UFO Sightings

The area of Greater London in England is the biggest metropolis in the whole of Europe covering an enormous area of over six hundred square miles. Throughout the city are numerous world class tourist attractions such as the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the London Eye and, of course, Buckingham Palace and other places associated with the British Royal Family. However, dig a little deeper and you will find a number of not so well known places well worth visiting.

If you enjoy your city tours which include the not so well known places of interest then a visit to the wonderful Highgate Cemetery may be of interest. Highgate is an incredible example of a Victorian cemetery with all of the bold Victorian statements of mausoleums, vaults, catacombs, obelisks and statues, with most of the 37 acres now rather overgrown and well aged. One or two of the graves are slightly more modern such as the powerful bust of Karl Marx.

When Karl Marx died in 1883 (he moved to London in 1849) he was buried in the simple family plot at Highgate Cemetery. However the Communist Party of Great Britain felt that something more befitting for the “Father of Communism” should be put in place and in 1954 they commissioned the amazing monument and bust we see today. Sadly the decision had not been unanimous and many felt that, considering his teachings, it was rather grotesque and some, in 1970, went as far as trying to blow it up.

The grave of Karl Marx is not the only celebrity grave to be found at Highgate Cemetery as there are many other famous folk from the past buried there. Included in the long list of famous graves are those of Tom Sayers, Sir Leslie Stephen, Dr S.Birch, John Lobb, Christina Rossetti, J. W. Cross, C. H. Newton, George Eliot and many, many more. You will also find the family of Charles Dickens at Highgate along with the graves of 6 Lord Mayors of London.

By the middle of the nineteenth century London found itself in desperate need of more graveyards. It was decided that seven cemeteries would be created and due to the Victorian habit of incorporating many of the influences of the British Empire into the buildings, they quickly became well known and highly regarded. The new cemeteries became known as the “Magnificent Seven” with Highate being the most incredible.

Successful Victorians liked to display their wealth and success even in death. One of the most amazing parts of Highgate Cemetery is the area which includes the much photographed Egyptian Avenue and Circle of Lebanon, both of which contain numerous mausoleums. Once through the Egyptian Avenue you arrive at the Circle of Lebanon which is two circles of mausoleums arranged around an ancient Lebanon cedar tree.

Although there are many people who tend to the cemetery much of the character has been allowed to remain and many areas are rather overgrown. This adds to the excitement of discovering the different statues and monuments. There is something really special about peering through creeping vines to find a splendid weeping angel, life sized animals or, in the case of the grave of James Selby, something altogether more spectacular.

If you really do want to know more about the grave of James Selby I would suggest you search online as I have chosen not to describe it in this article because I feel that describing it in full will destroy the impact and wonder if you visit it yourself. I am sure that if you do find it you will fully appreciate my decision to omit it and also understand why I made a point of highlighting it - it really is something special.

Filed under: Travel & Leisure