Mournful beauty of the Highgate

I can't say that I am such a big lover of walking around cemeteries. And I found myself in the London's Highgate cemetery quite by accident: a friend of mine, a fashion designer, was making a "Gothic" collection. And she wanted to visit the cemetery "for inspiration". She didn't feel like going alone and so, she talked me into accompanying her.
Want to say that the cemetery did not look terrible or ominous (at least for me). Admission was 3 pounds, simbolic fee, rather to ward off vagrants and idlers from the place.

The cemetery was opened in 1839 at the beginning of the reign of Queen Victoria, and quickly became a popular resting place of wealthy families. Many famous people - Faraday, Karl Marx, Dickens family - are buried here. However, we were not looking for the graves of celebrities, and just wandered along the paths and alleys. Cemetery gives the impression of mild neglect: some graves are ivied, some looks rickety, while others are lost in the bush. Actually, it only adds charm and romanticism to the place. Overall impression - mystically beautiful and sadly picturesque.

In the 70s of last century, London's newspapers were full of reports of allegedly appeared vampire at the Highgate Cemetery, who preyed on passers-by. Immediately those who were willing to hunt the vampire turned up. Several graves were smashed open, cadavers strewn about, and the disfigured headless or heart-pierced corpses were found by police. Some time later the High Priest of the British Occult Society Allan Farrant was arrested, armed with a stake and crucifix with which he hoped to destroy "the Highgate Vampire". He was eventually sentenced to 4 years's imprisonment, after being found guilty of damaging graves, interfering with corpses and sending death-spell dolls to two policemen.

Well, it's good that my friend did not know anything about these rumors of the vampire at the time of our visit . She is a sensitive girl, especially when it comes to vampires, werewolves and other evil spirits. Anyway, as she admitted later, my friend had put a head of garlic in the pocket after all. Just in case you know...