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

CANCELLED - The Life and Times of Malcolm McLaren.

Thursday 23 April 2020 £10

A talk by Paul Gorman

On the tenth anniversary of the death of Malcolm McLaren, writer and cultural commentator Paul Gorman will talk about the ‘late cultural iconoclast’, locating him as a leading visual artist ‘whose influence can be detected across contemporary culture’.
Malcolm McLaren, who was buried in the East Cemetery, 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, published by Constable & Robinson in April 2020, is the definitive work on McLaren.

Starts at 7.30. Doors open 7.00. Latecomers will not be admitted. Tickets include a glass of wine.

CANCELLED. The Marx Memorial Lecture.The Plot for Karl Marx.

Tuesday 12 May 2020 £12

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.

Starts at 7.30. Doors open 7.00. Latecomers will not be admitted. Tickets include a glass of wine.

One Day Stonemasonry Course

Saturday 13 June 2020 £120Book 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 (come prepared with an A4 format 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.

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 4pm (November to February)
10am to 5pm (March to October)
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: £4.50 adults, £0.50 children (aged 8 to 17); children under 8 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

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.

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.

Website by MID