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Tourist boom sparks revolt at Karl Marx’s resting place
Danny Brierley01.05.09
The group which runs London's best-known graveyard is being investigated by the charity watchdog after claims it is discouraging visitors.
Volunteers at the Friends of Highgate Cemetery are at the centre of a Charity Commission inquiry into a long-running dispute at the spot where historic figures including Karl Marx are buried.
The claims centre on conflicts between board members over whether the working graveyard should be promoted as a tourist attraction.
Some are said to be unhappy that tourists and visitors are disturbing mourners while others claim not enough is being done to attract paying visitors.
Visitor numbers are expected to rise from 3,000 last year to 5,000 this year but the 2006 Lonely Planet Guide said they should beware the “stroppy silver-haired ladies” who run the cemetery.
Caroline Coombes, one of the members supporting the Charity Commission probe, said: “People are terrified about being expelled if they speak out. I can't tell you how many emails I have had from volunteers — mainly young people who work at the cemetery.”
Robin Fairlie, 76, a former “protector” of the cemetery, said there had been tension over the same board members being re-elected “over and over and over again”. Mr Fairlie said: “There was one complaint that the board at that time was not giving enough attention to the medium and long-term future of the cemetery and how it should be run. Members were being elected in perpetuity.”
The Friends criticised Mayor Boris Johnson after he named the Grade II-listed graveyard one of London's top attractions with members complaining that the site was not a tourist spot.
Jean Pateman, who governs the site, said the complaints were “scurrilous rubbish invented by people who were not at the sharp end of the coalface”.
She said: “I am working in the interests of grave owners. The public must also fit into the fact that it is a working cemetery.
“The fact that our visitor load has gone up by 80 per cent is testimony to the fact that people do come back, and come back again and again.”
The Charity Commission has the power to remove the organisation's charitable status but is more likely to offer advice to restore calm.
A spokeswoman said: “Concerns have been raised with us about the governance of the charity, Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust, which we are currently considering. The Charity Commission is providing advice and guidance to the charity.”
The result of a vote held at the group's annual general meeting this week to limit the time board members can stay in office is expected soon.
Reader views (5)
This is not only somewhere with high numbers of well known residents but also has some of the most amazing funereal architecture anywhere, its Grade II listed and is one of the few remaining cemetaries of its type.
If controlled properly there is no reason why it can't be open to visitors - not just those going to a funeral/visiting a grave of the more recently deceased. But the group need to remember that that respect works both ways.
I've often noticed when visiting other places (not cemetaries) with "friends of" groups running them that I quite often get the impression that they really don't want people visiting and feel most unwelcome.
- Lone Gunman, Anywhere but Here
Its a bit of a conundrum really,personally i go to a cemetery to find a bit of peace and tranquility,but i accept that if more people did as i did then the cemetery would not be a place of peace and tranquility.Its the way of the world realy,but i do think maybe you could restrict certain groups like familys with children.
- Kev, London-UK
I used to work at Highgate Cemetery as a volunteer guide and whilst Jean Pateman is a firm character who stands by what she believes in, as an 80/90+ year old woman, it is remarkable that she's still "at the coalface".
Highgate Cemetery, especially the western side, is an amazingly atmospheric place. The east side in particular, has regular visits from mourners which hordes of tourists will disturb. The western side on the other hand is a natural paradise for all sorts of flora and fauna and when I worked there, only relatively small groups were allowed in, with a guide. I don't think it would be constructive to turn the place into Disneyland.
- Mcw, London
William, the cemeteries in churchyards up and down the country should be open to all, tourists and relatives alike. In general the tourists respect the nature of the places. And who is to say that only relatives should pay their respects to the deceased? "No man is an island ... send not to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee". (John Donne, above whose grave I found myself reflecting last time I visited St. Paul's cathedral).
- Nigel, London
A cemetary should not be a listed tourist attraction. People's families are buried in Highgate and still are. Large groups of visitors tear up the environment of the cemetary and debase what should be a reverential atmosphere. Very, very soon there will be no where one can go to reflect and remember quietly - everything will be exploited and have a fun fair atmosphere. I await contradiction from those who are terrified of prace and quiet.
- William, London UK
