by Stephanie Chatfield
Highgate Cemetery Image Gallery
The Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery in North London is a historic, atmospheric burial ground known for its Victorian architecture and serene landscape. Established in 1839, it became one of London’s “Magnificent Seven,” famed for its ornate tombs, mausoleums, and lush greenery.
The cemetery is divided into East and West sections, each featuring unique memorials and notable graves. Among those buried there are Karl Marx. George Eliot, Douglas Adams, and Sir Ian Holm, to name only a few.
Highgate Cemetery doubles as a historic site, with tours highlighting its heritage, scenery, and the people interred there.
Its Gothic buildings and calm walkways create a peaceful retreat that beautifully echoes London’s past.
The Rossetti Plot
Obviously, of special interest to me is the Rossetti family plot, burial site of Elizabeth Siddal. Poet Christina Rossetti, her brother William Michael, and their mother Frances are also there.
In 1869, Siddal was exhumed so Rossetti’s buried poems could be recovered. Highgate’s natural eeriness, lit by lanterns and a bonfire, surely made the scene feel otherworldly.
Paying Our Respects
Visiting Lizzie’s grave inspired complex emotions. I paid tribute to a woman whose art and story have left a lasting impression on me. As unsettling as the exhumation remains it, and its haunting lore, was what first led me to her.
Still, beyond my own connection, I find comfort and hope in the steady stream of visitors Lizzie receives. It’s moving to see how many people continue to seek her out and keep her memory alive.
Highgate Cemetery Image Gallery
Index of Adventures
- A Pre-Raphaelite Look at Hitchcock’s Vertigo
- Balancing on the Bridge
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Home
- From Tennyson to TikTok: Are We All Living the Lady of Shalott’s Curse?
- On Storms
- Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens
- Pre-Raphaelite Princess of Star Wars
- Seeing The Beatles through Paul McCartney’s Lens
- St. Pancras Old Church Gardens
- The Magic Down the Rabbit Hole
- The Wounded Dove
- Unconventional Beauty
- Westminster Abbey
- What Grows from Grief