Documentary about Highgate Cemetery and the Friends of Highgate Cemetery. Filmed in the early 80s. Gives a brief history before showing an Open Day, usually held four times a year back then.
In 1973 as a teenager I lived in adjacent Balmore St,and would frequently take shortcuts through this most spiritual haven of peace.The open neglected tombs of that time are a sad memory,but,thanks to the friends of Highgate the restoration to former glory is growing apace.Well done to all who have given of their time....johnny.
I have watched this program many times and get something out of it every time.. I am awed that people of that period paid what they did for those elaborate funerals . I was a student of history and when I retired in 2012 and planned to make a trip to Europe but had s major MS relapse which affected my whole body. I still keep hoping that I might get better but because of my age 69 it will probably be unlikely. I have always been interested in the Victorian Period, and continue to study it.🇺🇸✝️
Great documentary and very relaxing. I visited Highgate in October of 2022 and it was such a wonderful experience. I arrived just after it opened and only encountered 3 other people. There was a frost and as I walked around the circle of Lebanon a light snow flurry came. It was so quiet, peaceful, and perfect. I love visiting old cemeteries when i travel and Highgate is my favorite one. Theyve left the perfect balance of wild nature and manmade monument together in harmony. One day ill return. My only wish is that i could be buried there but im afraid thats not in the cards for this American lol.
The photos of the cemetary in the snow were some of the most beautiful I've seen, more beautiful than the cemetary in the green. I was very touched by the Mastiff mourning and by the heart that knew to put him there.
When listing things typifying the Victorian Era you forgot child labor, high infant mortality, unbelievable rates of STDs, worker exploitation, poverty, pollution, epidemics, workhouses, etc. Let's be honest; everyone didn't salute the Butcher's Apron.
Fabulous documentary but why can one not wander & explore? Why is it so unsafe? Interesting insights happen when one is allowed to drift off the beaten path?
I visited in 2013, and it is truly magnificent. The guided tour was totally inadequate though because 2 hours doesn't even scratch the surface of all there is to see. It is dangerous in places due to the slopes and often precarious headstones, but I would have loved to spend more time exploring, this doccie does not do it justice at all. Experience it yourself if you are able, then go explore Nunhead, Abney Park, Kensall Green and all the other magnificent cemeteries in London,
Went there just over a year ago and it was magical. It’s not only for rich people- there are very old graves of young children and not every grave marker is ostentatious. It was lovely- very peaceful.
I watch this docu every night before I go to bed, something about it is so relaxing. I love how timeless it is. I would love to visit Highgate one day, such a beautiful place steeped in so much history. It's amazing to think that in the fast, changing pace of the city of London, Highgate Cemetery stays the same like a time capsule
Predivno hvala Vam zelja mi je odavno da posjetim groblje Hajgejt nadam se da ce mi se zelja ostvariti toliko smirujuce djeluje na covjeka svaki dokumentarac, fotografije , zelim samo jos jednom da kazem hvala i nastavite sa prikazivanjima.
I was lucky enough to visit in 1985 and went on a hastily put together tour, which was entertaining and very informative. The best part though was after, being able to wander around and look at all the monuments on your own. I am so glad, health and safety wasn't an issue back then, common sense and respect for peoples final resting place also taking responsibility for your own actions, were the rule. In 2010, I visited again and took the tour, I was very disappointed with how much was off limits, being told, monuments were unsafe and due to health and safety, blah blah. I suspect the real reason is that, people can no longer be trusted not to damage the monuments and should even a slight accident happen, court action would lead to financial ruin.
I found the whole pace of this documentary calming and peaceful. Thank you - so much history! I've often wanted to visit Highgate Cemetery - I'll make an effort to do so 😃
Only the Victorians fully understood the Necro - Erotic nature of funerals. From the large Angel gravestones, the mourning jewelry they wore and 6 black horses pulling your coffin to your final resting place. Beautiful. And yet this legacy they left us is fast vanishing from the landscape. Every year more and more of these graves are being removed due to time, vandalism and exposure to the elements. Give it another 30 years and they will all be gone.
