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

Valhalla Tour

Wednesday 5 June 2019 £12Book now

In the Shadow of the Valley of Death

Russ Howells

Exploring the hidden depths of the romantic overgrown West Cemetery: not exactly by moonlight, but in the late evening. This will make an interesting alternative tour for anyone who has been to the cemetery already and wondered 'What else is there to see through the trees and undergrowth?' and 'What other stories could we be told about people buried here?'

Valhalla Tour

Wednesday 12 June 2019 £12Book now

Extraordinary; Entertainers; Exhumed

Peter Mills

An exciting opportunity to see some of the amazing people and places in the West Cemetery not normally visited on public tours. Highgate is justifiably proud of the rich variety of people buried here from artists, doctors and scientists to actors, magicians and even horse slaughterers. This tour, which will visit the East Cemetery too, will encompass all these as well as some of the sensational stories that shocked Victorian society including murder trials, master criminals and two exhumations!

One Day Stonemasonry Course

Saturday 15 June 2019 £95Book now

Cemetery stonemason Neil Luxton leads a day's course on basic stonemasonry techniques.

Starting with a tour around some of the West Cemetery's monuments to see some notable examples of stonemasonry, Having supplied you with a stone slab and tools, Neil will help you with your design. You will then be taken through the techniques you need to be able to carve your design into the stone, and off you go... Throughout the afternoon, Neil will keep a close eye on your progress, giving advice and showing you exactly what you should be doing. You will end up with a carving you can take home.

Valhalla Tour

Wednesday 19 June 2019 £12Book now

Paths Less Travelled

Stuart Orr

Highgate Cemetery is, as a site, listed Grade 1 in Historic England's Register. There are also 83 monuments and structures which have been listed as being of historic or artistic/architectural interest, including survivors of the Polish uprising of 1830-31, pioneer hot-air balloonists and James Holman the blind traveller.

Stuart's tour will take you to some of these, in areas of the cemetery that are rarely seen.

Valhalla Tour

Wednesday 26 June 2019 £12Book now

Death By Any Other Name

Richard Kuhn

A wander through Highgate's East and West cemeteries, on some rarely-used paths, with particular attention to the symbols, images and emblems used in association with death, from the Victorian era to the present day

Valhalla Tour

Wednesday 3 July 2019 £12Book now

Knocking on Death's Doors

Ian Dungavell

A very rare opportunity to visit many of the cemetery's mausoleums on an evening tour led by Dr Ian Dungavell, chief executive of Highgate Cemetery, who is an expert on Victorian buildings. The doors of many of these wonderful buildings are only opened occasionally, so the chance to see inside them should not be missed.

Valhalla Tour

Wednesday 10 July 2019 £12Book now

Immigrants – the good, the bad and the fabulously rich

Ben Nathan

Immigrants have been contributing to British life since Roman times. And, since Victorian times, they’ve been burying their loved ones in Highgate Cemetery. On this tour you’ll meet artists, businessmen and even the odd criminal who contributed in their own ways to British life.

Valhalla Tour

Wednesday 17 July 2019 £12Book now

Dead Arty

Andrew Yeo

A walk around both East and West cemetery following some of its less visited byways, with a emphasis on residents with connections to the world of Art and Literature.

Valhalla Tour

Wednesday 24 July 2019 £12Book now

Women: Lost and Found

Rowan Lennon

The story of some Victorian Women, known and unknown, and their struggles with fame, sexuality and exploitation in 19th Century England.

Valhalla Tour

Wednesday 31 July 2019 £12Book now

The Numismafia: connected by coins, medals and banknotes

Henry Flynn

Douglas Adams once wrote of the interconnectedness of all things, the idea that people and events are somehow all inextricably linked. This themed tour of Highgate Cemetery will explore this notion, and examine how a number of notable permanent residents are all connected by the subject of numismatics. Numismatics unites us all, as we all have a fundamental need for money, but some people have a much closer association with it. The work of artists, writers, sculptors, scientists and even magicians buried at Highgate goes hand-in-hand with the use, design or creation of numismatic objects as this tour will demonstrate…

Roll of honour
Percy Townley Rawlings, Captain, Establishment Dept. Aircraft Protection Royal Air Force died 100 years ago today, aged 32 years..

Opening times

Open daily except 25 and 26 December. Different opening arrangements apply to the East and West.

East Cemetery

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

Daily:
10am to 5pm (March to October)
10am to 4pm (November to February)
last admission 30 minutes before closing.

We may close for short periods to facilitate funerals. In addition, for your safety, strong winds or icy weather may occasionally require us to close the cemetery to visitors.

Admission: £4 adults, children under 18 and Members free. School groups £1 per child.

Find out more about the East Cemetery including our occasional tours.

West Cemetery

Admission to the West Cemetery is by guided tour only. For further information and to book, see the 'Tours' section at Visit > West Cemetery

Please remember to allow sufficient time to visit the East Cemetery if your tour is late in the day.

How to get here

Our address is Highgate Cemetery, Swain’s Lane, London N6 6PJ

Download our handy map

By tube

ARCHWAY tube, High Barnet branch, Northern line. (Don’t go to Highgate tube – it's a much longer walk!). Take the Highgate Hill exit. Then either take a bus (210,143, 271) two stops to Waterlow Park or walk up Highgate Hill. It’s then a very pleasant five minute stroll through Waterlow Park to our gates.

The tube system is often affected by engineering works and station closures. Please check your journey in advance at www.tfl.gov.uk.

By bus

C2 stops at Parliament Hill Fields. C11 stops at Brookfield Park. Buses 143, 210 and 271 stop at Waterlow Park on Highgate Hill.

By road

There is no off-street visitor parking. 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.

Note that there is no access to Swain’s Lane from the north.

Bicycle

There is a bicycle rack outside the West Cemetery gates.

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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