Photos (Scans) of Highgate Cemetery & Other London Cemeteries

Ref: MJB-HCP1

Supplied by MJ Books.

The main folder on the CD contains 75 scanned colour and b&w photos of Highgate Cemetery taken by amateur photographer Mike Brown in 1984 and 1986, from the days when the place truly was the 'Victorian Valhalla' explored in John Gay's classic book of that name (also featured in a tv documentary).

The photos, including some taken in winter snow, capture the magical desolation of the Old Cemetery at a particular point in time. When its magnificent monuments were grappling for space with the veritable jungle of tangled undergrowth trying to strangle many of them, whilst also fighting off the unwelcome attentions of huge trees and shrubs which threatened to split and topple others.

Included are some photos of the Egyptian Avenue and its walled tombs, and a handful of photos taken in the New Cemetery, including one of the monument to Karl Marx. Purely coincidentally, the original photos also happen to have been taken during the same period as the magnificent b&w photos taken by John Gay for his splendid book. That fact, perhaps, makes them the more valuable for enthusiasts, as they expand the visual record of what the site was like before the fledgling FOHC was in a position to really challenge nature and reclaim the Old Cemetery for future generations to enjoy.

Supplementary folders on the CD contain a further 47 scanned colour images taken in the same years at some other Victorian Cemeteries in London: Hampstead, Kensal Green, St Pancras & Islington, and Stoke Newington (Abney Park).

There are some outstanding images amongst this small collection, which will certainly delight anyone interested in graveyards and monuments generally, and especially those with particular interests in Highgate and other London Cemeteries. The CD is labelled and supplied in a plastic sleeve for protection.

£4.50