Getting late holiday deals can be a great way to save money but it may not leave you with long to plan exciting excursions for your trip. Those taking last minute holidays to London might like to consider visiting some of London's famous Victorian cemeteries, which provide a very peaceful respite from the buzzing city.
Soon after Highgate Cemetery was opened it became the most fashionable cemetery to be buried in, and it remains the most famous and most popular to visit today. The revenue from the original boom in popularity made it possible to extend to the East side of Swain's Lane in the 1850s, which is where Karl Marx's bust lies. The original West side was closed down in the mid-1970s because of a lack of finance but organised tours are in operation and well worth taking part in. Visitors will see the Lebanon Circle Vaults, the Egyptian Avenue, the Terrace Catacombs and the Julias Beer Mausoleum - the largest in the cemetery, costing 5000 at the time of building which would be about 3million today. Most of these are now listed by English Heritage and the preservation of them is all thanks to the 'Friends of Highgate', a group set up in the 1970s to save the cemetery from total abandonment which would no doubt have been the case as funds to maintain it had entirely run out.
For those with package holidays incorporating hotels around Notting Hill, Kensal Green cemetery - the oldest in the city - is certainly worth a trip. There are more mausoleums here than any other burial ground in Britain so if you want to see them all make sure you have plenty of time! It is what can only be described as very higgledy-piggledy, with the plots not being in any standard layout; old and new graves are mixed together, as are British nationals and foreigners. Any twitchers who are bringing their binoculars on holiday might like to spend some time here looking out for some of the 30 species of birds that nest in the myriad trees.
Late holiday deals needn't mean an unplanned week without any excitement. Touring London's cemeteries may not appeal to everyone at first but there are some magnificent sights to be seen and stories to be discovered if you are brave enough to go!
Holidays here really are very memorable and in the years to come you'll be pleased that you made the trip.
Soon after Highgate Cemetery was opened it became the most fashionable cemetery to be buried in, and it remains the most famous and most popular to visit today. The revenue from the original boom in popularity made it possible to extend to the East side of Swain's Lane in the 1850s, which is where Karl Marx's bust lies. The original West side was closed down in the mid-1970s because of a lack of finance but organised tours are in operation and well worth taking part in. Visitors will see the Lebanon Circle Vaults, the Egyptian Avenue, the Terrace Catacombs and the Julias Beer Mausoleum - the largest in the cemetery, costing 5000 at the time of building which would be about 3million today. Most of these are now listed by English Heritage and the preservation of them is all thanks to the 'Friends of Highgate', a group set up in the 1970s to save the cemetery from total abandonment which would no doubt have been the case as funds to maintain it had entirely run out.
For those with package holidays incorporating hotels around Notting Hill, Kensal Green cemetery - the oldest in the city - is certainly worth a trip. There are more mausoleums here than any other burial ground in Britain so if you want to see them all make sure you have plenty of time! It is what can only be described as very higgledy-piggledy, with the plots not being in any standard layout; old and new graves are mixed together, as are British nationals and foreigners. Any twitchers who are bringing their binoculars on holiday might like to spend some time here looking out for some of the 30 species of birds that nest in the myriad trees.
Late holiday deals needn't mean an unplanned week without any excitement. Touring London's cemeteries may not appeal to everyone at first but there are some magnificent sights to be seen and stories to be discovered if you are brave enough to go!
Holidays here really are very memorable and in the years to come you'll be pleased that you made the trip.
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