Highgate Cemetery's Haunting Beauty & Dark Past

A few years ago, I was visiting London and decided to pay my respects to an old friend who'd passed away some 10 years earlier. We took the tube to Brompton Cemetery, a "Royal Parks" cemetery and walked a few quick blocks. It was a lot like what you show --a lot of overgrowth, tumbled headstones, instances of beauty and peace. Lots of military heroes, poets, writers, artists, wives, and children. The sculptures were beautiful, the epitaphs often hauting. Unfortunately, I had no idea where my friend was buried, but could only go on instinct. So I kept walking toward the back, hoping to find an area where there might more recent graves. Amazingly, I just went on a hunch and kept going until finally... amazingly, I found him. All he had was a simple wooden cross. But other friends over the years had stopped by, and hung trinkets and photos of him on the cross. I was awfully glad I went. It was memorable, and touching.

Always appreciate the LACK of amateur logos and video wipe-ins and NO MUSIC. Thank you thank you. You get it.

I have grown up not far from this cemetery and no matter how many times I visit I get the same feelings. Truly a beautiful and historical place.

This place looks incredible! I really can't understand why some people have the urge to vandalize and damage places like this.

It is a shame that people have to destroy people's Graves and not let them rest in peace.Thank you for the tour loved it take care.

I visited a tiny churchyard in western London. There I saw tombstones of children who had died in the "Great Fire of London" in 1666, and others from the year 1140. Nearly a thousand years ago.

7:53 How sad that no one takes care of his grave only 6 or so years since he passed away… 😢 I hope family, friends and/or friends will go take care of his grave and make it look pretty! May you rest in peace, Ugo Ehiogu! 💓

I thought the USA had old & beautiful cemeteries but this one takes the prize. What a beautiful, beautiful cemetery. I can't get over the incredible artwork & care initially given to each stone along with an extensive detailed story about that person. What a beautiful tribute that the families gave to their loved ones. It's so disrespectful that cemeteries this beautiful could be left to nature & vandals.

This is a beautiful cemetery!! It is upsetting knowing people vandalized such a beautiful place.

Nature and all its beauty. I think this is the most beautiful cemeteries I've ever seen. The ivy and tree roots hugging the headstones make it just hauntingly beautiful. Thank you so much for allowing us to experience this.

The ivy everywhere just adds to the magical look of this wonderful cemetery

Stunning! I love old cemeteries! Shameful to damage the graves...but fantastic history!

Hey Chris, welcome to England! I've been to Highgate many times over the years... So glad you included Wombwell's sleeping lion - it has always been a favourite. Regarding the vandalism, in the 50s/60s, The Egyptian Avenue was featured in horror movies, and ghost stories on TV, including Hammer's world famous DRACULA movies, with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing... It went on to become a bit of a magnet for kids and new-age / occult gatherings on Halloween... and the legend that real vampyres were buried at Highgate was born.

Love this vid ! My grandmother served for the RAF during WW2, she met a handsome young Canadian Soldier and the rest is history lol she came to Canada as a war bride and veteran , I been to England in 1996 to visit my nana’s family and can’t wait to go back now that I’m older and have a passion for history! 🇨🇦🇬🇧🌺

We're looking at an archeological dig site 1000 years in the future. It's beautiful, I'd love to walk through there. So peaceful.

Wiccan 3 months ago Nature and all its beauty. I think this is the most beautiful cemeteries I've ever seen

cemetery owners should be required to fund a trust for perpetual care - a trust which they don't control so they cannot loot it. This is a common story for private cemeteries and mausoleums over the years. They are "for profit" institutions. For anyone not familiar with a mausoleum, exposed caskets are not normal, they are usually sealed behind a stone plate. A series of unseen channels and vents allow drainage of any liquid byproducts of disintegration or putrification process while keeping the air fresh.

I’m totally all about cemetery walks and reading the oldest stones. Just makes you wonder what these people were like when they were here on earth. I’m not alone here while being a cemetery enthusiast because I see all the comments of people enjoying these videos. I’d love to walk this place for days just to see every part of it. Thank you for this video and I’m going to see if there are more as I just stumbled across this one. I’m your girl when visiting any older cemetery and I really enjoyed it but what a shame that vandals felt the need to desecrate these burial grounds. Shame on them. I’d love to help restore this cement too. It would be fascinating but no end to the work needed here.

I think the fact that we will all be returned to nature, to earth, resonates with how the cemetery is in it’s now natural form.

Absolutely Beautiful !!! Being a huge fan of Rod Stewart I know he is from Highgate, I believe his mom and dad are in this cemetery, he also worked here as a gravedigger for a short time before he became famous.