Who Is Buried in Highgate Cemetery

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Here’s a crucial detail that most guidebooks gloss over: Highgate Cemetery is actually two cemeteries. The East is where Marx and Adams live, but the West side is where the real spooky drama happens. It’s the older, wilder, more overgrown part—the one in all those creepy Instagram photos with angels weeping into moss.

The Grave of George Michael Highgate Cemetery London Sept 20, 2022The Grave of George Michael Highgate Cemetery London Sept 20, 2026

In the West Cemetery, you’ll find the Circle of Lebanon, a historic round terrace with a massive cedar tree at its center. This is prime real estate for the dead. Seriously, if you were a wealthy Victorian, this is where you wanted your bones to be—fashionable even in death, am I right? You can see the crumbling mausoleums of families like the Du Canes and the Beaumonts, names that sound like they just stepped out of a Dickens novel. (They probably did.)

But the West side’s most infamous resident? The vampire—or rather, the man who started all the vampire rumors. In the 1970s, reports of a “tall, dark figure” lurking near the tombs sparked a craze. People actually gathered with stakes and holy water. The man they were hunting? Possibly a real corpse that had been exhumed in weird condition. Or just a very committed LARPer. Either way, Highgate became synoymous with the undead.

The Rock Star in the Family Plot

And then there’s Malcolm McLaren, the punk impresario who managed the Sex Pistols and basically invented the “punk look.” He’s in Highgate too, but not in a flashy spot. He’s tucked away in a family grave. I like to imagine his spirit heckling the tourists, “Oi! Forget Marx! I put safety pins on your clothes!”

But the real showstopper for music fans is Alexandra “Alex” Bastedo, the actress who played the lead in The Champions—and whose grave is frequently decorated with flowers and glitter. Not heavy metal, I know, but still a cult following. Oh, and Patricia Hayes, the voice of Grandma in The BFG? She’s there too. It’s like a weird, silent Versailles of British culture.

Spotting Dead Celebrities at Highgate Cemetery | Urban PixxelsSpotting Dead Celebrities at Highgate Cemetery | Urban Pixxels

Let’s not forget the Rossetti family: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the pre-Raphaelite painter, is buried here alongside his sultry muse Elizabeth Siddal (who died by overdose). He actually buried his unpublished poems with her, then dug them up years later to publish. Talk about romantic—and slightly creepy grave-robbing.

And here’s a mind-bender: Michael Faraday, the pioneering scientist who discovered electromagnetism, might be in Highgate too? No, wait—he’s actually in Highgate’s other cemetery, the non-touristy one. See? Even I get confused. Don’t trust everything you read online—including this article? No, this is fine. Trust me.

So who is buried in Highgate Cemetery? It’s a cross-section of everything: Karl Marx’s radical beard, Adams’s towel-wielding brain, the vampire hoax, and the silent, moss-covered dreams of Victorian florists and factory owners. It’s a place where the dead don’t just rest—they show off.

Next time you’re in London, skip the London Eye. Grab a map from the friendly gatekeeper (and maybe an umbrella). Walk past Marx, nod at Eliot, and find the tomb of a total stranger—just because you can. Because in Highgate, every name has its own weird, forgotten story, and trust me, they’re dying to tell it. Pun absolutely intended.

佐々木 一輝

佐々木 一輝

ビジネス戦略アナリスト

Webメディアでの編集・執筆歴10年。読者の好奇心を刺激するストーリー作りを心がけています。

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