Hauntingly beautiful cemeteries in the UK

Highgate Cemetery, London - Highgate Cemetery, in north London, is divided into two sites and both are straight out of a fairytale. The west cemetery was opened in 1839 as part of a plan for seven new cemeteries outside of central London. Inner-city burial sites were unable to cope with the demand from the Industrial Revolution.

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Highgate Cemetery, London -

It is home to memorials to many notable historical figures, including Christina Rossetti and the family of Charles Dickens. The Victorian attitude to death led to the creation of elaborate neo-Gothic tombs. The original site occupies a south-facing hillside with scenic views.

The east cemetery is slightly more modern than the west – the land was bought in 1856. Karl Max and George Eliot are buried here, as well as more contemporary figures such as Jeremy Beadle and Douglas Adams.

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Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey - This is a Grade I site in the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. It is the largest cemetery in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. (Photo:CC by 2.0)

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Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey - Brookwood was one few cemeteries to allow burials on Sundays, which made it a popular choice with the poor and with actors, who only had Sundays free. Actors have a dedicated section of the cemetery for this reason.

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Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey - On the outbreak of World War I, the cemetery donated a section to the War Office. Brookwood Military Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the country and hosts graves of soldiers from outside the Commonwealth too.

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Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey - The site was designed with a concept of perpetual spring, and its horticulture reflects this. Take a stroll through giant sequoias, magnolia, rhododendron, azalea, and monkey puzzle trees. Evergreens and fragrant plants make it a sensory experience year-round.

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Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh - This Edinburgh site dates to the 16th century. The Kirkyard and its monuments are a category-A listed building.

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Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh - Greyfriars takes its name from a Franciscan friary that operated on the site (the friars wore grey robes). The order was dissolved in 1559 and the churchyard founded two years later.

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Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh - The cemetery has been dubbed the most haunted graveyard in the world, with the mausoleum to Sir George MacKenzie home to “the world’s most recorded poltergeist.”

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Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh - The cemetery is also known for the legend of a Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier that spent 14 years guarding the grave of its owner. There is a monument to the dog just outside the consecrated part of the site.

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Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh - It makes a peaceful break from the bustling city centre, and the hilltop location provides a great view of the "new town" and Edinburgh Castle.

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Iona Abbey - Iona Abbey is on the Isle of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland. It is one of the oldest centres of Christian worship in western Europe.

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Iona Abbey - It is thought that a monastery was first built here in 563, by St. Columba, and that The Book of Kells was produced by the monks of Iona in the years leading up to 800.

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Iona Abbey - The Irish monk set about converting the pagans of Scotland and northern England to the Christian faith. Iona became a place of pilgrimage for centuries and kings of Scotland, Ireland, and Norway were buried here.

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Iona Abbey - Today, the tiny island is still home to a Christian religious order and remains a popular site of pilgrimage. Visitors can take a passenger ferry form Fionnphort on the Isle of Mull.

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Kensal Green Cemetery, London - This burial site opened in 1833 as the first of the "park cemeteries" in London. Its 72 acres of grounds include two conservation areas and provide a peaceful spot for an afternoon stroll.

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Kensal Green Cemetery, London - It is listed as a Grade I site on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens and is home to a variety of wildlife, including over 30 species of birds.

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Kensal Green Cemetery, London - Founder George Frederick Carden was inspired by the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Today, you can learn about the history of the area and the 140 listed buildings and monuments within the cemetery in a tour with Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery on Sunday afternoons.

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Nunhead Cemetery, London - This vast overgrown cemetery is another of London's "Magnificent Seven". It was consecrated in 1840 on 52 acres of land in the south of the city.

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Nunhead Cemetery, London - It is less well-maintained than some of London's other Victorian cemeteries, but local efforts have had it declared a Local Nature Reserve. Many parts of the property are wild, but this is half of its appeal. Take a walk with Friends of Nunhead Cemetery to support the site and learn about its history.

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Glasgow Necropolis - In the late 1820s, Glasgow had a booming population that was increasingly drawing away from the church. In order to bury the higher number of dead outside of church walls, the Necropolis was constructed in 1832.

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Glasgow Necropolis - The site is laid out as an informal park, with paths leading uphill towards a summit of monuments around the John Knox Monument.

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Glasgow Necropolis - The Necropolis is close to Glasgow Cathedral but was always intended to be an interdenominational burial site.

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Glasgow Necropolis - It contains monuments designed by major architects and sculptors, including Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson, Charles Rennie Macintosh, and JT Rochead. The history and architecture make it a fascinating place to visit.

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St Pancras Old Church, London - This central London churchyard is thought to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in the country. The grounds include a panel stating that the church "stands on one of Europe’s most ancient sites of Christian worship, possibly dating back to the early 4th century" and that it has been a "site of prayer and meditation since 314 AD".

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St Pancras Old Church, London - The yard includes a fascinating arrangement of tombstones in a tight cluster around an ash tree, known as the Hardy Tree. The name is in reference to the poet and novelist Thomas Hardy, who was in charge of excavation of the site in the 1860s.

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Arnos Vale, Bristol - Arnos Vale is a spectacular Victorian garden cemetery. It includes a number of listed buildings and monuments, including the Grade II-listed Church of England Mortuary Chapel.

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Arnos Vale, Bristol - The garden cemetery is the resting place of more than 300,000 people, including some of Bristol’s leading Victorian citizens.

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West Norwood Cemetery, London - Another of the "Magnificent Seven", this graveyard is thought to hold the finest collection of sepulchral monuments in London.

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West Norwood Cemetery, London - It features 69 Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings, as well as catacombs and more than 160,000 graves, including that of Mary Shelley.

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