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Highgate Cemetery. How could I possibly describe it? It was our first trip to the biggest Victorian graveyard in London. With over 160,000 people buried there (including Karl Marx, Michael Faraday and the Rossetti Family), it wasn’t a nice little stroll in the park.

The huge stone archway and the domineering iron gates were just the beginning of the sights we would see that would amaze us. Did I feel scared? Of course not. The stones, although worn away slightly, were beautiful. Each burial place had been specially designed to tell the life of their occupants, with signs of their profession and how they died – nothing gory of course - a broken column meant that the person’s life had been cut short, and a wreath indicated that their legacy would not be forgotten.

The cemetery’s grounds were jam-packed with rare mosses, unusual butterflies and an army of trees that provided shelter and food to many birds and small animals.             

For the next hour or two we scoured the graves amongst which we discovered the grave of boxing legend Tom Sayers and menagerie exhibitor George Wombwell.

We also visited the De Beers vault, the largest vault at Highgate. Half an hour after leaving the secular, more modern East Cemetery, we headed to a café. It was at this point that Sir ‘reminded’ us that we were to go and visit the picturesque Primrose Hill. Despite the back aching walk up a hill that would most definitely rival Mt Everest, the view over central London was spectacular. The air was wonderfully unpolluted, making us all giddy with excitement. Then back down the hill we went (or in Alex Secco-Weidar’s case tumbling), after our picture taking marathon.

So what did we think? Bejera Livert felt the trip was “a thrilling experience” although Chloé Coulson-West thought that it could have had “a bit more info”. Greg Patten enjoyed Primrose Hill’s “good view” whilst Gurleen Hunjan thought it was “rather interesting actually”.  Rachel Tijani, however, “loved the lunch bit”. 

Article by Esther Osarfo-Mensah

Gifted and Talented visit to Highgate Cemetery

Above: Students on tour at Highgate Cemetery

Early birds enjoyed a fresh layer of snow in the main courtyard at Sydney Russell on Wednesday 24th of January. Unfortunately, the fun had to end when the bell went for morning registration and by break time the snow had melted.  Staff on duty that day heaved a sigh of relief when they saw the snow had disappeared.

Winter Wonderland at

Sydney Russell