With the city of Greater London being the largest city in Europe it is little wonder that you will find an incredible number of fascinating tourist attractions. Some, such as Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, are amongst the most well known landmarks in the world but if you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary then London has a few hidden surprises.

If you enjoy your city tours which include the not so well known places of interest then a visit to the wonderful Highgate Cemetery may be of interest. Highgate is an incredible example of a Victorian cemetery with all of the bold Victorian statements of mausoleums, vaults, catacombs, obelisks and statues, with most of the 37 acres now rather overgrown and well aged. One or two of the graves are slightly more modern such as the powerful bust of Karl Marx.

When Karl Marx died in 1883 (he moved to London in 1849) he was buried in the simple family plot at Highgate Cemetery. However the Communist Party of Great Britain felt that something more befitting for the “Father of Communism” should be put in place and in 1954 they commissioned the amazing monument and bust we see today. Sadly the decision had not been unanimous and many felt that, considering his teachings, it was rather grotesque and some, in 1970, went as far as trying to blow it up.

Of course you will also find many other graves belonging to famous people of the past including that of a once famous bare knuckle fighter called Tom Sayers. Charles Dickens’ family grave can also be found at Highgate and other famous graves include those of; George Eliot, J. W. Cross, C. H. Newton, Michael Faraday, Julius Beer, Christina Rossetti, G. Wombwell, Dr S.Birch, James Selby, John Lobb and six former Lord Mayors of London.

Due to the rapid increases in the population of London during the Victorian period the disposal of the dead became something of a problem. In response seven cemeteries were created which are known as the “Magnificent Seven” due to their typical Victorian design and over indulgence which can be seen in the many public buildings which remain today. Of the seven graveyards the one at Highgate is the most decorated and it is considered the finest.

To meet the demands of the successful Victorians Highgate had their mausoleums built together in a most amazing fashion. The entrance to the Egyptian Avenue is one of the most spectacular. The avenue itself has mausoleums on either side and it leads on to the famous group of mausoleums known as the “Circle of Lebanon” which is one of the most photographed parts of the cemetery.

Although there are many people who tend to the cemetery much of the character has been allowed to remain and many areas are rather overgrown. This adds to the excitement of discovering the different statues and monuments. There is something really special about peering through creeping vines to find a splendid weeping angel, life sized animals or, in the case of the grave of James Selby, something altogether more spectacular.

If you really do want to know more about the grave of James Selby I would suggest you search online as I have chosen not to describe it in this article because I feel that describing it in full will destroy the impact and wonder if you visit it yourself. I am sure that if you do find it you will fully appreciate my decision to omit it and also understand why I made a point of highlighting it - it really is something special.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 4:26 am and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.