The Cemetery of St. James was consecrated by the Bishop of London in 1839 to deal with a dreadful problem. It seemed that the city of London, which was continuing to grow at an incredible rate, was running out of the space needed in which to store its dead. Local church graveyards were overflowing and this lead to some strange and unsavory practices, such as body stacking and grave robbing. In order to combat this problem, private cemeteries opened and for the first time citizens could be charged for burial. This was nothing short of a revolution in burial practices, as this, was unheard of in Victorian society. In the true capitalist tradition it was accepted with open arms by the rich and disdained by the poor. St. James's was to be London's most spectacular cemetery, and was situated in the northern part of London known as Highgate. Laid out over seventeen acres, and built at the height of the gothic tradition, St. James's or soon to be more commonly known as Highgate, was to be a grand Victorian celebration of death. Highgate was and still is full of elaborately designed crypts and vaults, which today are encased in a jungle of overgrowth. Grave stones were adorned with angels and life size busts of its occupants . It is also rumored that Bram Stoker wandered the overgrown paths that intertwine the maze that is Highgate, for inspiration.
Today, Highgate cemetery is divided into two halves by Swains Lane. The eastern half of the cemetery is still in use today, with several burials a week, while the western half is closed to the public, except for guided tours. Guided tours, which over the last few years have become very popular, making Highgate a tourist attraction. Despite its gothic architecture and the icons that are buried there, something else, something sinister, accounts for the public's interest in this now world famous cemetery. Something Undead.
The first stirrings that something strange was afoot in Highgate began in the winter of 1967, when two school girls walking home along Swains Lane witnessed something unearthly. As the girls passed the north gate of the cemetery they both witnessed graves open and bodies rise from them. The vision, which was utterly terrifying, abruptly ended when both girls broke the deathly silence and screamed. After the encounter one of the girls, Elizabeth Wojdyla, reported having strange nightmares in which a malevolent presence with a white corpselike face tried to enter her bedroom. This undead creature became known as the The Highgate Vampire.
The next report to surface also occurred at the north gate when a courting couple witnessed what could only be described as a monster in the shadows. Standing near the railings was a tall figure dressed in black, who's face could only be described as a mask of evil. The girl let out a scream upon seeing the figure, and it retreated into the blackness of the cemetery. It is rumoured that the Vampire of Highgate cemetery has a geocache full of treasure, no need to bring anything to add to this cache, if you can find it the treasure is yours.
Located in the 'public' eastern part of the cemetery (cost 2 pounds to enter) lies the vampires cache, hidden just off the path, behind an overgrown tombstone and a tree. Solve the clues to find the location of the cache.
Find the Tombstones of the Vampires victims, fill in the blanks, as they will lead you to the final resting place of the cache.
Every thing you need to find the cache is in these pictures.
Remember to pack your Garlic, silver cross and a wooden stake...Check the offical website for opening times.