Halloween at Highgate Cemetery

I'm not sure what I was expecting Halloween-wise here in the UK, but I did hear some grumbling about how it's not a widely celebrated holiday over here. Much to my surprise, I actually did see quite a bit of Halloween themed goods and decor in the shops, but I didn't see too much fancy dress (costume) offerings, which is pretty much the best part about Halloween after the candy.

It's been a few years since I've dressed up, but it's mostly because I feel a bit too old to go out to clubs and I'm definitely way too old to go trick-or-treating. And the costumes have just gotten sluttier and sluttier each year, and it's near impossible to find a costume for an adult female that doesn't have your kibbles and bits on display. A lot of the girls in LA who go out to celebrate get their costumes from Trashy Lingerie. 'Nuf said. Lately, I've had fun passing out candy at my parents' house to the neighborhood kids that come by in costume. I seriously doubt that I'll have any trick-or-treaters come by my flat this year, so I've wracked my brain in trying to figure out how to celebrate Halloween properly here in London...

I know, why not visit a cemetery?! Brilliant!

London's ringed by seven large cemeteries, and Highgate Cemetery is a Grade I listed cemetery in Islington, just a short tube ride away from our 'hood. If you've read Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffeneger (the author of The Time Traveler's Wife), you know what cemetery I'm talking about. Anyway, the cemetery is split into two parts, the East and West. I was anxious to visit the West side, since it's a bit older, has tons of beautiful greenery, and has grander structures than the East side. Karl Marx is buried in the East side, but I'm not that big on Communism, so I thought I'd postpone visiting him for a later time.

Anyway, the day started out pretty sunny so we left our flat with sunglasses on, and an hour later, we were wishing we had brought our umbrella instead. It was raining pretty heavily by the time we arrived at the cemetery, and a Spanish girl in the queue ahead of us stuck a plastic Tesco bag over her head to keep her hair dry. Clever girl. J and I just stuck it out, and the viewing the cemetery was totally worth it. The West side can only be visited with a tour guide, and they seem to leave every fifteen minutes or so. We got a David Attenborough type guide, and he's the first person I've met in the UK who has a BBC accent, which is more rare than you'd believe. Anyway, the tour lasted about an hour or so, and some things worth noting:

• All of Charles Dickens' family are buried in Highgate, except for Dickens himself
• The Russian spy turned informant, Alexander Litnivenko, who died of radioactive poisoning is buried there
• Rumors of a vampire caused people to stick a stake through dead bodies, you know, just in case
• There have been numerous cases of body snatchings for medical students to dissect
• The oldest tree in the cemetery is around 400 years old
• Dissenters (Catholics, Baptists, etc.) were buried in a different part of the cemetery, away from the Anglicans 
• George Michael's mother is buried there, and he's apparently a very devoted son who cares for her gravesite meticulously
• Rod Stewart was once a gravedigger at Highgate

All in all, it was an absolutely beautiful place, and it didn't have any of the spookiness that you would associate with a cemetery at all. It just felt terribly serene and peaceful. I'll definitely be coming back for another visit, and I'll post some pictures I took once I get the film developed. In the meantime, here's some pics J took with a little handheld digital:

Carriageway through the Cemetery

Sleeping angel that was carved from a solid block of marble for a man's dead wife. Today's cost? 500,000 pounds.

For a daughter that died of typhoid - Carving in the Beer Mausoleum

 Oh, and if you do go, cut through Waterlow Park, which is an absolutely beautiful park next door that's a bit more overgrown than the manicured Regent Park, but that's what makes it so beautiful.