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Highgate Cemetery

Highgate Cemetery is one of the most haunted places in London, and with good reason. In the early 1800’s the city’s population topped the 1 million mark and, despite a high death rate, it was still growing. Graves were crammed between shops and outside taverns. Undertakers dressed up as clergymen to perform illegal ceremonies. Many people were buried in shallow graves and quickly covered with lime. The stench and disease were horrific.

Parliament decided that seven private cemeteries would be built in the countryside around London. (They were known as “The Magnificent Seven.”) The third cemetery, dated 1839, was Highgate. The architect and builder turned Highgate into an eternal oasis of peace. Everybody who was anybody wanted to be buried there. By 1854, the place was packed, and they bought another 20, adjoining acres.

By the turn of the 20th century, the cemetery’s fortunes waned. World War I decimated the staff, and by the end of World War II the cemetery had all but been abandoned. In 1960 the gates to Highgate Cemetery were closed, pristine landscaping become lush jungles, and buildings tumbled in on themselves. Studios used the grounds to shoot horror movies. And then the rumors and rituals began . . .

Stories of men dressed in dark robes, practicing dark rituals, surfaced. Ghosts and ghouls haunted the alleyways around the graveyard. People reported seeing red-eyed demons, staring at them through the fence.

And then there was the Highgate Vampire. The vampire was said to be a medieval nobleman who practiced black magic in Romania. His coffin was brought from Europe to England in the 18th century, and his cult-like followers bought him a house in the West End. He was buried at the site that eventually became Highgate Cemetery. He slumbered peacefully until, according to reports, Satanists performed a ritual at the cemetery. It woke him up.

The Highgate Vampire is said to be a tall, dark figure that glides through the cemetery. His presence is frequently announced by a sudden drop in temperature. He has also caused clocks and watches to stop. He terrifies all animals in his vicinity, and he’s been blamed for scores of dead foxes on the cemetery grounds. The Highgate Vampire has a hypnotic stare and bone-chilling effect on all who have encountered him, especially those foolish enough to spend the night in the cemetery.

The Highgate Vampire is just the tip of the supernatural iceberg. The problems with the dead started during Victorian times with exploding coffins. Highgate Cemetery has a series of tombs built for those who wanted to be buried above ground. Regulations at the time required tombs to be encased in lead to prevent “miasma” leaking out. As the bodies decomposed in their hermetically sealed tombs, the buildup of gases caused some coffins to explode.

The solution was to drill a small hole in the coffin, place a pipe in it, and then light a match so the gasses could burn off “hygienically.” Though the cemetery is done burning off gasses, there are still problems, including heart-stopping banshee wails. Spectral faces float around the place. A ghostly cyclist wanders the grounds, as does the floating ghost of a nun. Some spirits are such regular visitors that the locals have named them.

Today, 170,000 people are buried at Highgate Cemetery in 53,000 graves on 37 acres. Plots are still for sale, subject to government restrictions. It continues to be a popular place for enthusiasts of the occult, paranormal, and vampires. It also hosts the graves of some of history’s most well-known figures, including Karl Marx, Malcolm McLaren, and George Michael. On your London vacation, consider a tour of Highgate Cemetery!

highgate cemetery is located in the area of highgate London just 20 minutes north of the london city

center sprawling across a massive hill covering 37 acres the cemetery is supposedly one of the

most terrifying and haunted places in the world in the early 19th century london was at an

all-time high in population space was scarce along with an overflowing of living people there was also an overflow of dead people cemeteries were hard to come by the few that were there were filled to the brim with the deceased many places were reusing grave plots and burying multiple family members in one grave graves were shallow quicklime was used to decompose bodies so that new ones could be added space was running out cemeteries were being squeezed between restaurants and shops the smell was horrendous of rotting flesh and decay something had to be done this was no way to honor the dead

and no way to live parliament decreed that seven new cemeteries should be opened in the countryside just outside of London highgate cemetery was one of these seven and it was opened in 1839. parliament created the london cemetery company to build these cemeteries stephen geary architect and founder james bunstone bumming surveyor and david ramsey garden designer were assigned to highgate 17 acres of land that was once the ash hurst estate was purchased for 3500 pounds just downhill from the highgate village within three years the landscaping was meticulously designed and created using a huge variety of professional plants and pathways the architecture was beyond incredible using themes from other times monuments sculptures and tombs the cemetery was the most lavish place in london to be buried and soon became the most popular especially for the wealthy on monday may 20th 1839 the cemetery was dedicated to saint James by wright reverend charles James blumfield lord bishop of london in addition to the gravesites and monuments 15 acres were set aside for the church of england

and two acres for the others brights of burial were granted for a limited time or forever there were two chapels on the property done in tudor gothic style there were wooden turrets and a bell tower with an archway below it which led to the cemetery there were several architectural styles the central part just under the arch was egyptian avenue with 16 vaults lining a passageway on either side each vault had 12 coffins for each family circle of lebanon had 20 vaults in theinner circle and 16 vaults classical style that were added in the 1870s and the center was a cedar of lebanon tree that was there from the ashfurst estate above was the gothic style terrace catacombs built on the old terrace of ashhurst it held 825 dead total for the next 20 years highgate was the most desirable place to be buried in 1856 it was extended an additional 20 acres on the other side of swain's lane this was to be known as the east cemetery a tunnel went under swain's lane to the church on the west side this would allow for a hydraulic lift for coffins to descend under the church and for them to go into the tunnel the first burial on the east side was in 1860 by that time there were 10 400 graves onthe west side by the 1900s people were beginning to

lose interest in elaborate and expensive grave sites with extravagant memorials due to declining fortunes after world war ii some families still purchased select rights of burial into the 1930s but most were wanting simple and less expensive graves many ended up moving from the area and their family plots were left to waste away in the 1960s the london cemetery company went bankrupt and was taken over by united cemetery company this company had a hard time maintaining the grounds and eventually ran out of money and the cemetery was closed slowly the vegetation crept into the abandoned cemetery and grew over the gravestones memorials and elaborate monuments

in the 1970s hammer horror films were at their peak and they often used tie gate cemetery as the backdrop for many of their movies interest in the cemetery began to peak once again stories began to circulate about the strange happenings in the cemetery there were rumors of evil cults holding ceremonies after dark men in dark robes animals found with the blood drained from them many would write to the newspapers telling of their frightening experiences when man had his car break down by the cemetery he saw an apparition with glowing red eyes peering at him from behind the bars of the gates another man walking along swain's lane was thrown to the ground by a creature that glided from the cemetery wall a car's headlights flashed towards this being and it dissolved into thin air there was another story of a ghost bicyclist a mother was at the cemetery and she saw an apparition of a man

on a bike pedaling up the hill another story is that of the hat man he is tall with a top hat walking

casually across the road and vanishing into a wall when he walks people hear the chapel bells ringing

some people have seen an old woman ghost she is mad with long gray hair flowing behind her as she runs through the graveyard it is said she is looking for her children that she murdered when she was

still alive others have seen a shrouded figure who stares into the ethers not aware of being seen until people get very close and then the apparition disappears and then reappears a few meters away staring off into space sounds are heard in the cemetery banshee whales voices and bells spectral faces are seen

people claim to be physically assaulted by unseen hands there is also rumor to be a ghost nun and a woman in white at one point there were even exploding coffins originally for the vaults the coffins

were lined with lead so that they would not leak out the remains the gases would build up in these

coffins and eventually the pressure would cause them to explode they solved this problem by inserting

pipes into the coffins and the gas would escape and they would light the pipes and the gas would slowly burn off the most famous story however is that of the high gate vampire he was said to be a medieval nobleman a black magic practitioner from romania his coffin was brought to London to highgate from continental europe in the 1700s by his followers they also bought a house in the west end and buried him on the property there this area ended up being part of the highgate cemetery all was well and good until the satanists began performing rituals there this is according to sean manchester then supposedly

all hell broke loose and the vampire awoke from his deep sleep rumor has it that the vampire was very tall dark and floated smoothly across the cemetery grounds the air turns cold when he is near and clocks and watches stop animals are frightened of him and it is said that he is the one draining blood from the foxes his look is hypnotic and terrifying two men david farant and sean manchester who were very much into the occult were absolutely sure that this vampire was real and they were determined to exterminate the creature ferond had written to a newspaper claiming he had an experience with the king vampire a lot of publicity was focused on these men and their claims people grew to be very interested in the story about a vampire and followed the stories of fran and manchester with excitement the fervor of these men grew and they soon decided to take decisive action against the highgate vampire they organized a vampire hunt on march 13 1970 friday the 13th many people showed up with garlic wooden stakes and hatchets several people descended on the cemetery ripping up graves breaking open tombs and trampling the grounds they plunged wooden stakes into corpses decapitated many of them and even moved skeletal remains to strange places one man found a skeleton in the driver’s seat of his car the cemetery grounds were severely damaged and the vampire grave was never

to be found in 1975 the friends of the high gate cemetery was formed to conserve the cemetery land plants and animals so that the property could be visited and appreciated once again by the public and used actively for burials some of the overgrown foliage has been removed paths cleared and monuments repaired over the years there has been more and more restoration egyptian avenue the circle of lebanon

terrace catacomb and 70 other monuments have been listed with the english heritage some of the more well-known people buried here are karl marx sci-fi author douglas adams james holman a famous blind man that used vibrations to guide his way and adam worth possibly the inspiration for sherlock holmes’s nemesis professor moriarty the chapel was reopened in 2011 restored using original colors and it is currently used for funerals both the east and west sides are open as active burial sites currently there are 170 000 people laid to rest at highgate and 50 000 graves the cemetery is running out of space and talks are in progress about reusing some of the older graves the west side is still very overgrown and is only accessed by guided tours the east side is open to self-guided walks entrance fees are charged to maintain

and beautify the cemetery no video is allowed and tickets for the east side can be purchased online these are just some of the terrifying tales about the infamous highgate cemetery.

As we approach Halloween children and adults alike begin to prepare for the annual ritual of trick-or-treating but are there really such things as ghosts and vampires? Highgate Cemetery has always been referred to as haunted and in the past we have let an apartment in Holly Lodge Mansions which is behind the cemetery to a vampire enthusiast who wanted to be nearby. I have done some internet research into why people refer to Highgate Cemetery as haunted.

The Cemetery occupies 20 acres and is sprawled on the hilly slopes on the south side of Highgate Village. It was opened in 1839 and soon became a sought after burial spot amongst Victorians in London. By the early 20th century thousands of people had been laid to rest including many famous and illustrious names.

During the second world war the Cemetery saw a severe downturn and by the 1960’s it was pretty much abandoned. Rumours began to spread of cults holding strange ceremonies after dark in the abandoned ruins. The Hampstead & Highgate Express started to receive letters from frightened readers about ghostly experiences around the Cemetery. Apparently one man whose car had broken down was terrified by a hideous apparition with glowing red eyes staring at him through the gates whilst another man walking along Swains Lane was knocked down by a fearsome creature who came out from the wall of the cemetery. The headlights of an approaching car caused the creature to dissolve into thin air.

It was then suggested that a Vampire was living in the cemetery and it was bombarded by journalists, camera crews and curious people looking for the undead. The Highgate Vampire is rumoured to be a medieval nobleman who practised black magic in Romania. His coffin was relocated in the 18th century and buried on the site that became Highgate Cemetery. Apparently Satanists awoke him performing rituals. It is reported that he is a tall dark figure who glides around the Cemetery whose presence can be felt by a sudden drop in temperature. It’s also reported that watches and clocks have stopped working when he is near.

More letters of frightening encounters around Swains Lane were received by the local press including a ghostly cyclist riding up the steep slope of Swains Lane and a tall man in a top hat stroll across the road and disappear into the wall of the cemetery.

In the 1980’s the Friends of Highgate Cemetery began a massive restoration project clearing the pathways and uncovering the spectacular tombs that had been neglected for years. Today ghostly sightings are reduced to the ghost of a mad old woman. Her long grey hair blows behind her as she races amongst the graves looking for her children whom she is supposed to of murdered in a fit of rage. The other is of a figure who gazes into space paying no attention to anyone nearby. If you get to close it vanishes reappearing a short distance away still gazing into space.

Highgate Cemetery hold a number of events throughout the year along with tours of the West Cemetery. Daily entrance is available to the East Cemetery where Karl Marx is buried and you can roam freely around.

Sprawled across twenty grassy, hillside acres, and opened in 1839, Highgate Cemetery quickly became the most sought-after burial spot in London, and fashion-conscious Victorians wouldn’t be seen dead in any other burial ground. By the dawn of the 20th century, tens of thousands of people had been laid to rest in its hallowed ground, amongst them many famous and illustrious names. The monuments to the dead became ever more ambitious as families struggled desperately to outdo one another in providing more and more ostentatious resting places for their loved one’s.

But as the dark days of World War 11 descended upon the capital, the cemetery’s fortunes saw a severe downturn and, by the 1960’s, the once proud necropolis had been abandoned.

Decay and neglect crept unchecked amongst the tombs as the roots of advancing vegetation split apart the magnificent graves and left their twisted masonry sprawled across toppled columns.

Rumours were soon circulating of sinister cults holding strange ceremonies after dark in the abandoned ruins. The local newspaper, the Hampstead and Highgate Express, began to receive letters from frightened readers telling of ghostly encounters around the cemetery. One man, whose car had broken down, was terrified by a hideous apparition with glowing red eyes, glaring at him through the rusting iron gates. Another man walking along the darkly forbidding Swain’s Lane, found himself suddenly knocked to the ground by a fearsome creature that “seemed to glide” from the wall of the cemetery. He was only saved by the headlights of an approaching car that seemed to cause the “thing” to dissolve into thin air.

When it was subsequently suggested that a Vampire might be loose in the old cemetery, a veritable barrage of journalists, camera crews, eager occultists and the just plain curious, swarmed around the decaying and grim mausoleums, garlic and crucifixes at the ready, and the hunt for the un-dead was underway.

Meanwhile, more letters telling of frightening encounters in the vicinity of Swain’s Lane continued to grace the pages of the local press. A ghostly cyclist, puffing his way up the steep incline had scared the life out of a young mother, whilst other unfortunate locals had witnessed a tall man in a top hat who would stroll nonchalantly across the road and then disappear into the wall of the cemetery. His nebulous stroll was, they said, always accompanied by a mournful tolling from the bells in the old, disused chapel.

A massive restoration project in the 1980’s by the enthusiastic “Friends of Highgate Cemetery” went some way to reversing the neglect of the previous decades. As they cleared the pathways and uncovered, once more, many of the spectacular tombs the ghostly activity began to recede.

Today, spectral sightings are reduced to; the ghost of a mad old woman, whose long grey hair streams behind her as she races amongst the graves, searching for her children, whom she is supposed to have murdered in a fit of insane rage; and a shrouded figure who gazes pensively into space, seemingly oblivious to the presence of witnesses, unless they get too close, whereupon it vanishes, only to re-appear a short distance away, adopting the same meditative pose.

Bibliography:

Joolz Guides - London History Walks - Travel Films (2017). Highgate Cemetery and Pub Walk - London Walking Tour. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur3yuPOHZ_A [Accessed 7 Nov. 2020].

‌Authentic Vacations. (2018). Haunted Highgate Cemetery, London, England. [online] Available at: https://www.authenticvacations.com/the-haunted-history-of-highgate-cemetery/ [Accessed 7 Nov. 2020].

‌Taylor Gibbs. (n.d.). Is Highgate Cemetery Really Haunted! [online] Available at: https://www.taylorgibbs.co.uk/news/is-highgate-cemetery-really-haunted.html [Accessed 7 Nov. 2020].

‌Realms of the Otherworld (2020). Haunted Highgate Cemetery. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TGIB3eFbok [Accessed 7 Nov. 2020].

‌www.haunted-london.com. (n.d.). London’s Haunted Graveyards:-Haunted Graveyards. [online] Available at: http://www.haunted-london.com/london-graveyards.html [Accessed 7 Nov. 2020].

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