• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 1233 0

lord mayor of London in 1693. At the summit is the Circle of Lebanon, a ring of vaults built around an ancient cypress tree—a legacy of Ashurst’s garden. Leading from it is the Egyptian Avenue, a subterranean stone tunnel lined with catacombs, itself approached by a dramatic colonnade that screens the main cemetery from the road. Both sides are impressive, with a grand (locked) iron gate leading to a sweeping courtyard for horses and carriages. By the 1970s the cemetery had become unkempt and neglected until a group of volunteers, the Friends of Highgate Cemetery, undertook the huge upkeep. Tours are arranged by the Friends, and among the wide variety of interesting statuary—memorials once hidden by overgrowth—they will show you the most notable graves and significant buildings. The west side is accessible only by tour. TIP Children under eight are not admitted; nor are dogs, tripods, or video cameras. | Swains La., Highgate | N6 6PJ | 020/8340–1834 | www.highgate-cemetery.org | East Cemetery £3, tours £7; Western Cemetery tours £7 | Daily; call for opening times, as hrs vary according to whether a funeral service is scheduled. East Cemetery tours, 2:30 pm, Sat. 11 am, noon, 1, 2, 3; also 4 pm Apr.–Oct. | Archway, then Bus 210, 271, or 143 to Highgate Village.

Keats House.

Here you can see the plum tree under which the young Romantic poet composed “Ode to a Nightingale,” many of his original manuscripts, his library, and other possessions he managed to acquire in his short life. It was in February 1820 that Keats coughed blood up into his handkerchief and exclaimed, “I know the color of that blood; it is arterial blood. I cannot be deceived in that color. That drop of blood is my death warrant. I must die.” He left this house in September, moved to Rome, and died of consumption there, in early 1821, at age 25. There are frequent guided tours and special events, such as poetry readings. A major refurbishment in 2009 saw the house decorated to match its original Regency Style; new exhibition spaces; and a redesign of the gardens, inspired by elements of Keats’ poetry, such as “autumn” and “nightingale.” TIP Picnics can be taken into the grounds during the summer. | Wentworth Pl., Keats Grove, Hampstead | NW3 2RR | 020/7332–3868 | www.keatshouse.cityoflondon.gov.uk | £5 | Apr.–Oct., Tues.–Sun. 1–5; Nov.–Mar., Fri.–Sun. 1–5; closed Good Friday and Christmas wk | Hampstead; North London Line overground: Hampstead Heath from Highbury & Islington.

Kenwood House.

This gracious Georgian villa was first built in 1616 and remodeled by Robert Adam between 1764 and 1779. Adam refaced most of the exterior and added the splendid library, which, with its curved painted ceiling, rather garish coloring, and gilded detailing, is the highlight of the house for decorative arts and interior design buffs. What is not to be missed here is the Iveagh Bequest, a collection of paintings that the Earl of Iveagh gave the nation in 1927, including a wonderful self-portrait by Rembrandt and works by Reynolds, Van Dyck, Hals, Gainsborough, and Turner. Top billing goes to Vermeer’s Guitar Player, considered by some to be one of the most beautiful paintings in the world. In front of the house, a graceful lawn slopes down to a little lake crossed by a trompe-l’oeil bridge—all in perfect 18th-century upper-class taste. The rest of the grounds are skirted by Hampstead Heath. TIP In summer the grounds host a series of popular and classical concerts, culminating in fireworks on the last night. A popular café, the Brew House, is part of the old coach house, and has outdoor tables in the courtyard and terraced garden. | Hampstead La., Hampstead | NW3 7JR | 020/8348–1286 | www.english-heritage.org.uk | Free | House daily except Dec. 24–26 and Jan. 1, 11:30–4. Gardens daily dawn–dusk | Golders Green, then Bus 210.

Fodor’s Choice | London Zoo.

The zoo, owned by the Zoological Society of London (a charity), opened in 1828 and peaked in popularity during the 1950s, when more than 3 million people passed through its turnstiles every year. A recent modernization