This week, Year 4 had a very exciting visit from a special guest – a worker from Highgate Cemetery! As part of our current history topic, ‘Local History: Highgate Cemetery’, we’ve been exploring the history and importance of this fascinating place, which is right here in North London. The visit was a fantastic opportunity to deepen our learning and get us ready for our upcoming school trip next Tuesday.
During her visit, our guest shared lots of amazing facts and stories about Highgate Cemetery. We learned that it was built all the way back in 1839, during the Victorian era. At the time, London’s population was growing rapidly, and the city’s graveyards were becoming overcrowded. Highgate Cemetery was one of seven new cemeteries created to solve this problem – they were known as the ‘Magnificent Seven’!
We also discovered that the cemetery is divided into two parts: the East Cemetery and the West Cemetery. Each side has its own unique features, including incredible architecture, peaceful pathways, and fascinating gravestones. Some parts even feel like walking through a secret garden or an outdoor museum!
The children were especially interested to learn about the famous people buried there, such as Karl Marx and George Eliot. We talked about why these individuals are remembered and what their contributions were to literature, politics and society.
After the talk, the children had a chance to ask some really thoughtful and interesting questions, which impressed our guest very much. She said she was amazed by how much knowledge Year 4 already had – from vocabulary like Victorian, architectural, and monument to facts about local history that they’ve picked up through our lessons.
She was also incredibly impressed by the fantastic projects the children have been creating at home. From detailed research reports and creative posters to 3D models of gravestones and fact files, it’s clear that Year 4 have been working hard and really enjoying this topic. It was lovely to see the children sharing their work so proudly and explaining what they’d learned.
We are now even more excited for our trip to Highgate Cemetery next week. It will be amazing to walk through the real site, see the monuments up close and spot some of the things we’ve been learning about in class. A big well done to Year 4 for being such enthusiastic, curious and respectful learners – you are becoming fantastic historians!
