More from Highgate Cemetery - West Side

The guided tour on the West side of Highgate was definitely worth it.  It was a snapshot of lives in Victorian times, hearing all of the stories.

Path through Highgate

The peaceful vibe of Highgate with the winding paths is amazing.

Thomas Sayers & Lion

Thomas Sayers was a bare-knuckled fighter in Victorian times.  The fighting was illegal so the locations would rotate and you could only find out about it by word of mouth.  Thomas Sayers was only defeated once in his career and his funeral procession was 4 1/2 miles long!  This is his grave above and the statue is of his dog Lion.

Sleeping angel

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The detail and enormity of the statues at Highgate is incredible.  This is one of my favorite of the sleeping angel.  It is the only one that I saw that the angel was laying down.

angel at Highgate

Many of the Angel monuments are really tall - like over 10-12 feet or more.  This is a more traditional angel.

Mausoleum of Julius Beer

Julius Beer was a newspaper man and a self-made success story.  The mausoleum cost over 5000 pounds (10,000 dollars) 120 years ago which is staggering!  It is the highest monument on the west side and it is said that Julius built it that high to block the view from the promenade and thumb his nose to the aristocracy.  When Highgate fell into disrepair, the mausoleum was preserved inside due to 17 feet of pigeon POO.  Yes - pigeon POO!  Over the years, the inside of the mausoleum became a haven for the pigeons and their droppings accumulated over 17 feet which dissuaded many grave robbers in later years.  All the poo has been cleaned out and everything was intact in the mausoleum.  The picture below was into the mausoleum and the face of the little girl in the arms of the angel was actually the death mask for Beers' daughter who died at 8 years old.  It was difficult to see into the mausoleum so the clarity is not great.

inside mausoleum

angel in Highgate

Highgate Cemetery - West Side

One of my favorite places in London is Highgate Cemetery.  It is a Victorian garden cemetery and has the most amazing flora and fauna and, my favorite, statues and monuments.  The purpose of a garden cemetery is to let things grow wild and indeed it has!  The East side claims such famous residents as Karl Marx and, more recently, Douglas Adams, but the West side...well, the West side is amazing due to the crypts and the Egyptian influence.  So here are a few before I leave...

Highgate - West Side entrance

Inverted torches

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Inverted torches are seen throughout Highgate - the photo above is of a door of a mausoleum.  You will also see them on gravestones and held in a downward position by angels.  The guide said that is was a symbol of the light of life being extinguished.  I found it particularly interesting as well since the torch is a symbol of the Goddess Hekate who carries torches to light the way into the Underworld for souls.

Cedar of Lebanon

The Circle of Lebanon is a group of mausoleums formed into a circle towards the top of the cemetery and is crowned by a Cedar of Lebanon.

Terrace Catacombs & Mausoleums

the photo above is the circle that is below the cedar.

peeking into the catacombs

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The catacombs are currently going through restoration as they have been badly damaged by thiefs and vandals as well as many many years where there was a lack of upkeep.  This was just a peek through but there are more underground, including some tunnels built into the hillside and a tunnel leading to the east side so that bodies never actually leave sanctified ground by crossing the road from the chapel on the west side to the burials on the east side.

Nero

Nero the Lion is the guardian for the tomb of George Wombwell who was his owner and had an exotic animal show that toured throughout London and some of England in Victorian times.

More to come!

Highgate Cemetery - another round

Highgate is a Victorian garden cemetery established in the 1830's - the foliage and the statues are amazing!

Looking Up

View of West Side of Highgate Cemetery

Harp Angel

Angel Monument in Highgate

Gate near Highgate

Highgate Cemetery - First Visit

Saturday was my most favorite trip out and about so far - Highgate Cemetery.  It is an unbelievable Victorian garden cemetery that has incredible energy.  We did the east side which was a £3 entrance fee and then bought the little map of the well-known graves for £1.  Karl Marx is actually the only "famous" grave that we saw (we did not follow the map) and wow, you cannot miss it.  For someone who was all about equality, he ended up with the largest and most ostentatious monument in the East side.  Ugly too.  In some areas, the foliage has completely consumed the graves and markers dating back to the mid 1800's.  I cannot wait to go back and wander around some more - it was truly beautiful and really interesting!