Highgate Cemetery Terrace Catacombs Open To The Public

The famous gothic terrace catacombs of Highgate Cemetery have recently been opened to the public as part of the West Cemetery tour. The catacomb, being an original architectural feature, dominates the top of the cemetery - standing on the site of the terrace of Ashurst House, 375 feet above sea level.

The interior is a long gallery stretching eastwards and westwards from a central entrance and divided into 55 vaults.  Each vault contains individual loculi for 12 adults and further room at the top, probably intended for infants.  All bodies were contained in  triple lead-lined coffins.  The outer coffin was often covered with suede or swansdown (brushed cotton) coloured either black, red or purple and embellished with brass stud work.

Charlotte Wood was the first person to purchase space in the Catacomb, choosing two adjoining loculi on 27th September 1839 and paying £28.  Her husband Alexander became the first occupant of this dramatic building a few days later.  Charlotte eventually joined her husband in 1882, having endured 43 years of widowhood.

The ends of the loculi often had iron bars or glass windows so that the coffins were visible but families chose the type of memorial they wanted.

On the ceiling above each vault is a blue diamond shaped tile with white numbering to assist those locating maiden aunts and bachelor uncles who were typically buried here along with other members of the family.  The coat of arms of the London Cemetery Company is prominently displayed on the ceiling above the heads of the mourners entering by the main gate.

Of the 825 loculi, some 735 are used, the most recent interment being in September 1963.

Along the external elevation there are buttresses topped with decorated Portland stone. It is believed that at one point these buttresses were 9’ taller than they are today, echoing the original turrets of the chapels.

At each end of this frontage two iron doors bearing upturned flaming torches secure the cemetery’s original holding vaults. It was here that people were put temporarily if there was a delay between death and burial.

An external restoration of this imposing building was undertaken by the Friends of Highgate Cemetery in the mid 1980s.