Highgate Cemetery after hours!

Earlier last week, I had the opportunity to visit Highgate Cemetery after hours, when a lucky few were granted access to several normally locked mausoleums. It was an opportunity not to be missed. Mrs Orange, the eldest Orangette, and I rushed home and then hurried even faster down a very slippery Swain’s Lane to arrive in time.

The star of the show was the Beer Mausoleum. Following the death of his eight-year-old daughter in 1875, Julius Beer commissioned an extraordinary family mausoleum, now Grade II listed. 

Cost was no object and no expense was spared. It remains the tallest monument in the cemetery. 

Inside, his daughter Ada is depicted being lifted to heaven by an angel whose face was carved in the likeness of her mother. Normally, this striking sculpture can only be glimpsed through a small window in the door. To step inside and see it in all its glory was something special.

The Cheylesmore Mausoleum, also Grade II listed, was built around earlier family graves that had previously stood in the open. There was space for the coffins of several generations, but the vaults now lie empty, the family line having died out without heirs.

The Terrace Catacombs were among the most prestigious and secure burial locations in the entire cemetery. I have been inside many times, but each visit remains a treat, as they are rarely open to the public. Rich in atmosphere, they also bear the scars of the vandalism inflicted during the 1970s and 1980s.

It really was rather special viewing and not something that happens often. The the way back we walked up Swain's, and despite being very atmospheric with the earlier thunder and lightning, there were thankfully no apparitions to be seen or heard. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people.