London, England: Goodness Graceous, By George, Our Day At Highgate Cemetery Was Marxed By Rain

Highgate Cemetery

Swain's Lane

London N6 6PJ United Kingdom

Website: highgate-cemetery.org

Phone number +44 20 8340 1834

Prices: ££££ 

Being proud members of the George Eliot Fellowship, my wife and I decided to visit her grave (yes, George was a woman if you did not know) in the eastern section of North London’s infamous Highgate Cemetery. Perusing the cemetery website, we soon realized that there was more to see than met the eye, so we decided to take a tour. 

While you can visit the East section on your own (£4 per person), you are not allowed on the West side unless you are with a tour guide. We arrived, bought our tickets (£12 per person) and, while waiting for the tour to start, crossed the street and entered the East cemetery, the entrance fee having been included in the price of the tour of the West section. We were greeted by a friendly lady at the gate who gave us a map and kindly pointed out the graves of interest that we wished to see. 

After a short walk, we reached the imposing grave site of the famous philosopher Karl Marx where he and his wife, daughter, and grandson have all been laid to rest. Under the huge bronze head of the philosopher which sits atop the memorial, you can read his words: “Workers of all lands, unite!”. The original tombstone, brought there when his body was relocated from another grave site in the cemetery, has been incorporated into the new memorial, all of which are surrounded by numerous flowers and candles laid at the site by his followers. 

Taking a narrow path just 25 meters across from Marx’ grave, we found George Eliot’s resting place. There are two names carved on the granite obelisk, because George Eliot was obviously her nom de plume. Born as Mary Ann Evans, she married John Cross, so she was buried as Mary Ann Cross. Ironic, considering that the true love of her life was George H. Lewes, a man she could not legally marry, but with whom she spent several years with as his de facto wife. 

After taking the obligatory pictures on the East side, we walked back over to the West section and met our guide, Grace. My wife was interested in seeing Christina Rossetti’s grave (she loves Victorian literature), so she asked Grace if that was at all possible. My wife was rewarded by a big smile and the assurance that in no way were we going to miss that particular grave, Christina Rossetti being one of Grace’s favorite poets. My wife was literally jumping up and down in excitement while I was merely hoping it would not rain.

Grace was an extremely knowledgeable, competent, and friendly guide. She took us throughout the cemetery, pointing out symbols, structures, and characteristics of several individual graves along the way. She told us about the history of the cemetery, explained Victorian funerary rites and traditions, and even about precautions taken against the notorious body-snatchers (aka “sack-them-up” men) who violated graves in order to sell corpses to anatomy schools. 

One of our first stops was, as promised, at the Rossetti family grave. Dante Gabriele Rossetti chose not to be buried here, but his parents Gabriele and Frances together with his brother William, his sister-in-law Lucy Madox Brown, his sister Christina, and his wife Lizzie Siddal are. If you think the grave is a bit crowded, things got even more macabre when we heard the story of Lizzie’s exhumation in order to retrieve a book of his poems that Rossetti buried with her, having decided after seven years that he wanted to publish the poems after all … Creepy!

At the end of the main pathway, we reached the Egyptian Avenue, a gateway in Egyptian style with obelisks on each side. Interest in ancient Egypt was very strong in 1839 when the cemetery was founded and the architecture is very impressive from outside, but rather dismal once you are enter with very little light while surrounded by tombs with heavy metal doors.

At the end of the Avenue, we found ourselves in the Circle of Lebanon, a circle of tombs that were built around a massive, old cedar which predates the cemetery. The impressive tree is still there and is a key feature of the surrounding landscape [photo]. The tombs on the inside wall are in the Egyptian style, but our attention was brought to a neo-Gothic chapel that was heavily vandalized years ago and about which Grace told us an interesting story. Today, no filming is allowed in the West section, but back in the 1970s it was the setting for several horror movies in an attempt to gain much-needed income for cemetery maintenance. During the shooting of one of the vampire movies, someone saw an actor and thought that he was a real vampire, and soon spread the rumor that such a creature lived among the graves at Highgate. With ugly consequences for the infrastructure, people started vandalizing graves and chapels in an attempt to locate the elusive Highgate vampire. Hence, they decided to discontinue allowing video in the cemetery for may years, only recently starting to make case-by-case exceptions.

The cemetery was built on the grounds of Ashurst House which was sold in 1830 and demolished to provide a site for the present St. Michael’s Church. The huge cedar was part of the original estate, but the Terrace Catacombs have replaced the garden terrace of the original house. From the top of the property there were splendid views of London, but today all that can see are large trees. Grace took us inside the gated and locked brick-vaulted gallery which is lit only by oculi set in the original terrace, so on a gray day like the day we were there, it was dark and rather spooky. The walls are lined with recesses, all large enough for a single coffin, some of which Grace told us were positioned with the head toward the exterior so that visitors would not be facing the feet. Many of the coffin’s original decorative wooden exteriors have deteriorated over the years, exposing the interior lead coffin which encases another wooden coffin and holds the body. Grace told us that all coffins interred in brick lined vaults such as these had to be triple lined in this manner in order to eliminate the noxious fumes created by decomposition.

Across from the entrance to the Catacombs was the impressive Mausoleum of Julius Beer. Based on the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was located on the highest point of the cemetery so he could see it from his house. The inside is not accessible on the tour, but it is possible to peer through the glass panels on the massive iron doors and see the sculpture of Beer’s daughter, Ada, being lifted up by an angel. She died very young and the mausoleum was built after her death at a cost of £5,000 (several million dollars in today’s money. If you are interested, you can take the 360 degree tour on their website.

On the way back, we stopped by some interesting graves, one of which was the tomb of a travelling menagerist by the name of George Wombwell and is surmounted by a beautiful statue of a sleeping lion. The lion’s name was Nero, a very sweet and friendly cat born in captivity, so friendly he that even allowed children to ride on his back. 

Atop pugilist Tom Sayers’ tomb, a place of honor was given to a statue of his faithful dog Lion whom protects his master still today. We were told that at Sayer’s funeral Lion was the chief mourner, riding on a carriage while wearing a top hat.

There are also some modern graves, because Highgate remains an active cemetery. For example, we saw the graves of two Russian men, one of them who was reportedly poisoned by the KGB in London some years ago among many others.

The tour lasted a little more than one hour and we enjoyed every minute of it, although the day of our tour was a bit gray and chilly. Grace did an excellent job in illustrating the history and features of a unique and interesting place to visit while in London. Highgate Cemetery is a place of meditation and peace, but also an example of the finest funerary architecture in the UK, where you can feel a connection with a past that is never truly dead.

Grace

Mrs. Critic (Left) and Grace (Right)

As good as the tour was, at £12 ($15.25) each ($30.50 for two) I have to say it was not a great value. For about the same price, you can get into Musee d'Orsay in Paris, one of the best museums in the world ... no comparison folks. They do not even offer a discount for seniors, teachers, or military veterans, which I found a bit sad. I think an entry fee in the £6 to £8 range would be more fitting for a cemetery tour, even as nice as Highgate may very well be.

CombatCritic Gives Highgate Cemetery 7 Bombs Out Of 10 … More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

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Title: London, England: Goodness Graceous, By George, Our Day At Highgate Cemetery Was Marxed By Rain

Key Words: Highgate Cemetery, highgate, cemetery, tour, Georg Eliot, Karl Marx, Marx, Eliot, London, England, north, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, destination, business, review, Yelp, Google

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Arlington National Cemetary (ANC) Could Do A MUCH Better Job When It Comes To America's Heroes

Arlington National Cemetary has a hallowed and illustrious past and is the final resting place of thousands of American heroes, including John F. Kennedy and his brother Bobby, Chappie James, George Patton, and John Pershing among many others. 

When a family loses a loved one, the very least that can be expected is for the people making the funeral arrangements to treat the mourners with dignity, respect, and compassion ... AT THE VERY LEAST. A recent experience with Arlington, while making funeral arrangements for my father, a World War II Veteran and my hero, leaves me extremely concerned that the loved ones of American heroes are being ignored, neglected, and instead of making a very difficult period easier and more stress free, Arlington is only contributing to their stress.

It is not as if Arlington does not have enough data available, having existed since 1860 with over 300,000 inhabitants, so how is it that they can virtually ignore us when we contact them to make funeral arrangements, stating "we can neither tell you when a funeral can be scheduled nor when we will even contact you to schedule it"?

We had a funeral scheduled for my father last August, but had to postpone it when our house sitter backed-out just two weeks before the service. Rather than wait until the last minute to let Arlington know, we decided that we would cancel two weeks out and reschedule at a later date so that some other grieving family could utilize the time and resources allotted for my father. It seemed like the right thing to do.

But when I contacted Arlington by email on March 20th, 2014, two months before our proposed funeral date and my father's 89th birthday (May 22nd, 2014), I did not hear a word for five days, so I called their toll free number. 

I was told that my request had in-fact been received and that we were in the "scheduling que". I asked the woman when we might expect to be contacted, telling her that we and other family members needed to make travel arrangements and that the date of the funeral would affect when my wife could travel to Italy to visit her ailing parents, but she told me "you'll just have to wait". Asking her how it was possible that they could have no idea how long it would take to contact us, she told me that all I could do is "call back and inquire from time to time".

I called back a few weeks later, but was told the same thing, "you will have to wait" and "we cannot provide any more information". That was when I became not only insulted, but incensed about not only the way we were being treated, but the treatment everyone else in "the que" is also experiencing. So I sent the following email to Arlington:

Case #xxxx16 - RE: PFC J. SORRENTINO, USA 

We have been attempting to schedule my father's funeral for his birthday, May 22nd, this year, but your schedulers refuse to provide any information regarding when we might expect a burial. We have numerous obligations which cannot be finalized, totaling several thousands of dollars, until we have a funeral date, including travel plans for several people to attend the funeral, house sitting, my wife's travel plans to visit her elderly and ailing parents in Naples, Italy among others.  

ANC is not new to this endeavor and should have historical information which could provide an estimate of how long it will take to be contacted by a scheduler and how far out burials can be scheduled based on those currently in the system. Keeping loved-ones waiting unnecessarily, unable to make plans only because your employees refuse to take the needs of others into consideration is unprofessional.
I realize that it is an honor to be buried at ANC and that your staff are overburdened by the number of funerals they are required to schedule, but a small amount of dignity, consideration, and foresight could eliminate any additional hardship on families already affected by the loss of a loved one. 

Respectfully, 

Chris T. Sorrentino, LtCol, USAF (Ret) Next-of-Kin

Here is the reply I received:

From: <DoNotReply@us.army.mil>Date: Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 1:34 PMTo: Chris Sorrentino <rospo2356@gmail.com> 

Subject: Arlington National Cemetery - Feedback Confirmation 

We appreciate your feedback correspondence, which prompted this automatic e-mail response. Someone will be contacting you shortly with a tracking number.  Given the varying nature and types of inquiries we receive, we cannot comment on how long each specific type of inquiry should take. However, we are acting on your inquiry. Should you like to check its status, please feel free to call 1-877-907-8585 and provide your tracking number. 

Thank you for contacting Arlington National Cemetery.  Honor - Remember - Explore.

With over 300,000 data points, you would think that Arlington could extrapolate based on the number of requests, funerals in "the que", and employees available, and give mourners a rough idea when their loved ones might be buried OR at least when they might be contacted to make final arrangements. 

Three weeks out from our desired funeral date and 13 days since I was told I would be contacted with a "tracking number" regarding my email, I had still not been contacted. We had to cancel our plans for the May 22nd funeral because travel costs were skyrocketing and my wife needed to make plans to travel to Italy to see her ailing parents. We not only  wasted weeks of preparations for the event, we also had to pay an additional $400 in airfare due to waiting until the last minute to make airline reservations thanks to Arlington's lack of professionalism, concern, respect, and compassion.

The implications in terms of our lives are minimal compared to the grieving families of those who have recently lost a loved one and are stuck in the que waiting for a funeral date without hope for even a clue as to when they might be contacted. What happens to the remains of those waiting weeks or months while Arlington pencil pushers and bureaucrats sit on the paperwork, deciding when they might grace us with their presence and alleviate the suffering they have unduly caused to the grieving families of America's heroes? 

There is more than enough data for Arlington to figure out what their schedule looks like and how many requests they have in the que, providing at least a rough idea when families might be contacted and a ballpark figure as to how far out funerals are being scheduled so that loved ones can make appropriate plans, inviting family and friends to travel to Virginia and honor the deceased with the dignity and respect they deserve. Currently, they are failing miserably and whomever is in charge of our Nation's most respected military cemetery should be ashamed, very ashamed.

"Honor - Remember - Explore" ... Yeah, right!

UPDATE: MAY 11, 2014

It has now been nearly two months since I contacted ANC to schedule a funeral for my father and over 3 weeks since I was promised contact and a "tracking number". It appears at this point that one of three things is happening:

1. ANC leaders and staff, US Army employees, are incompetent
2. ANC staff could care less about the grieving families of US military personnel
3. ANC is actively retaliating against me, retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and future ANC resident, for having to cancel my fathers funeral last August through no fault of our own

In either case, the result is unacceptable. Again, we have only been inconvenienced in terms of plans and money lost as my father's cremated remains have not deteriorated or putrefied during the two months we have been waiting for Arlington National Cemetary to contact us with a date for his funeral. Yes, my wife has to curtail her visit to Italy to see her family so we can possibly have his funeral in August before she returns to work at KU and maybe ANC staff will contact me in time ... MAYBE?

In any event, I have experienced enough indignity and disrespect from the people we, American taxpayers, pay to manage the final disposition of our Nation's heroes and will contact my US Senator, Pat Roberts (R - KS), asking him to intervene on our behalf and on behalf of other families whom may be experiencing much more than inconvenience as a result of Arlington National Cemetery's complete lack of competence and professionalism. 

Here is the email I sent to Arlington on May 11th, 2014:

As confirmed on March 25, 2014, you received my request for a funeral for my father, PFC Joseph Sorrentino, on May 22nd, 2014 (Case #150016). I have called and emailed several times since, but here it is nearly two months later and your staff refuses to contact me. We had to cancel plans for the funeral and have incurred added expenses because your employees refuse to let us know when we can expect to schedule my father's funeral. This is unacceptable! 
I was promised a response and case number after I contacted you on April 17, 2014: 

From: <DoNotReply@us.army.mil>Date: Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 1:34 PMTo: Chris Sorrentino <rospo2356@gmail.com> 

Subject: Arlington National Cemetery - Feedback Confirmation 

We appreciate your feedback correspondence, which prompted this automatic e-mail response. Someone will be contacting you shortly with a tracking number.  Given the varying nature and types of inquiries we receive, we cannot comment on how long each specific type of inquiry should take. However, we are acting on your inquiry. Should you like to check its status, please feel free to call 1-877-907-8585 and provide your tracking number. 

Thank you for contacting Arlington National Cemetery.  Honor - Remember - Explore 

If I do not hear from your staff by Monday, May 12th, 2014, I will file a Congressional Complaint with my US Senator, Pat Roberts (R-KS). You can read the whole story on my blog: http://www.combatcounselor.com/2014/04/arlington-national-cemetary-anc-could.html 

Sincerely, 

Chris Sorrentino, LtCol, USAF (Ret) - Next-Of-Kin

This is not the first problem experienced because of incompetence at Arlington as has been reported in the Washington Post, NBC News, and various blogs, with hundreds of remains being unaccounted for, misplaced, or otherwise disrespected. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND SENATOR ROBERTS SHOULD ACT WITHOUT DELAY IN CORRECTING THESE GRAVE DEFICIENCIES AND THE LEADER RESPONSIBLE FOR ARLINGTON SHOULD BE ADMONISHED, REPRIMANDED, OR FIRED.

Key Words: Air Force, Arlington, Arlington National Cemetary, Army, cemetery, combatcounselor, funeral, grave, military, national, Pat, Roberts, senator, Senator Pat Roberts, soldier, unknown, unknown soldier, veteran