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 Marx Memorial Lecture: Workers of All Lands

Thursday 10 May 2018 £12Book now

By Tariq Ali

Taking the theme of Marxism abroad as his theme for the Marx Memorial Lecture on Marx’s 200th Anniversary, Tariq Ali will explore the reach of Marxism around the world. Highgate Cemetery has attracted a number of foreign Marxists who are buried close to his grave and memorial.
Writer, journalist, historian, filmmaker, political activist and public intellectual (and an expert on geopolitics), Tariq Ali is a member of the editorial committee of the New Left Review and Sin Permiso, and contributes to The Guardian, CounterPunch, and the London Review of Books. He was involved in the leadership of the International Marxist Group.

Doors open at 7.00pm

One Day Stonemasonry Course

Saturday 16 June 2018 £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.

Brahms Requiem - The German Choir of London

Saturday 21 July 2018

Early announcement of a performance of the Brahms Requiem, by the German Choir of London. In the courtyard of the West Cemetery.

Not on sale yet. Full details will be announced shortly.

Highgate Cemetery: Its Female Side

Wednesday 25 July 2018 £15Book now

A tour of the West and East Cemeteries, led by Rachel Kolsky

This specially commissioned event celebrates both the famous female personalities buried in Highgate Cemetery and the newly published book Women’s London by author and prize-winning Blue Badge Guide Rachel Kolsky, who will be leading the tour. While exploring the West Cemetery, with its Colonnade, Circle of Lebanon and Egyptian Avenue, you will meet, among others, cross-dresser Radclyffe Hall and Rossetti’s tragic muse Lizzie Siddal, buried alongside his sister, the poet Christina. Over on the East Cemetery are found women from all walks of life including Claudia Jones, who co-founded the Notting Hill Carnival, writer George Eliot, musician Anna Mahler and Ann Crisp, whose dog Emperor guards her grave.

Engaging, knowledgeable and well-researched, Rachel Kolsky is a prize-winning London Blue Badge Tourist Guide (golondontours.com), who is passionate about exploring London's heritage. Her walks and talks cover a wide range of themes and areas but always focus on the 'human stories behind the buildings'. She has co-authored three books, Jewish London, Whitechapel in 50 Buildings and Secret Whitechapel and has recently published, as sole author, Women's London: A tour guide to great lives.

Opening times

Open daily except 25 and 26 December. Different opening arrangements apply to the East and West. The hours below are those for March to October.

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 last admission 4.30pm

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

Planning ahead?

From March to October inclusive the East Cemetery closes at 5pm, with last admission at 4.30pm, and at weekends the last West tour of the day leaves at 4pm. From November to February inclusive the East Cemetery closes at 4pm, with last admission at 3.30pm, and at weekends the last West tour of the day leaves at 3pm.

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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