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Frequently Asked Questions
Most questions that you may have are likely to be answered below or elsewhere on the website. To allow us to deal with other enquiries quickly and efficiently, please explore these information sources before contacting us with your question.
1. What time does the East Cemetery open? THE CEMETERY IS OPEN EVERYDAY AT THE FOLLOWING TIMES EXCEPT 25 DECEMBER AND 26 DECEMBER every year. 10am-4pm MONDAY TO FRIDAY - LAST ADMISSION 3.30pm 11am-4pm WEEKENDS AND BANK HOLIDAYS - LAST ADMISSION 3.30pm The last admission is always half an hour before the Cemetery closes. Please follow the link below for more information: http://www.highgate-cemetery.org/index.php/tours
2. What times are the WEEKDAY West Cemetery tours?
THERE ARE NO WEEKDAY TOURS BETWEEN 1 DECEMBER 2011 AND 28 FEBRUARY 2012. TOURS WILL RECOMMENCE ON 1 MARCH 2012 AND CAN BE BOOKED FROM 1 FEBRUARY 2012. BOOKING IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Tour times are available on the 'Visiting Us' page of the website following the link above.
3. What times are the WEEKEND TOURS? WEEKENDS and BANK HOLIDAYS: Tours leave hourly from 11am until 3pm British Winter Time. These tours are available hourly on a first come, first served basis and therefore cannot be booked. Please follow the link below for more information:
4. I want to bring a large group (over 10 people) to vist the East Cemetery - what do I need to do? Firstly, you MUST call the Cemetery with the number of people in the group. This is so you can ensure that you do not plan to come during a funeral or memorial service as admittance is restricted to grave-owners only at these times. Due to the nature of funerals, the Cemetery cannot know very far in advance when they will take place. Adults cost £3, students cost £2 and for children we require a donation of £1 per child for groups from schools or similar. Groups MUST pay in one transaction. Twenty people is the maximum number that may enter the Cemetery in one group at one time. If there are more than twenty in your group you will be asked to come into the Cemetery in smaller groups and one group will have to leave before another may enter. Competitions, games and treasure hunts are not permitted in the the Cemetery at any time. 5. Why can we only book four spaces for the tours of the West on weekdays? The reason we can only book four spaces for the weekday tours is that as we don't take payment in advance and we are very restricted in numbers for the tours, bookings for more people take up too many places if for any reason you are unable to attend. This is also to ensure an even balance of people as it is a public tour. Please note if you arrive as a large group at the weekend you may be asked to go on different tours.
6. What can I do if I want to book for more than 4 people on a weekday? The only way to have a tour for more than 4 people on a weekday is to book a Special Tour. These can be arranged for between 10.30am and 12noon on weekdays only and MUST be pre-arranged a minimum of one month in advance (3 months during the summer) and are subject to availability. These tours are £14 per person (£7 for student groups), for a minimum payment £140 (minimum £70 for student groups) which pays for the first 10 people. Please download the information sheet and booking form here. PLEASE ENSURE YOU CALL THE CEMETERY TO DISCUSS YOUR BOOKING BEFORE COMPLETING AND RETURNING YOUR FORM.
The West Cemetery is only accessible by tour for health and safety reasons and to protect the delicate flora and fauna that live in the Cemetery.
Highgate Cemetery is privately owned and is operated by a non-profit making charity. We receive no government funding and our aim is to preserve and promote the conservation of the Cemetery, its monuments and buildings and flora and fauna for the benefit of the public as an environmental amenity. Your entry fees are the only guaranteed income the Cemetery has.
No, unfortunately. The Cemetery is run by volunteers at the weekends and tours are done on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to come on a specific tour, we recommend that you arrive at least half an hour early and please note that as a large group you may be asked to split into smaller parties to better enable the guide to cater for the whole group.
10. Can children join West Cemetery tours? Over the age of 8 years children are very welcome on the West Cemetery tours however for health and safety reasons, babies and children under 8 years of age cannot join tours. They are welcome in the East Cemetery, where the landscape is less hazardous.
11. What is the difference between the East and the West Cemeteries? The West Cemetery is very slightly older than the East (about 20 years) and has larger architectural structures. The East has a larger number of notable people buried in it, including Karl Marx, George Eliot and Douglas Adams. A map of the East Cemetery is available to buy at the entry gate.
Yes. Highgate is a working Cemetery with burials taking place most weeks. Plots are available to buy for immediate use but there are restrictions on the advanced sale of plots. To buy a plot in advance you must be either over 80 years of age, be terminally ill, or already own the right of burial for another grave at Highgate. Please contact the Cemetery office by telephone on 0208 340 1834 if you are intersted in purchasing and plot and fill the above criteria.
To find out if someone is buried at Highgate Cemetery you will need to complete a form (downloadable below) and return it to the office by post with the full name and date of DEATH of the person you are looking for and enclose a cheque or postal order for £40 and we will look through our records. Please include an email address or telephone number so queries can be asked and answered quickly. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves at Highgate Cemetery and all of our records are in their original Victorian paper form so please accept our apologies if there is a delay between your writing and our replying. Please follow the link below for more details: http://www.highgate-cemetery.org/index.php/grave-searches Or alternatively you can download a register search form here.
14. I already have a grave number for my relatives. Can I visit the grave?
Yes. If you already have a grave number, for a donation of £25 we will locate the grave among the 53,000 graves that are in Highgate Cemetery, physically find it within the 37 acre grounds, clear access to it and, crucially, take you to see it. This will need to take place during the week, during the day, during normal office hours. Please call the Cemetery and we will be happy to book a suitable and convenient time. Please allow at least two weeks from your telephone call for this process. If you elect to look in the East Cemetery by yourself please be aware that we will not be able to do a location search for you on the day should you be unable to find the grave and that searching is at your own risk.
15. I have been to ancestry.co.uk and have found my relatives are buried at Highgate. Can I come and visit their grave? Yes, however the information that is available on ancestry.co.uk, does not relate to the records held by the Cemetery today. Ancestry.co.uk records show the information that was held by the Dioceses of London and has the number of the person’s position within the burial register, not the number of the grave which is needed to find the site of the grave. Please follow the link below for information on acquiring a grave number: www.highgate-cemetery.org/grave-searches
The Cemetery does not have records of inscriptions on monuments. We can obtain this information although it requires the same process as a location search (please see question 13) and therefore incurs the same cost. Please be aware that not all graves have a monument and if they do, there may not be a readable inscription. This could be due to the ravages of time (particulalrly in the case of inscriptions) or there may never have been a monument erected. The Cemetery is not responsible for the upkeep of private graves or their monuments. 17. Are dogs allowed in the Cemetery?
Dogs (other than assistance dogs) are, unfortunately, not allowed in the Cemetery. This is to protect the delicate flora and fauna.
18. What do you mean by ‘suitably dressed’ when visiting the Cemetery? By ‘suitably dressed’ we mean that women must have theirs shoulders covered and men must not be bare-chested or wear vest-tops. We also recommend you wear sturdy footwear as some of the slopes are very steep, particularly in the West Cemetery, and the paths can be very uneven.
Wheelchair users are very welcome at Highgate Cemetery although due to the age of the site and it's grade I listed status we are very limited in the changes we can make to improve access. The East Cemetery is more accessible to wheelchair users than the West, as long as you stay on the main paths although again, there are some steep areas. The West Cemetery, due to steep stone steps on the tour route, and being on a 1:7 hill, is more difficult for wheelchairs although alternative routes are available with enough notice. Please call the Cemetery office on 0208 340 1834 and we will be very happy to arrange a tour for you.
20. Are there parking facilities at the Cemetery? There are no parking facilities for visitors with the exception of Graveowners and disabled badge holders, subject to space. Parking restrictions are in place on the surrounding roads between 10am and 12noon Monday to Friday. After those times and at weekends, on-street parking is free. There is a rack outside the Cemetery for bicycles although this is used at your own risk.
Photography is allowed as long as it is for your own personal use and is with a small hand held camera. Tripods are not allowed within the cemetery. Commercial photography is allowed only under specific circumstances. Please email the Cemetery with full details of the request and someone will be in contact with you shortly afterwards. Portrait or fashion photography is not allowed in the Cemetery.
You may take photographs on tours as long as they are for your own personal use and do not delay the tour.
Filming is not allowed in the Cemetery at any time except under specific circumstances. Please email the Cemetery office with a full synopsis of the filming and someone will be in contact with you. A filming fee will be incurred if permission is granted. Music videos and horror films will not be considered suitable.
Karl Marx is in the East Cemetery.
The Rossetti graves are on the West side of the Cemetery. Special arrangements can occasionally be made to visit this grave. Please telephone the Cemetery office to arrange this. Please note access to the grave is limited due to the delicate and protected ground in that area.
Michael Faraday is on the West side of the Cemetery. Special arrangements can occasionally be made to visit this grave. Please contact the Cemetery office for more details.
George Eliot is buried in the East Cemetery under the name Mary Anne Cross.
28. Where is Charles Cruft buried? Charles Cruft is buried on the West side of the Cemetery. Special arrangements can occasionally be made to visit this grave. Please contact the Cemetery office for more details.
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