London's Highgate Cemetery - Locations of Lore

In North London you’ll find a cemetery with a powerful atmosphere and striking architecture. There are Egyptian style tombs, a Gothic style chapel, and winding paths that allow for quiet reflection. Strolling among the Victorian stonework is reason enough to visit, but this place also is noteworthy for something else – it holds an interesting place in vampire lore.

Highgate Cemetery dates back to 1839. At the time, London was running out of burial space, so a number of new cemeteries were commissioned to help alleviate the strain. Although highly desirable in the 19th century (with many elaborate tombs and a new section being added), Highgate went into a period of steady decline in the 1900s. Thankfully, the cemetery was saved from ruin by a charitable organization known as The Friends of Highgate Cemetery. Thus, it is still being maintained today, and is available to visit.

Chapel entrance to West Cemetery

In regards to vampires, Highgate Cemetery is notable for three separate reasons. Firstly, it may be that Bram Stoker featured the location in his novel Dracula. Although the name is never mentioned in the book, some feel that Lucy Westenra’s grave was intended to be located in Highgate Cemetery. Of course, this is hard to prove and there are other cemeteries that may have served as inspiration.

Secondly, the cemetery was a filming location for a vampire movie from Hammer. Specifically, it was Taste the Blood of Dracula, from 1970. After having toured Highgate, it seems a perfect location for some spooky scenes.

Lastly, and perhaps most infamously, Highgate was the site of a real-life vampire panic in the late 1960s and 70s. During that time, there were reports of a tall, ghostly figure roaming the cemetery. Additionally, dead animals were found, drained of blood. Newspaper and TV coverage helped fuel interest. One newspaper’s headline asked the question, “Does a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?” Unfortunately, things took an especially destructive turn on the night of Friday, March 13, 1970. A large group of people overran the cemetery to hunt down the vampire – the end result being a great deal of vandalism and theft.

Highgate Cemetery is actually split into two sides, East and West. There’s a little street that runs between them. The West side is where the most striking architecture can be found. Visitors are only admitted on that side via a paid guided tour, which normally lasts about 70 minutes. I very much enjoyed the tour and found it to be quite informative. The East side can be explored without supervision, though there is an admission fee. (If you take the West side tour, your ticket will also gain you admission to the East side.) One of the major points of interest on the East side is the grave of Karl Marx.

With it’s amazing architecture, stonework, and history – not to mention its vampire associations – Highgate is a fascinating place. To respect the cemetery’s rules on photography being for private use, I’m only including a few pictures here that I took from public spaces, such as the street and sidewalks outside the grounds. To see some great images (and learn more about the cemetery in general), just visit their official site: highgatecemetery.org.