx’s grave at Highgate Cemetery to explore the remarkable story, and the cultural impact, of perhaps the most well-known grave in the world. In this lecture, Alan Dein will share audio and documents from his research and will discuss how Bradshaw’s sculpture inspired other bronze versions of Marx’s head around the world.

7.00pm

Opening times

East Cemetery

Thursday April 15: Timed entry - book now
Thursday April 15: Grave owners 10am to 5pm
Friday April 16: Timed entry - book now
Friday April 16: Grave owners 10am to 5pm
More dates...

The East Cemetery is where Karl Marx is buried. Visitors may roam freely on this side, but there is an entrance charge.

Admission is by timed ticket which you can only purchase here. Tickets are not sold at the Cemetery. If you are planning to visit both sides please buy a West Cemetery ticket as access to the East Cemetery is included in the price.

West Cemetery

Thursday April 15: Timed entry - book now
Thursday April 15: Grave owners 10am-5pm
Friday April 16: Timed entry - book now
Friday April 16: Grave owners 10am-5pm
More dates...

Admission to the West Cemetery is normally by guided tour only, but we're trialling open access to cope with social distancing. Admission is by timed ticket. For further information and to book, see Visit > West Cemetery

Please remember to allow sufficient time to visit the East Cemetery (which is included in the price) if your tour is late in the day.

How to get here

Please visit us by
walking, cycling, or public transport

Our address is Highgate Cemetery, Swain’s Lane, London N6 6PJ. Download our handy map

Plan how to get here at www.tfl.gov.uk or citymapper.com/london. Public transport may be affected by engineering works and station closures. Please check your journey in advance.

There is a bicycle rack outside the West Cemetery gates.If that's full, there are other racks further down the hill.

Parking

As there is no off-street visitor parking, we encourage you to leave your car at home if possible. Parking restrictions are in place on the surrounding streets between 10am and 12 noon Monday to Friday. After those times and at weekends, on-street parking is free. We do keep a small number of parking spaces for grave owners.

Contact us

Email info@highgatecemetery.org

To find out whether someone is buried here, go to Searches

Telephone enquiries

Monday to Friday
General enquiries 020 8340 1834
Burials, memorials, grave ownership 020 8347 2471
Filming or photography requests 020 8347 2472
Group visits 020 8347 2475
Volunteering 020 8347 2474

You should know...

The cemetery can get muddy underfoot, so do wear sensible shoes.

Photography

Still photography of graves is allowed for personal use only. We don't allow the cemetery to be used as a backdrop for unrelated subjects such as fashion shoots. No video. You can use a tripod, but not on tours.

Animals

No animals are permitted with the exception of assistance dogs.

Accessibility

Visitors to the West cemetery should be aware that the paths are steep, and the tour route also includes two flights of stairs. The East cemetery is on a gentler slope with no steps and predominantly tarmac paths and is more easily wheelchair accessible. A small amount of disabled parking is available outside the cemetery’s entrance on Swain’s Lane. There is a disabled toilet in the West Cemetery. For further information, please contact the office in advance of your visit.

More rules

You can download a full set of our rules here.

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