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Highgate is an upscale area of London, England. It’s partially located in the London Borough of Camden, and is one of the city’s most expensive suburbs.
Introduction to Highgate
Highgate was originally a village outside London until the Late Victorian period. It’s full of residential neighborhoods with beautiful mansions, lots of green spaces, and several pubs, shops, and restaurants. It’s a wonderful place to take a stroll and escape the bustling center of London.
My friend Carol lives in the area and showed me a few highlights after we visited Hampstead Heath. I wasn’t able to get to St. Michael’s Church or Highgate Cemetery due to limited time, so this post doesn’t cover as much as I’d like.
Fitzroy Park
We entered Highgate from the heath at Fitzroy Park, which is lined with several beautiful homes as well as allotments.
The Grove
From there, we walked to The Grove, which is a row of several historic homes. A few of the homes belonged to celebrities.
George Michael’s House
The most famous home on the street is 5, The Grove, which belonged to George Michael (1963-2016). The pop singer lived there at the time of his death on December 25, 2016. It was originally built in 1688 and rebuilt in 1933, retaining its original appearance. A makeshift memorial to Michael sprung up across the street. Fans of the singer would leave flowers, cards, and other items, but it has since been removed.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s House
Further down the street at #3 was the home of English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834). The home was built in the 17th century A plaque on the building indicates he lived there from 1823 until his death in 1834. Novelist J.B. Priestley (1894-1984) also lived in the house, as did supermodel Kate Moss, who sold it in 2022.
Gladys Cooper’s House
Next door was the house of Dame Gladys Cooper (1888-1971). She had a career spanning seven decades on stage, film, and television.
Witanhurst
At the end of the street are the gates to Witanhurst, which is the second largest private residence in London after Buckingham Palace. It was built between 1913 and 1920 and designed by architect George Hubbard for soap magnate Sir Arthur Crosfield. It was later sold to the al-Assad family of Syria in 1977, and was purchased by Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev in 2008.
Pond Square
From there, we continued to Pond Square, which is at the highest point of Camden. There used to be two ponds in the center of the square that provided drinking water to the village. They were drained in 1886 to create a public space.
Several houses dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries surround the square. It’s also the home of the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institute.
Highgate High Street
Next, we took a short walk down Highgate High Street, which is full of pubs, shops, and interesting buildings.
Highgate School
Nearby is Highgate School. This prestigious academy was founded in 1565 as Sir Roger Cholmeley’s School at Highgate. It educates over 1,400 students. Alumni are called Old Cholmeleians.
Mary Kingsley’s House
Down the street from the school is a house with a blue plaque for Mary Kingsley (1862-1900). The ethnographer and traveler lived there as a child.
Jacksons Lane
Finally, we walked down Jacksons Lane past several gorgeous brick homes until it turned into Shepherd’s Hill.
Highgate Library
The Highgate Library is located on Shepherd’s Hill. It was built in 1902 and renovated in 2002. It’s open daily except Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays.
