Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as well as for its ''de facto'' status as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. The Cemetery is designated Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

Location

The

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

is in

Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...

N6, next to Waterlow Park, in the

London Borough of Camden The London Borough of Camden () is a London boroughs, borough in Inner London, England. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the former Metropolitan boroughs of the Cou ...

. It comprises two sides, on either side of Swain's Lane. The main gate is on Swain's Lane, just north of Oakshott Avenue. There is another, disused, gate on Chester Road. The nearest public transport (

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

) is the C11 bus, Brookfield Park stop, and

Archway tube station Archway is a London Underground station. It is located at the intersection of Holloway Road, Highgate, Highgate Hill, Junction Road, London, Junction Road and Archway Road in Archway, London, Archway, North London, directly underneath the Archwa ...

History and setting

The cemetery in its original formthe northwestern wooded areaopened in 1839, as part of a plan to provide seven large, modern cemeteries, now known as the " Magnificent Seven", around the outside of central London. The inner-city cemeteries, mostly the graveyards attached to individual churches, had long been unable to cope with the number of burials and were seen as a hazard to health and an undignified way to treat the dead. The initial design was by architect and entrepreneur Stephen Geary. On 20 May 1839, Highgate (West) Cemetery was dedicated to St. James by the Right Reverend Charles James Blomfield, Lord

Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...

. were consecrated for the use of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

, and two acres were set aside for

dissenters A dissenter (from the Latin , 'to disagree') is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Dissent may include political opposition to decrees, ideas or doctrines and it may include opposition to those things or the fiat of ...

. Rights of burial were sold either for a limited period or in perpetuity. The first burial was Elizabeth Jackson of Little Windmill Street,

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

, on 26 May. Highgate, like the others of the Magnificent Seven, soon became a fashionable place for burials and was much admired and visited. The Victorian attitude to death and its presentation led to the creation of a wealth of Gothic tombs and buildings. It occupies a spectacular south-facing hillside site slightly downhill from the top of Highgate hill, next to Waterlow Park. In 1854 a further 19 acres (8 ha) to the south east of the original area, across Swain's Lane, was bought to form the eastern extension; this opened in 1860. Both sides of the cemetery are still used today for burials. The cemetery's grounds are full of trees, shrubbery, and wildflowers, most of which have been planted and grown without human influence. The grounds are a haven for birds and small mammals, such as foxes. The cemetery is now owned and maintained by a charitable trust, the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust, which was set up in 1975 and acquired the freehold of both East and West sides by 1981. In 1984 it published ''Highgate Cemetery: Victorian Valhalla'' by

John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for ''The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peach ...

Graves

West Side

The Egyptian Avenue and the Circle of Lebanon (previously surmounted by a huge, 280 years old Cedar of Lebanon, which had to be cut down and replaced in August 2019) are both Grade I

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. The west side of the Cemetery is characterised by elaborate feature tombs, vaults and winding paths dug into hillsides. At the highest point, the Terrace

Catacombs Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etym ...

and the Tomb of

Julius Beer Julius Beer (1836–1880) was a German-born English businessman, banker and newspaper baron. He owned '' The Observer'' from 1870 to 1880. Biography Early life Julius Beer was born in 1836 in Frankfurt, Germany. Career Beer made his fort ...

are both Grade II* listed.

Notable West Side interments

* Henry Alken (1785–1851), painter, engraver and illustrator of sporting and coaching scenes * Jane Arden, Welsh-born film director, actress, screenwriter, playwright, songwriter, and poet * John Atcheler, 'Horse slaughterer to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

' * Edward Hodges Baily, sculptor * Beryl Bainbridge, author * Abraham Dee Bartlett,

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

, superintendent of the

London Zoo London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828 and was originally intended to be used as a colle ...

known for selling the popular African elephant

Jumbo Jumbo (December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then tr ...

to P. T. Barnum *

(and family members), owner of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

''. * Francis Bedford, landscape photographer *

William Belt William John Belt (1826–1892) was an English barrister (courtroom lawyer) and antiquarian best known for his erratic behaviour in later life which was widely reported by popular newspapers for the amusement of their readers. Early life Belt wa ...

, barrister and antiquarian, best known for his eccentric behaviour * Mary Matilda Betham, diarist, poet, woman of letters, and miniature portrait painter * Eugenius Birch, seaside architect and noted designer of promenade-piers *

Edward Blore Edward Blore (13 September 1787 – 4 September 1879) was a 19th-century English landscape and architectural artist, architect and antiquary. Early career Blore was born in Derby, the son of the antiquarian writer Thomas Blore. Blore's backg ...

, architect known for his work on

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

and

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

* Edwin Brett, publisher and pioneer of serialised sensational weekly fiction and ' penny dreadfuls' *

Jacob Bronowski Jacob Bronowski (18 January 1908 – 22 August 1974) was a Polish-British mathematician and philosopher. He is best known for developing a humanistic approach to science, and as the presenter and writer of the thirteen-part 1973 BBC television ...

(ashes), scientist, creator of the television series ''

The Ascent of Man ''The Ascent of Man'' is a 13-part British documentary television series produced by the BBC and Time-Life Films first broadcast in 1973. It was written and presented by Polish-British mathematician and historian of science Jacob Bronowsk ...

'' * James Bunstone Bunning, City Architect to the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

* Robert William Buss, artist and illustrator * Edward Dundas Butler, translator and senior librarian at the Department of Printed Books, British Museum * Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell, prominent politician in the Peelite and Liberal parties, best remembered for his tenure as

Secretary of State for War The secretary of state for war, commonly called the war secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The secretary of state for war headed the War Offic ...

* William Benjamin Carpenter, physician, invertebrate zoologist and physiologist * Joseph William Comyns Carr, drama and art critic, gallery director, author, poet, playwright and theatre manager * John James Chalon, Swiss painter *

Robert Caesar Childers Robert Caesar Childers (; 183825 July 1876) was a British Orientalist and the compiler of the first PaliEnglish dictionary to be published. He was the father of the Irish nationalist Erskine Childers and the paternal grandfather of the fourth ...

, scholar of the Orient and writer * Edmund Chipp, organist and composer * Charles Chubb, lock and safe manufacturer *

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, pioneering early photographer, honoured by

as "Photographer-in-ordinary" * John Cross, English artist * Philip Conisbee, art historian and curator *

Abraham Cooper Abraham Cooper (1787–1868) was a British animal and battle painter. Life The son of a tobacconist, he was born in Greenwich, London on 8 September 1787.Thomas Frederick Cooper, watchmaker *

John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was believed to be born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley ...

, Lord Chancellor and son of the American painter

* Sir Charles Cowper, Premier of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia * Addison Cresswell, comedians' agent and producer * George Baden Crawley, civil engineer and railway builder * Charles Cruft, founder of

Crufts Crufts is an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom, held since 1891, and organised by The Kennel Club. It is the largest show of its kind in the world. Crufts is primarily a championship conformation show for dogs, and ...

dog show * Isaac Robert Cruikshank, caricaturist, illustrator, portrait miniaturist and brother of

George Cruikshank George Cruikshank or Cruickshank ( ; 27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern William Hogarth, Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dicken ...

* George Dalziel, engraver who with his siblings ran one of the most prolific Victorian engraving firms * George Darnell, schoolmaster and author of ''Darnell's Copybooks'' * David Devant, theatrical magician * Alfred Lamert Dickens, the younger brother of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

* Catherine Dickens, wife of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and

Elizabeth Dickens Elizabeth Culliford Dickens (née Barrow; 21 December 1789 – 12 September 1863) was the wife of John Dickens and the mother of English novelist Charles Dickens. She was the source for Mrs. Nickleby in her son's novel '' Nicholas Nickleby'' a ...

, parents of

* Fanny Dickens, elder sister of

* William Hepworth Dixon, historian and traveller. Also active in organizing London's

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition that took ...

of 1851 * The Druce family vault, one of whose members was (falsely) alleged to have been the 5th Duke of Portland. * Herbert Benjamin Edwardes, Administrator and soldier, known as the "Hero of Multan" * Joseph Edwards, Welsh sculptor * Thomas Edwards, (Caerfallwch), Welsh author and lexicographer *

Ugo Ehiogu Ugochukwu Ehiogu (; 3 November 1972 – 21 April 2017) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre-back from 1989 to 2009. He was the coach of the Tottenham Hotspur U23 team until his death in April 2017. He played in the Pr ...

, footballer * James Harington Evans, Baptist pastor of the John Street Chapel * Benjamin Hawes, 19th-century British Whig politician, known in UK parliament as "Hawes the Soap-Boiler" *

Michael Faraday Michael Faraday (; 22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic inducti ...

, chemist and physicist (with his wife Sarah), in the

Dissenter A dissenter (from the Latin , 'to disagree') is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Dissent may include political opposition to decrees, ideas or doctrines and it may include opposition to those things or the fiat of ...

s section * Sir Charles Fellows,

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

, known for his numerous expeditions in what is present-day

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. * Charles Drury Edward Fortnum, art collector and benefactor of the

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University ...

Lucian Freud Lucian Michael Freud (; 8 December 1922 – 20 July 2011) was a British painter and draughtsman, specialising in figurative art, and is known as one of the foremost 20th-century English portraitists. His early career as a painter was inf ...

, painter, grandson of

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

, and elder brother of

Clement Freud Sir Clement Raphael Freud (24 April 1924 – 15 April 2009) was a British media personality, broadcaster, writer, politician and chef. The son of Ernst L. Freud and grandson of Sigmund Freud, Clement moved to the United Kingdom from Nazi Germany ...

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. He is best known for his trilogy of novels collectively called '' The Forsyte Saga'', and two later trilogies, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of th ...

, author and

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

winner (

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

, he was cremated and his ashes scattered) * Stephen Geary, architect of Highgate Cemetery * John Gibbons, ironmaster and art patron * Stella Gibbons, novelist, author of '' Cold Comfort Farm'' * Margaret Gillies, Scottish painter known for her miniature portraits, including of one of

* John William Griffith, architect of

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...

Henry Gray Henry Gray (1827 – 13 June 1861) was a British anatomist and surgery, surgeon most notable for publishing the book ''Gray's Anatomy''. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) at the age of 25. Biography Gray was born ...

, anatomist and surgeon, author of ''

Gray's Anatomy ''Gray's Anatomy'' is a reference book of human anatomy written by Henry Gray, illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter and first published in London in 1858. It has had multiple revised editions, and the current edition, the 42nd (October 2020 ...

''. * Radclyffe Hall, author of '' The Well of Loneliness'' and other novels * William Hall, founder with Edward Chapman of publishers

Chapman & Hall Chapman & Hall is an imprint owned by CRC Press, originally founded as a British publishing house in London in the first half of the 19th century by Edward Chapman and William Hall. Chapman & Hall were publishers for Charles Dickens (from 1840 ...

* William Dobinson Halliburton, physiologist, noted for being one of the founders of the science of

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

* Philip Harben, English cook regarded as the first TV

celebrity chef A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in Books, printed publications. While telev ...

* Sir Charles Augustus Hartley, eminent British civil engineer, known as 'the father of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

.' * George Edwards Hering, landscape painter * Edwin Hill, older brother of

Rowland Hill Sir Rowland Hill, KCB, FRS (3 December 1795 – 27 August 1879) was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of Uniform Penny Post and his solu ...

and inventor of the first letter scale and a mechanical system to make envelopes * Frank Holl, Royal portraitist *

Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020) was an English actor. After graduating from RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) and beginning his career on the British stage as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he became a ...

, English actor * James Holman, 19th-century adventurer known as "the Blind Traveller" * Surgeon-General Sir Anthony Home,

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

recipient from Indian Mutiny * Theodore Hope, British colonial administrator and writer * Thomas Hopley, headmaster who beat one of his pupils to death * William Hosking, first Professor of Architecture at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

and architect of Abney Park Cemetery * Bob Hoskins, actor * Georgiana Houghton, British artist and spiritualist medium *

David Edward Hughes David Edward Hughes (16 May 1830 – 22 January 1900), was a British-American inventor, practical experimenter, and professor of music known for his work on the printing telegraph and the microphone. He is generally considered to have bee ...

, FRS, 19th-century electrical engineer and inventor * William Henry Hunt, popular and widely collected painter of watercolours, nicknamed 'Bird's Nest' Hunt * Sir John Hutton, publisher of '' Sporting Life'' and Chairman of the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

* Georges Jacobi, composer, conductor and musical director of the Alhambra Theatre * Lisa Jardine (ashes), historian * Victor Kullberg, one of the greatest marine clockmakers * Thomas Landseer, younger brother of Sir Edwin Landseer (there is a cenotaph, Edwin was buried in

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

) * Sir Peter Laurie, politician and

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

* Douglas Lapraik, shipowner and co-founder of

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...

and the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Group * Henry Lee, surgeon,

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

and syphilologist * Oswald Lewis, MP and younger son of

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

, founder of the chain of department stores * Robert Liston, surgeon *

Alexander Litvinenko Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko (30 August 1962 ( at WebCite) – 23 November 2006) was a British-naturalised Russian defector and former officer of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) who specialised in tackling organized crime, ...

, Russian dissident, murdered by poisoning in London * Edward Lloyd, influential newspaper publisher and founder of the '' Daily Chronicle'' * James Locke, a London draper credited with giving

Tweed Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...

its name *

William Lovett William Lovett (8 May 1800 – 8 August 1877) was a British activist and leader of the Chartist political movement. He was one of the leading London-based artisan radicals of his generation. Biography Early activism Born in the Cornish tow ...

, Chartist * Samuel Lucas, editor of the '' Morning Star'', journalist and abolitionist * Archibald Maclaine (British Army officer) * John Maple, founder of the furniture makers Maple & Co. * Hugh Mackay Matheson, industrialist and founder of Matheson & Company and the

Rio Tinto Group Rio Tinto Group is a British-Australian multinational company that is the world's second largest metals and mining corporation (behind BHP). It was founded in 1873 when a group of investors purchased a mine complex on the Río Tinto, in Hu ...

Frederick Denison Maurice John Frederick Denison Maurice (29 August 1805 – 1 April 1872), commonly known as F. D. Maurice, was an English Anglican priest and theologian. He was a prolific author and one of the founders of Christian socialism. Since the Second World War ...

, English Anglican theologian, prolific author and one of the founders of

Christian socialism Christian socialism is a Religious philosophy, religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe cap ...

* Michael Meacher, academic and Labour Party politician *

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

, singer, songwriter, music producer and philanthropist; buried beside his mother and sister. * Barbara Mills, (ashes) first female Director of Public Prosecutions * Frederick Akbar Mahomed, internationally known British physician * Jude Moraes, landscape gardener, writer and broadcaster * Nicholas Mosley, novelist and biographer of his father, Oswald Mosley * Edward Moxhay, shoemaker, biscuit maker and property speculator, best known for his involvement in the landmark English land law case '' Tulk v Moxhay'' * Elizabeth de Munck, mother of celebrated soprano, Maria Caterina Rosalbina Caradori-Allan in grave with large carving of

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in piety * General Sir Archibald James Murray, Chief of Staff to the WW1 British Expeditionary Force * Walter Neurath, Publisher and founder of Thames and Hudson * Henry Newton, painter and co-founder of Winsor & Newton * Samuel Noble, English engraver, and minister of the New Church * Feliks Nowosielski, Polish nobleman * George Osbaldeston, known as Squire Osbaldeston, sportsman, gambler and Member of Parliament *

Sherard Osborn Sherard Osborn (25 April 1822 – 6 May 1875) was a Royal Navy admiral and Arctic explorer. Biography Born in Madras, he was the son of an Indian army officer. Osborn entered the navy as a first-class volunteer in 1837, serving until 1 ...

, Royal Navy admiral and Arctic explorer * Frederick William Pavy,

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and

physiologist Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out chemical and ...

* William Payne, actor, dancer and pantomimist * Thomas Ashburton Picken, watercolourist, engraver and

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...

* Frances Polidori Rossetti, mother of Dante Gabriel, Christina and William Michael Rossetti * Samuel Phelps, Shakespearian actor and manager of Sadler's Wells Theatre * Owen Roberts (educator), pioneer of technical education, great-grandfather of

Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon (7 March 1930 – 13 January 2017) was a British photographer. He is best known internationally for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in '' Vogue'', '' Vanity Fa ...

, former husband of

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

. * James Robinson, dentist, first person to carry out

general anaesthesia General anaesthesia (UK) or general anesthesia (US) is medically induced loss of consciousness that renders a patient unarousable even by painful stimuli. It is achieved through medications, which can be injected or inhaled, often with an analges ...

in Britain * Sir John Richard Robinson, journalist, editor and manager of the ''Daily News'' * Peter Robinson, founder of the Peter Robinson department store at Oxford Circus, London * Sir William Charles Ross, portrait and

portrait miniature A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting from Renaissance art, usually executed in gouache, Watercolor painting, watercolor, or Vitreous enamel, enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illumin ...

painter *

Christina Rossetti Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English writer of romanticism, romantic, devotional and children's poems, including "Goblin Market" and "Remember". She also wrote the words of two Christmas carols well k ...

, poet * Gabriele Rossetti, Italian nationalist and scholar. Father of Christina and Dante Gabriel Rossetti * William Michael Rossetti, co-founder of the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossett ...

* Tom Sayers, pugilist, his tomb is guarded by the stone image of his mastiff, Lion, who was chief mourner at his funeral * Henry Young Darracott Scott, responsible for the design and construction of the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

* Sir Peter Shepheard,

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manage ...

, President of the

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

, Architectural Association,

Landscape Institute The Landscape Institute (LI) is a UK based professional body for the landscape profession. Its membership includes landscape architecture, landscape architects, urban designers, landscape planners, landscape scientists and landscape managers. ...

and the Royal Fine Art Commission * Elizabeth Siddal, wife and model of artist/poet

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

and model for the painting ''

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...

'' by

John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest s ...

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Britain during and after the ...

, actress * William Simpson, war artist and correspondent * Sir John Smale, Chief Justice of Hong Kong * Alice Mary Smith, Victorian composer (under married name White) * Tom Smith, inventor of the

Christmas cracker Christmas crackers are festive table decorations that make a snapping sound when pulled open, and typically contain a small gift, paper hat and a joke. They are part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland a ...

* Charles Green Spencer, pioneer aviator and balloon manufacturer * Alfred Stevens, sculptor, painter and designer * Walter Fryer Stocks, prolific landscape painter * Sir Henry Knight Storks, soldier, MP, and colonial administrator * Anna Swanwick, author and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

who assisted in the founding of Girton College, Cambridge, and Somerville Hall, Oxford * Alfred Swaine Taylor, toxicologist, forensic scientist, expert witness * Frederick Tennyson, poet, older brother of

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

* Samuel Sanders Teulon, prolific

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

architect * Jeanette Threlfall,

hymnwriter A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditional ...

and poet * Charles Turner,

mezzotint Mezzotint is a monochrome printmaking process of the intaglio (printmaking), intaglio family. It was the first printing process that yielded half-tones without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple. Mezzo ...

engraver who collaborated with J. M. W. Turner * Andrew Ure, Scottish physician known for his galvanism experimentation, founder of the

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde () is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal charter in 1964 as the first techn ...

* John Vandenhoff, leading Victorian actor *

Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfo ...

, art collector who gave one of Britain's most popular paintings,

John Constable John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romanticism, Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedha ...

's ''

The Hay Wain ''The Hay Wain'' – originally titled ''Landscape: Noon'' – is a painting by John Constable, completed in 1821, which depicts a rural scene on the River Stour, Suffolk, River Stour between the English counties of Suffolk and Essex. It hangs ...

'' to the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

* Emilie Ashurst Venturi, writer, translator and women's rights campaigner *

Arthur Waley Arthur David Waley (born Arthur David Schloss, 19 August 188927 June 1966) was an English orientalist and sinologist who achieved both popular and scholarly acclaim for his translations of Chinese and Japanese poetry. Among his honours were ...

, translator and scholar of the Orient *

George Wallis George Wallis (8 June 1811 – 24 October 1891) was an English artist, art educator, and museum curator. He was the first Keeper of Fine Art Collection at South Kensington Museum (later the Victoria & Albert Museum) in London. Early years ...

, First Keeper of the Fine Art Collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum * Mary Warner, actress and theatre manager * Augusta Webster, poet, dramatist, essayist, translator and advocate of

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

* Henry White, lawyer and gifted landscape photographer * Brodie McGhie Willcox, founder of the P&O Shipping Line * Henry Willis, foremost organ builder of the Victorian era * Hugh Wilson, RAF test pilot * George Wombwell, menagerie exhibitor * Ellen Wood, author known as Mrs Henry Wood, there is also a plaque for her in

Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England cathedral in Worcester, England, Worcester, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Worcester and is the Mother Church# ...

* Adam Worth, criminal mastermind. Possible inspiration for

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

's nemesis, Professor Moriarty; originally buried in a pauper's grave under the name Henry J. Raymond * Sir William Henry Wyatt, long-serving chairman of the Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum at Colney Hatch, Southgate *

Patrick Wymark Patrick Wymark (11 July 192620 October 1970) was an English stage, film and television actor. Early life Wymark was born Patrick Carl Cheeseman in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. He was brought up in neighbouring Grimsby and frequently revisited th ...

, actor * Arthur Wynn (ashes), British civil servant who ran a spy ring for the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

* Joseph Warren Zambra, scientific instrument maker

East Side

Many famous or prominent people are buried on this side of Highgate cemetery; the most famous of which is perhaps that of

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

, whose tomb was the site of attempted bombings on 2 September 1965 and in 1970. The

tomb of Karl Marx The Tomb of Karl Marx is in the Eastern cemetery of Highgate Cemetery, North London, England. It is the burial site of Karl Marx, his wife Jenny von Westphalen, and other members of Marx's family. Originally buried in a different part of the East ...

is also a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

for reasons of historical importance. Fireman's corner is a monument erected in the East side by widows and orphans of members of the

London Fire Brigade The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the Fire department, fire and rescue service for London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It was formed by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865 (28 & 29 Vict. c. 90), under the leadership of superintendent ...

in 1934. There are 97 firemen buried here. The monument is cared for by the Brigade's Welfare Section.

Notable East side interments

* David Abbott,

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

executive and founder of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO who was widely regarded as one of the finest

copywriter Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. Copywriting is aimed at selling products or services. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to incre ...

s of his generation. *

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, humorist, and screenwriter, best known as the creator of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the ...

(ashes), author of ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a Science fiction comedy, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC ...

'' and other novels * Mehmet Aksoy, press officer for the Kurdish YPG, killed by ISIS in 2017 *

Wilkie Bard Wilkie Bard (born William August Smith; 19 March 1874 – 5 May 1944) was a popular British vaudeville and music hall entertainer and recording artist at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for his songs "I Want to Sing in Opera" an ...

, popular

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

entertainer and recording artist * Farzad Bazoft, journalist, executed by

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

's regime * Jeremy Beadle (ashes), writer, television presenter and curator of oddities * Adolf Beck, the Adolph Beck case was a celebrated case of mistaken identity * Hercules Bellville, American film producer * William Betty, popular child actor of the early nineteenth century * Emily Blatchley, pioneering

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

* Kate Booth, English Salvationist and evangelist. Oldest daughter of

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

and Catherine Booth. She was also known as ''la Maréchale'' * William Bradbury, printer and publisher and co-founder of Bradbury and Evans * Frederick Broome, colonial administrator of several British colonies. The Western Australian towns of Broome and Broomehill are named after him *

Neave Brown Neave Brown (22 May 19299 January 2018) was an American-born British architect and artist. He specialized in modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abs ...

, American-British architect *

George Barclay Bruce Sir George Barclay Bruce (1 October 1821 – 25 August 1908) was a British civil engineer. He was primarily a railway engineer who worked for many railway companies in Britain, Europe, Asia and South America. He was closely involved with ...

, world renown railway engineer and president of the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a Charitable organization, charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters ar ...

* Sir Thomas Lauder Brunton, 1st Baronet, Scottish physician who is most closely associated with the treatment of

angina pectoris Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typically the result of part ...

* James Caird, Scottish agricultural writer and politician * Patrick Caulfield, painter and printmaker known for his pop art canvasses * Douglas Cleverdon, radio producer and bookseller *

William Kingdon Clifford William Kingdon Clifford (4 May 18453 March 1879) was a British mathematician and philosopher. Building on the work of Hermann Grassmann, he introduced what is now termed geometric algebra, a special case of the Clifford algebra named in his ...

(with his wife

Lucy Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...

), mathematician and philosopher * Lucy Lane Clifford, novelist and journalist, wife of

Yusuf Dadoo Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo OMSG (5 September 1909 – 19 September 1983) was a South African Communist and an anti-apartheid activist. During his life, he was chair of both the South African Indian Congress and the South African Communist ...

, South African anti-apartheid activist * Lewis Foreman Day, influential artist in the

Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

* Sir Davison Dalziel, Bt, British newspaper owner and Conservative Party politician. Massive mausoleum near the entrance. * Elyse Dodgson, theatre producer * Fritz Dupre,

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

and

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

ore merchant, known as the "Manganese Ore King" * Francis Elgar, naval architect *

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...

(Mary Ann Evans – the name on the grave is Mary Ann Cross), novelist, common-law wife of

George Henry Lewes George Henry Lewes (; 18 April 1817 – 30 November 1878) was an English philosopher and critic of literature and theatre. He was also an amateur Physiology, physiologist. American feminist Margaret Fuller called Lewes a "witty, French, flippan ...

and buried next to him * Edwin Wilkins Field, lawyer who devoted much of his life to law reform * Paul Foot, campaigning journalist and nephew of former Labour Party leader

Michael Foot Michael Mackintosh Foot (23 July 19133 March 2010) was a British politician who was Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition from 1980 to 1983. Foot beg ...

* Lydia Folger Fowler, pioneering American physician and first American-born woman to earn a medical degree * William Foyle, co-founder of

Foyles Foyles, a trading name of Waterstones Booksellers Limited (formerly W & G Foyle Ltd.), is a bookseller with a chain of seven stores in England. It is best known for its flagship store in Charing Cross Road, London. Foyles was once listed in ...

Philip French Philip Neville French (28 August 1933 – 27 October 2015) was an English film critic and radio producer. French began his career in journalism in the late 1950s, before eventually becoming a BBC Radio producer, and later a film critic. H ...

, Observer film critic *

William Friese-Greene William Friese-Greene (born William Edward Green, 7 September 1855 – 5 May 1921) was a prolific English inventor and professional photographer. He was known as a pioneer in the field of motion pictures, having devised a series of cameras bet ...

, cinema pioneer and his son Claude Friese-Greene * Lou Gish, actress, daughter of Sheila Gish * Sheila Gish, actress * Philip Gould (ashes), British

political consultant Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely televi ...

, and former advertising

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

, closely linked to the Labour Party * Robert Grant VC, soldier and police constable *

Robert Edmond Grant Robert Edmond Grant MD FRCPEd FRS FRSE FZS FGS (11 November 1793 – 23 August 1874) was a British anatomist and zoologist. Life Grant was born at Argyll Square in Edinburgh (demolished to create Chambers Street), the son of Alexander Gra ...

, Professor of

Comparative Anatomy Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species). The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

who gave his name to the Grant Museum of Zoology * Charles Green, the United Kingdom's most famous balloonist of the 19th century * Leon Griffiths, creator of Minder * Stuart Hall,

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

n-born British

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

sociologist, cultural theorist, and

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

* Harrison Hayter, railway, harbour and dock engineer * Mansoor Hekmat, Communist leader and founder of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran and Worker-Communist Party of Iraq *

Eric Hobsbawm Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm (; 9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. His best-known works include his tetralogy about what he called the "long 19th century" (''Th ...

(ashes), historian * Austin Holyoake, printer, publisher, freethinker and brother of the more widely known

George Holyoake George Jacob Holyoake (13 April 1817 – 22 January 1906) was an English secularist, British co-operative movement, co-operator and newspaper editor. He coined the terms secularism in 1851 and "jingoism" in 1878. He edited a secularist paper, '' ...

, Birmingham-born social reformer and founder of the Cooperative Movement * George Honey, popular Victorian actor and comedian * Alan Howard, actor * Leslie Hutchinson,

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

star of the 1920s and 1930s * Jabez Inwards, popular Victorian temperance lecturer and phrenologist * Georges Jacobi, composer and conductor * Bert Jansch, Scottish folk musician *

Claudia Jones Claudia Vera Jones (; 21 February 1915 – 24 December 1964) was a Trinidad and Tobago-born journalist and activist. As a child, she migrated with her family to the United States, where she became a Communist political activist, feminist and bla ...

, Trinidadian born

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

and fighter for civil rights, founder of '' The West Indian Gazette'' and the

Notting Hill Carnival The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean Carnival event that has taken place in London since 1966

* George Goodwin Kilburne,

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

painter * David Kirkaldy, Scottish engineer and pioneer in materials testing * Anatoly Kuznetsov, Soviet writer and author best known for '' Babi Yar: A Document in the Form of a Novel'' * Arthur Leared, Irish physician * Liza Lehmann, operatic soprano and composer, daughter of Rudolf Lehmann * Rudolf Lehmann, portrait artist and father of Liza Lehmann * Andrea Levy (ashes), novelist best known for the novels '' Small Island'' and '' The Long Song'' *

, English philosopher and critic, common law husband of

and buried next to her. * Roger Lloyd-Pack, British actor known for ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...

'' and '' The Vicar of Dibley'' * John Lobb, Society bootmaker * Charles Lucy, British artist, whose most notable painting was ''The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers'' * Haldane MacFall, art critic, art historian, book illustrator and novelist * Anna Mahler, sculptor and daughter of

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

and Alma Schindler *

Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the vocalist, pianist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Martin went to University Colleg ...

, Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister * James Martineau, religious philosopher influential in the history of Unitarianism *

, philosopher, historian, sociologist and economist (memorial after his reburial, with other family members) *

Frank Matcham Francis Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920)Mackintosh, Iain"Matcham, Frank" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 7 July 2019 was an English architect who specialised in the design of theatres and ...

, theatre architect * Carl Mayer, Austro-German screenwriter of '' The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari'' and '' Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans'' *

Thomas McKinnon Wood Thomas McKinnon Wood Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (26 January 1855 – 26 March 1927) was a British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. Regarded as a liberal with "sound Progressive credentials," he served as a member of ...

, Liberal politician and

Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland (; ), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incum ...

Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English fashion designer and music manager. He was a promoter and a manager for punk rock and new wave bands such as New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Adam and the Ants, and ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

impresario and original manager of the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

* Ralph Miliband, left wing

political theorist A political theorist is someone who engages in constructing or evaluating political theory, including political philosophy. Theorists may be academics or independent scholars. Ancient * Aristotle * Chanakya * Cicero * Confucius * Mencius * ...

, father of

David Miliband David Wright Miliband (born 15 July 1965) is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the International Rescue Committee and a former British Labour Party politician. He was the Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010 and the Member o ...

and

Ed Miliband Edward Samuel Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero since July 2024. He has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for D ...

* Alan Milward, influential historian * William Henry Monk, composer (of the music to ''

Abide with Me "Abide with Me" is a Christian hymn by Scottish Anglican cleric Henry Francis Lyte (1793–1847). A prayer for God to stay with the speaker throughout life and in death, it was written by Lyte in 1847 as he was dying from tuberculosis. It is m ...

'') * Charles Morton,

and

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

manager who became known as the ''Father of the Halls'' * Sidney Nolan, Australian artist * George Josiah Palmer, founder and editor of ''

Church Times The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays. History The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the ...

'' * Charles J. Phipps, theatre architect * Tim Pigott-Smith, actor * Dachine Rainer, poet and anarchist * Corin Redgrave, actor and political activist * Bruce Reynolds, criminal, mastermind of the

Great Train Robbery (1963) The Great Train Robbery was the robbery of £2.61 million (worth about £ million in ) from a Royal Mail train travelling from Glasgow to London on the West Coast Main Line in the early hours of 8 August 1963 at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn ...

* Ralph Richardson, actor * George Richmond, painter and portraitist * José Carlos Rodrigues, Brazilian journalist, financial expert, and philanthropist * Ernestine Rose, suffragist, abolitionist and freethinker * James Samuel Risien Russell, Guyanese-British physician, neurologist, professor of medicine, and professor of medical jurisprudence * Raphael Samuel,

historian * Anthony Shaffer, playwright, screenwriter and novelist * Peter Shaffer, playwright and screenwriter * Sir Eyre Massey Shaw, first Chief Officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade * Alan Sillitoe, English postmodern novelist, poet, and playwright * James Smetham,

painter, engraver and follower of

* Sir Donald Alexander Smith, Canadian railway financier and diplomat *

Herbert Spencer Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English polymath active as a philosopher, psychologist, biologist, sociologist, and anthropologist. Spencer originated the expression "survival of the fittest", which he coined in '' ...

evolutionary biologist Evolutionary biology is the subfield of biology that studies the evolutionary processes such as natural selection, common descent, and speciation that produced the diversity of life on Earth. In the 1930s, the discipline of evolutionary biol ...

, sociologist, and

laissez-faire ''Laissez-faire'' ( , from , ) is a type of economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies or regulations). As a system of thought, ''laissez-faire'' ...

economic philosopher * Sir Leslie Stephen, critic, first editor of the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', father of

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Vir ...

and

Vanessa Bell Vanessa Bell (née Stephen; 30 May 1879 – 7 April 1961) was an English painter and interior designer, a member of the Bloomsbury Group and the sister of Virginia Woolf (née Stephen). Early life and education Vanessa Stephen was the eld ...

, members of the

Bloomsbury Group The Bloomsbury Group was a group of associated British writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the early 20th century. Among the people involved in the group were Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster, Vanessa Bell, a ...

* Julia Prinsep Stephen,

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, ...

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

and mother of

and

, members of the

. * William Heath Strange, physician and founder of the ''Hampstead General Hospital'', now the Royal Free Hospital * Lucien Stryk, American poet, teacher and translator of Zen poetry * Thomas Tate, mathematician and scientific educator and writer * Sir George Thalben-Ball, English organist, choirmaster and composer * Bob Thoms, the greatest Victorian cricket umpire * James Thomson, Victorian poet, best known for '' The City of Dreadful Night'' *

Storm Thorgerson Storm Elvin Thorgerson (28 February 1944 – 18 April 2013) was an English art director and music video director. He is best known for closely working with the group Pink Floyd through most of their career, and also created album or other art f ...

, graphic designer *

Malcolm Tierney Malcolm Tierney (25 February 1938 – 19 February 2014) was an English actor who appeared in many stage, film and television roles. Early life Tierney's father, Ernest, was a boilermaker and trained draughtsman, from Warrington, who worked at ...

, actor *

Feliks Topolski Feliks Topolski Royal Academician, RA (14 August 1907 – 24 August 1989) was a Polish expressionist painter and draughtsman working primarily in the United Kingdom. Biography Feliks Topolski was born on 14 August 1907 in Warsaw, Poland. He st ...

, Polish-born British expressionist painter * Edward Truelove, radical publisher and freethinker * Peter Ucko, influential English

* Max Wall, comedian and entertainer * Simon Ward, actor * Peter Cathcart Wason, pioneering psychologist * Sir Lawrence Weaver, architectural writer, editor of Country Life and organiser of the

British Empire Exhibition The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925. Background In 1920 the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government decide ...

* Opal Whiteley, American writer *

Colin St John Wilson Sir Colin Alexander St John Wilson, Royal Institute of British Architects, FRIBA, Royal Academy, RA, (14 March 1922 – 14 May 2007) was an English architect, lecturer and author. With his partner MJ Long, Wilson spent over 30 years progressing t ...

, architect (most notably of the new

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

in London), lecturer and author * Joseph Wolf, natural history illustrator and pioneer in wildlife art * Edward Richard Woodham, survivor of the

Charge of the Light Brigade The Charge of the Light Brigade was a military action undertaken by British light cavalry against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, resulting in many casualties to the cavalry. On 25 October 1854, the Light Br ...

Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington Michael Dunlop Young, Baron Young of Dartington (9 August 1915 – 14 January 2002), was a British sociologist, social activist and left-wing politician. Young was an Urbanism, urbanist, known as an academic researcher, polemicist and instituti ...

, politician, social activist and consumer champion.

War graves

The cemetery contains the graves of 318 Commonwealth service personnel maintained and registered by the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

, in both the East and West sides, 259 from the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and 59 from the

Second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

. Those whose graves could not be marked by headstones are listed on a Screen Wall memorial erected near the

Cross of Sacrifice The Cross of Sacrifice is a Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth war memorial designed in 1918 by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). It is present in Commonwealth War grave ...

in the west side.

In popular culture

Highgate Cemetery was featured in the popular media from the 1960s to the late 1980s for its so-called

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

past, particularly as being the alleged site of the " Highgate Vampire". * Several of

's '' Forsyte Saga'' novels refer to Highgate Cemetery as the last resting place of the Forsytes; for example, Chapter XI, "The Last of the Forsytes", in ''To Let'' (1921). * Footage of Highgate appears in numerous British horror films, including '' Taste the Blood of Dracula'' (1970), '' Tales from the Crypt'' (1972) and '' From Beyond the Grave'' (1974). * In '' That's Your Funeral'' (1972), the route taken in the Hearse Drivers' Grand Prix is mentioned as going "from Golders Green to

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...

via

's grave in Highgate". * In Len Deighton's alternative history novel '' SS-GB'' and its TV adaptation, a bomb is detonated in the tomb of

when his remains are exhumed by German occupation forces to be presented to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. *

Audrey Niffenegger Audrey Niffenegger (born June 13, 1963) is an American writer, artist, and academic. Her debut novel, '' The Time Traveler's Wife'', published in 2003, was a bestseller. Biography Audrey Niffenegger was born in 1963 in South Haven, Michigan. At ...

's book '' Her Fearful Symmetry'' (2009) is set around Highgate Cemetery; she acted as a tour guide there while researching the book. * In the novel '' Double or Die'' (2007), a part of the '' Young Bond'' series, Ludwig and Wolfgang Smith plan to kill Bond in the cemetery. * Tracy Chevalier's book ''Falling Angels'' (2002) was set in and around Highgate Cemetery. * The film ''Hampstead'' (2017) features some scenes in the cemetery. * Robert Galbraith's sixth Cormoran Strike novel '' The Ink Black Heart'' (2022) revolves around a fictional cartoon set in Highgate Cemetery.

Gallery

File:HighgateCemeteryLondon.jpg File:HighgateCemeteryLondon2.jpg File:HighgateCemeteryLondon3.jpg File:HighgateCemeteryLondon4.jpg File:HighgateCemeteryLondon5.jpg File:Highgate Cemetery 013.jpg File:Carl Rosa.png, Carl Rosa grave File:Sepulcro con ángel.jpg, alt=On the top of the grave lies a sleeping angel on a bed of clouds. 'In Ever Loving Memory of Mary, the darling wife of Arthur Nichols and fondly loved mother of their only son Harold who fell asleep 7 May 1909. Also of Dennis Arthur Charles son of Harold and Winifred who died 28 April 1916 aged 15 months.', Mary Nichols and The Sleeping Angel, Highgate Cemetery File:Highgate Cemetery - East - Bruce Reynolds 02.jpg, The grave of Bruce Reynolds File:SayersTomb HighgateCemetery.JPG, The tomb of Tom Sayers File:Patrick Caulfield Grave Highgate East Cemetery London 2016.jpg, The grave of Patrick Caulfield, RA File:Mansoor Hekmat Grave in Highgate East Cemetery in London 2016 04.jpg, The grave of Mansoor Hekmat File:Grave of Anna Mahler Austrian sculpture, in Highgate East Cemetery in London 2016.jpg, The grave of Anna Mahler File:Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo Grave in Highgate East Cemetery in London 2016 09.jpg, The grave of

File:Eric Hobsbawm Grave in Highgate East Cemetery in London 2016 06.jpg, The grave of

File:Jeremy Beadle grave.jpg, The grave of Jeremy Beadle File:WFGgrave.jpg, Grave of

Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...

, East Cemetery File:Erected in 1864 Feliks Nowosielski's obelisk at the White Eagle Hill in London Kingdom of England.jpg, Feliks Nowosielski member of titled family of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of Poland's independence founding fathers, was a political activist known for organising the European and Polish Uprisings in the early 19th.

References

External links

*
Highgate Cemetery
at the ''

NY Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' {{Authority control 1839 establishments in England Anglican cemeteries in the United Kingdom * Cemeteries in London Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in England Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Camden Grade I listed monuments and memorials Grade I listed parks and gardens in London Highgate Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Camden