There hasn’t been much in the way of Young Bond news of late, so I thought I’d offer fans a closer look at one of the “dark corner” locations in Charlie Higson’s Double or Die, Highgate Cemetery. For U.S. readers, this will be a preview, as Double or Die isn’t due for release in the U.S. until April. That U.S. edition, by the way, will feature Kev Walker cover art of a key scene set in this spooky London cemetery.

(Portions of the following are from Wikipedia and PraireGhosts.com.)

Highgate did not start out as a cemetery. In the late 1600’s, the grounds were part of an estate owned by Sir William Ashhurst, who had built his home on the outskirts of a small, isolated hilltop community called Highgate. By 1836, the mansion had been sold, demolished and then replaced by a church. The grounds themselves were turned into a cemetery that was consecrated in 1839 as part of an initiative to provide seven large, modern cemeteries (known as the "Magnificent Seven") in a ring round the outside of London.

Highgate soon became a fashionable place for burials and was much admired and visited. The Victorian attitude to death and its presentation led to the creation of a wealth of Gothic tombs and buildings. In 1854, the area to the east of the original area across Swains Lane was purchased to form the eastern part of the cemetery. This part is still used today for burials, as is the Western part.

The cemetery's grounds are full of old-growth trees, shrubbery and wildflowers that are a haven for birds and small animals like foxes. The Circle of Lebanon (topped by a huge Cedar of Lebanon) feature tombs, vaults and winding paths dug into hillsides. The Victorian fascination with discoveries of ancient Egyptian treasures pervades Highgate Cemetery. Nowhere is this more evident than at the exquisite “Egyptian Avenue.”

As the decades passed, hard times came to Highgate. The owners steadily lost money and the monuments, statues, crypts and markers soon became covered with undergrowth and began to fall into disrepair. By the end of World War II, which saw an occasional German bomb landing on the burial ground, the deterioration of the place was out of control.

If there was ever a location that was perfect for a Gothic thriller, Highgate was the place. Dark visions were created from the crumbling stone angels, lost graves and the tombs ravaged by both time and the elements. As the cemetery continued to fall, trees grew slowly through the graves, uprooting the headstones. Dense foliage and growth gave the place the look of a lost city. Although paths were eventually cleared, nature still maintained its hold on Highgate and in such a setting, occultists and thrill seekers began to appear.

In 1970 the “Highgate Vampire” was blamed for the mysterious deaths of several foxes. Soon scores of “vampire hunters” regularly converged on the graveyard in the dead of night. Tombs were broken open and bodies were mutilated with wooden stakes driven into their chests. These stolen corpses, turning up in strange places, continuously startled local residents. One horrified neighbor to the cemetery discovered a headless body propped behind the steering wheel of his car one morning!

Highgate Cemetery continues to hold a fascination for visitors, including for ghost hunters. There have been a number of spirit sightings here, including that of a skeletal figure seen lurking near the main entrance. There is also a white, shrouded figure that has been seen staring into the distance, seemingly oblivious to the surroundings. However, if anyone tries to approach it, it vanishes and reappears in a nearby spot. Witnesses also claim to have seen a tall, thin figure in a black, wide-brimmed hat. This phantom has been seen fading into the high wall that surrounds the grounds. Another, more elusive ghost, is said to be that of a madwoman who prowls among the graves searching for the resting places of the children she murdered.

A dark corner indeed!