Today I needs must be brief as I’m about to dash off to meet out-of-town visitors at Highgate Cemetery! I’m excited about this one, as it’s been on my London bucketlist for a while.   I’ve mentioned before my habit of strolling through Brompton Cemetery, so I already have an innate morbid fascination with cemeteries to begin with; however, what brings the less morose to this “attraction” are the notable dead forever slumbering beneath its surface—Karl Marx and the poet Christina Rossetti being among them.  Likely out of reverence for the cemetery’s permanent residents given its appeal to tourism, the site charges admission for entry.  The East Cemetery costs £3 per person, and the West Cemetery can only be viewed via guided tour at £7 per person (see website for the seasonal schedule).

Later this month on 26 May, authors Tracy Chevalier and Audrey Niffenegger will be conducting a lecture on how Highgate Cemetery influenced their novels.  Must dash, but I’ll let you know how it goes!

Today, I’d like to initiate a new blog series generated from our fabulous Londonistas over on the London Living networking site.  We’ve recently been contributing ideas to a discussion forum there entitled, “My Favorite Hidden Gem in London is…“, and I thought it would be fun to share some of the great suggestions already accumulating!

I’ll get this rolling with mine: the Brompton Cemetery near the Old Brompton tube station.  A serene Victorian graveyard for strolling, jogging, or pondering that I discovered my very first full day living in London.  Beatrix Potter, author of the Peter Rabbit children’s books, was a local who liked to walk through here, and to my surprise it was recently featured in a scene of the new Sherlock Holmes film with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.  I almost hate to recommend it, though, as I don’t want it to become too populated with the living!

What hidden treasures will YOU discover in your new neighborhood once London Relocation Ltd. places you there?