OK, I think this will be the last of my Highgate posts for now, so rather than waffle about things, I’ll let the pictures tell the story, with just a few pointers here and there on content. Enjoy.
“The Empty Chair” this is a grave of a small child. Symbolism is a big thing in Victorian burials.
Here’s a close up of Elizabeth Siddal’s stone at the Rossetti grave, seen in my last post.
The entrance to the Egyptian Avenue, which leads to the Circle Of Lebanon. This is one of the more iconic images from the cemetery, and has been seen in many movies, most recently the remake of “Dorian Gray”
Symbolism: a down turned torch, a symbol of life extinguished.
Part of the Circle of Lebanon, above the mausoleum of Carl Rosa, credited to bringing English language opera to the country. Below is an instantly recognisable sight for film buffs, the stone circle of mausoleums have been seen in many a horror film, and again, “Dorian Gray”
This is the wonderful cedar of Lebanon tree which has stood in the cemetery grounds for hundreds of years, and lends its name to the circle of mausoleums built around it.
Now, to some examples from the East side. I have taken thousands of photographs here, and no doubt there will be thousands more waiting to be taken. But, for now, I’ll just share a few…
The Grade 1 listed tomb for Karl Marx, probably the reason most tourists visit the cemetery. But not many know this isn’t actually where he was originally buried. His original grave is several feet away in the middle of the tree lined grave section. His remains were moved to a more prominent place and the famous tombstone was only built in 1954, many years after his death in 1883. This part of the cemetery features a lot of graves of the political active and many communist. Paul Foot, the socialist journalist and campaigner (and nephew of the former Labour leader Michael Foot) is buried almost opposite Marx’s memorial.
The cemetery is full of little quirky memorials too.. this little cat is hidden away behind other stones.
Above, the grave of Richard “Stoney” Smith, the inventor of Hovis bread. No jokes please about him being ‘brown bread’ ahem….
You should really click the photo below and read the inscription in full size. It’s a great example of a modern loving tribute. A list of the man’s faults, and likes and dislikes. If I didn’t see this in the cemetery myself, I’d have thought it was made up and doctored.
