Top 10 Spots For Discovering Highgate’s History: A Walk

Historical and characterful Highgate is a great place for a walk. You get that cosy countryside village feel whilst still being close to central London. Located at the top of a hill, away from the hubbub of the city with plenty of fresh air, it has been a popular spot for the rich and famous to settle since the end of the 16th century. Highgate is still one of the most expensive places to live in London.

If your eyes, like mine, get drawn involuntarily to anything that remotely resembles a blue plaque then you will love Highgate. It has a particularly strong literary heritage.

A very random fun fact to whet your Highgate whistle: Jerry Springer, of The Jerry Springer show, was born in Highgate Tube Station in 1944 when it was being used as a bomb shelter!

I have selected my top 10 must see spots to discover historical Highgate. Here is a map with a suggested route.

The Whittington stone

This curious stone, erected in 1821, apparently marks the spot where Dick Whittington, dejectedly walking out of London, turned back after hearing the Bow bells chiming. Elected mayor four times between 1397 and 1420 Whittington used his own money to fund public works. The cat atop the stone was added in 1964 and is a nod to the Dick Whittington folklore tale.

You’ll pass by 44 on the High Street- note this building for later!

The Gatehouse

Standing confidently in the centre of the village is the mock-Tudor style pub, The Gatehouse. It stands near the spot where the original 14th century toll gate collected money from travellers passing in and out of London. A hermit manned the toll gate for the Bishop of London and maintained the road in the medieval period.

Charles Dickens is said to have visited the pub and it is also apparently haunted by the ghost of Francis Bacon, the Elizabethan philosopher. Bacon died in Highgate in 1626 of pneumonia, after an experiment in which he tried to preserve a chicken by stuffing it with snow. This took place in Pond Square which you can still visit, although the pond is no longer there. Whilst his ghost supposedly haunts the pub, the chicken’s ghost has been seen around Pond Square. Would that make it a poultry-geist?

Highgate School

Highgate school was founded in 1565 as a charitable enterprise by Sir Roger Cholmeley, former Chief Justice and local landowner.

The chapel acted as the main place of worship for the village until the 1820’s when St Michael’s Church took over.

The Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution

This attractive building stands on one corner of Pond Square, of frozen chicken experiment death fame. It was founded in 1839 ‘to create and foster a taste for reading, and a taste for intellectual pursuits’. It now houses exhibitions and classes as well as portraits of Highgate’s literary alumni Betjeman and Coleridge. Find out more about how you can visit here.

The Flask

This pub has stood here for the best part of 500 years and has original features, such as two 17th century horse boxes. Past patrons include Karl Marx, Lord Byron, Coleridge and Dick Turpin, the highwayman. The name comes from the flasks that were sold here used to collect spring water from nearby Hampstead.

If you’re lucky (or unlucky, whatever way you look at it) you might come across the ghost of a Spanish barmaid who hanged herself in the cellar here over an unrequited love with the pub owner!

The Grove

The Grove is where all the really rich people live. Sting, Jude Law and George Michael have all lived here in recent times. The Grove is a beautiful row of 17th century houses obscured from view by an avenue of trees.

The most historically significantly is number 3 which has a double plaque!! Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived here for the last 11 years of his life and it was later occupied by the writer J B Priestley. In 2011 it was bought by model Kate Moss. Coleridge (1772-1834) was one of the founders of the Romantic movement and is best known for his poems Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan. At number 44 on the High street you can see the site where Coleridge would sneak in a back door to collect his secret delivery of laudanum.

St Michael’s Church

St Michael’s Church is the highest church in London, with the entrance being level with the cross of St Paul’s Cathedral. Built on the site of 17th century mansion owned by a Lord Mayor of London you can still see the foundations and remains of the wine cellar in the crypt.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge is buried in the crypt at the church. The words on the slab in the centre of the church aisle were written by Samuel himself when he knew he was dying.

Lauderdale House

Lauderdale House has served many functions since its original construction in 1582: home, hospital, school and now exhibition/arts centre.

Its main claim to fame is having hosted a visit by Charles II and his mistress Nell Gwyn. The tale goes that Nell dangled their child out of the window at Lauderdale House to force Charles to give the boy an aristocratic title. “Make him a duke or I drop him” said Nell, “God save the Earl of Burford!” shouts Charles. No-one is sure whether this is a true story but it’s a good one none the less. The surrounding Waterlow park is a lovely spot to have an amble.

Highgate Cemetery

One of the ‘magnificent seven’ cemeteries, Highgate cemetery was built as a private enterprise in the early 19th century to release pressure on London’s overflowing burial grounds. The ‘most fashionable necropolis’ in Victorian London, there are approximately 170,000 people buried here.

It is a glorious mixture of chaotic, jumbled gravestones being reclaimed by nature and grand constructions such as the Egyptian Avenue and Lebanon Circle. The most well known grave here is that of Karl Marx, you can’t miss him… A graveyard might not sound like a great place for a stroll but, trust me, it is. Find out more here about visiting.

Holly Village

A dramatic Victorian neo-gothic development, Holly Village consists of 12 grade ii listed houses. Completed in 1865, they were used to house the older and retired staff members of Angela Burdett-Coutts’ estate. Descended from Thomas Coutts, who started the Coutts bank, Angela used her wealth in a wide variety of philanthropic ways.

The royal family still use Coutts today for their banking. If you want to read about another stunning example of Victorian neo-gothic architecture click here.

Here is a handy map if you wanted to hit all 10! I have the walk ending and finishing at Archway station but feel free to mix it up.

Always appreciate feedback so let me know what you would have put in your top 10 Highgate spots.

Enjoyed this post? Here’s another London walk you may like!

Want to read about some more of London’s historical gems? Have a browse below!