Join the Friends

You can help us keep the gates open

Highgate Cemetery is a very special place. But it was almost lost in the 1970s. The private company which ran the cemetery locked the gates and went away. Not even grave owners could get in.

Saved by the Friends of Highgate Cemetery, hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent restoring the major buildings and a number of the monuments, and much work has been done on the landscape. It is once again a tranquil place to reflect on the lives of all those who have gone before us, famous or not.

It’s a constant battle

Graves collapse. Trees fall down. Ivy grows quickly. Paths wear away. Nature wants to reclaim the cemetery as her own. But to preserve the memory of those buried here we also need to preserve their monuments.

We’d love to have you as a friend

Friends get

free entry to the East cemetery
a free guided tour of the West Cemetery, and
a regular newsletter.

But, most rewardingly, Friends have the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping to keep the wonderful story of Highgate Cemetery alive, its gates open and its future secure.

PRIVACY: You should know

The information we collect about you will be used for the purposes of administering your membership only. Your data will never be sold or passed to any third party except as provided for in our Privacy Notice. When you joint the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust you become a member of the limited company. The Companies Act specifies the circumstances when we may be obliged to disclose personal data.

Join now!

UK rates

Please Gift Aid your membership!

By clicking the button below you declare: I want to Gift Aid any donations I make in the future or have made in the past four years to the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference.

Individual - Gift Aided £20 / year

Joint - Gift Aided £35 / year

Please notify us if you
• want to cancel this declaration
• change your name or home address
• no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains.
If you pay income tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code

Non Gift Aid rates

Individual £20 / year

Joint £35 / year
(two adults at same address)

Gift aid your donation or subscription

Email our membership team

Where does our money come from?

Unlike most cemeteries, we are not run or funded by a local council. We rely on entrance charges, membership subscriptions and any other funds that we can raise to enable us to maintain and enhance Highgate Cemetery. We’re paid for by the people who value us the most: visitors, Friends, and grave owners.

All the money we raise is devoted to the preservation of the cemetery: we don’t make a profit.

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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