The London district of Highgate is located in north London, just north of Kentish Town. The name comes from the fact that there was once a tollgate on the top of the hill, on the site of the present day Highgate High Street.

Legend has it that it was at the foot of Highgate Hill that Dick Whittington rested as he was about to leave London. He then heard the Bow Bells ring out “Turn again, Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London Town” and so he returned to the city. There is now a “Whittington Stone” on Highgate Hill, topped with a bronze cat, commemorating the event.

In the 17th century Highgate district was well known as a pleasant rural retreat and for the next 200 years it was popular with London’s wealthier classes. By the 19th century the population of the district had greatly expanded and it was largely a residential area.

The area still retains an elegant feel to it, and it is very popular as a residential area close to the city. The district is most famous for the huge Highgate Cemetary where, among others philosopher Karl Marx, author George Eliot and poet Christina Rossetti are buried.

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