Main east entrance to Highgate (Western) Cemetery, mortuary chapels and railings
Highgate Cemetery, Swain's Lane, Highgate, London, N6 6PJ
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1378877
- Date first listed:
- 16-Nov-1972
- List Entry Name:
- Main east entrance to Highgate (Western) Cemetery, mortuary chapels and railings
- Statutory Address:
- Highgate Cemetery, Swain's Lane, Highgate, London, N6 6PJ
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2005-03-15
- Reference:
- IOE01/14022/30
- Rights:
- © Mr Anthony Rau. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1378877
- Date first listed:
- 16-Nov-1972
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 11-Jan-1999
- List Entry Name:
- Main east entrance to Highgate (Western) Cemetery, mortuary chapels and railings
- Statutory Address 1:
- Highgate Cemetery, Swain's Lane, Highgate, London, N6 6PJ
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Highgate Cemetery, Swain's Lane, Highgate, London, N6 6PJ
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- Camden (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ 28541 86963
Details
TQ2886NE
798-1/13/1551
CAMDEN
SWAIN'S LANE (west side)
Main east entrance to Highgate (Western) Cemetery, mortuary chapels and railings
(Formerly Listed as: HIGHGATE (WESTERN) CEMETERY, Main East entrance & Mortuary Chapels, Swain's Lane)
16/11/72
GV
II
Gateway with flanking former mortuary chapels: southern Anglican, now a shop/display area; northern Nonconformist, now offices. 1838-39. By Stephen Geary. For the London Cemetery Company. Yellow stock brick with stone dressings. Slated roofs. Tudor Gothick style. Central four-centred archway with plaque inscribed "London Cemetery" and having the City of London Coat of Arms, above which a dripmould; double cast-iron gates of cusped tracery design. Gabled upper storey with shallow canted oriel having pointed lights and ogee roof. Chapels with two storey polygonal turrets having lancet windows and polygonal terminal features flank gateway and similar blind turrets at angles; a central two storey narrow canted bay window with pointed lights to each chapel. Crenellated parapets.
INTERIORS: plain. Anglican chapel with crypt, hydraulic bier and tunnel leading under the road.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached to north and south facades of chapels, cast-iron traceried railings on brick sleeper walls with entrance gateways having octagonal stone piers with ogival finials and cast-iron traceried double gates.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the original western cemetery, opened 1839, was created by Geary's London Cemetery Company. The romantic layout, over approximately 17 acres, was designed by David Ramsay. When the eastern cemetery was opened, due to popular demand, in 1855 the Anglican chapel was fitted with a hydraulic bier which lowered coffins into a tunnel leading under the road to the new cemetery; much of this remains.
Listing NGR: TQ2854186963
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 478238
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 28-Jun-2026 at 16:38:30.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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