London Highgate Cemetery: The Dead Share Their Secrects

Highgate Cemetery:  London

One of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ historic cemeteries around London, Highgate Cemetery was described as the best example of Victorian architecture.

I have had a fascination with stone angles and other tomb sculptures for years so a visit to Highgate was on the top of my list.    I was not disappointed.

Highgate is divided into East and West sections.     Visiting the east side required a reservation and a ticket that I booked weeks in advance for Halloween, an appropriate day.

How strange that you must have a reservation and pay to visit the sleeping.

Promptly at 2 PM the small group was allowed to enter the chapel in the two story stone building at the entrance.   We were introduced to Peter and started our adventure.  For the next hour we were entertained, informed and gained a little insight into Victorian burial practices.   Dating back to 1839 there was much to learn.  A wonderful book available in the ticket office, “Highgate.  Saved by its Friends” was a good source of details on the history of the cemetery, the more famous people buried here and the distinctive architectural styles found.

My goal was to photograph the monuments throughout the cemetery, particularly the angles.   But there were many other buildings and decorative carvings that were equally as interesting.   Highgate is a rolling terrain of natural growth of trees and plants that surround the monuments and border the trails.  This is not the trimmed grass and standardize monument cemetery we find in many American locations.   At first glance you think the many acres are not tended.  Peter explained that invasive plants and trees are being replaced with other plants that will not damage the monuments.  

This is a very peaceful place.  Although only families of the interred and paid tours are permitted to visit, there is no sense of sorrow or dread.   The most noteworthy avenues lead you to the Joshua Tree which is believed to be 100+ years old.  The impressive Egyptian Avenue leady to the Circle of Lebanon.  You could easily spend all day in this beautiful ‘forest’, strolling and reading the inscriptions on the monuments.

Peter (our guide) pointed out some of the symbolism that the carvings depicted:

Lotus
Pointing angels
Wreaths
Inverted Torch
Broken Columns
Draped Urn

To describe each monument and give the history of the more famous ‘residents’ would become another book on this one of a kind locations.

www.highgatecemetery.org

Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust

London: High Tea at Kensington Palace, a mistake

I am in love with England and the traditions that make it so unique.   And a country that enjoys cake and tea every afternoon is on my list of places to live.
During this trip I found myself at Kensington Palace and decided to have afternoon tea as a local in the Orangery.  This separate building overlooking the expansive park sent my mind back hundreds of years imagining strolling through the gardens as a diversion before the next formal event or scheduled ‘meet and greet’ at the palace.

I was not certain my ‘travelers attire’ would allow me entrance, but found there was no problem as i followed another solo traveler with a back pack into the room off the main dining area.   At this point it was too late to change my mind when I finally translated the menu.  Yes it was in English but my brain did not calculate that the full tea service at 24L was closer to $40 US.       The only alternative was not any savings.   So I decided to splurge and experience high tea.  

   

There was a tired stand that offered sandwiches, cakes and scones with cream and jam.      I tried everything.  The salmon sandwich wedge did not impress me nor did the pick and white cake with a marzipan casing.     My excuse for eating everything, was that I had skipped lunch. 

The presentation added to this pleasurable hour:  starched white table lines, china cups and dishes and a bottomless pot of tea.

An interesting fact I discovered in the Hyde Park Newsletter my London host edits for a large volunteer group, was that the loo (rest room) is located outside the building and you must ask for the secret code to unlock the door.    So although I did not see any Royals while having afternoon tea nor walking in the park, I do have the secret code to use the loo.

Save a Child with water

While at the World Travel event in London in November I visited a booth that was
promoting Clean Water:  JUST A DROP, SAFE WATER =SAVED LIVES

With their permission I am posting info from the brochure given to me when I purchased a special H2WOW GP bottle.   



From Just a Drop:



*  Every 20 seconds a child dies from a water-related disease

*  768 million people i the world do NOT have access to clean, safe water

*  2.5 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation

*   More people in the world own mobile phones than have access to a toilet



If you take a moment to think about the above numbers, it is staggering.  We have all seen the info commercials on TV where the villages have no paved road, housing is not to the standard most countries would consider suitable for families and these are NOT photos after an natural disaster but every day life.



As I contemplate my dream of a trip around the world I may never visit a town or city that falls below the poverty line but i WILL see a different standard of life.   I fear the massive crowds in India and understand that many live in spaces smaller than an American closet or even on the pavement of large cities.   I expect my visit to China will be ‘sanitized’ by the tour providers (no i don’t take tours but in China and India I will need on the ground help) so I may not see the China of the 1960’s or earlier.  

Nevertheless this appeal moved me and I purchased two of the water bottles.



Additional Information from their brochure:

“Our Mission:

To reduce child mortality caused by dirty water and poor sanitation by providing a local, clean water supply and sanitation facilities to communities worldwide

What we do

Working with local partners, we construct wells, boreholes, pipelines, hand-pumps, sand dams and latrines and support the establishment of WASH (Water and Sanitation Hygiene) educations programs.

Our projects focus on the basic water, sanitation and food security development needs of communities as identified by them. Enabling the community to operate, manage and control their own projects within a sustainable model

Just a Drop is a charity with global reach, with a particular emphasis in Africa, Asia and South America.  Projects have reached an estimated 1.5 million people.”



For  information contact Just a Drop at WWW.justadrop.org

Gateway House, 28 The Quadrant

Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1DN

email:  info@justadrop.org

Tel in the UK:  +44 (0) 20 8910 781



Disclosure:  I have not been paid for this blog post nor did I receive my water bottles complementary.  I am just sharing what I find on the road by a solo mature traveler.  I wonder if they accept volunteers for any of their projects?