This neighbourhood encompasses the eastern portion of Highgate, as well as its historical core. Archway Road (part of the A1) stretches across the locality and is the main road artery to central London and towards the M1. Slightly hillier than its surroundings, East Highgate is crisscrossed by pedestrian paths which connect it to the other parts of suburban north London, including up to Parliament Hill as well as to Crouch Hill via Parkland and New Orleans Walk. The area is surrounded by green space, from Waterlow Park to the south, to nearby Alexandra Park to the north.

Highgate was a separate village from London up until the Victorian era. Originating around a village green at the top of a hill on the edge of the Bishop of London’s estate (today Highgate Woods), its name was first recorded when the bishop erected a tollgate in the area. In the Georgian era, Highgate would come to be populated by City workers, with many of the properties (alongside the demographic) surviving. The railways would later come to Highgate in the late-1800s, and the rest of the town would soon fill in with Victorian buildings, albeit more for selectively built than some other parts of suburban London.

Amongst Highgate’s many famous residents were the Indian politicians V.K. Krishna Menon and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. V.K. Menon was described by some as the second-most powerful man in India, after the 1st Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He was noted as being smart, forceful and eloquent, and was an ardent Indian nationalist, launching the India League in London to campaign for Indian independence.

Savarkar was also an activist for Indian independence, founding the Free India Society, and was arrested in 1910 for his connections with India House. He would die during a hunger strike, where he renounced medicines, food and water, as he said that it was better to end his life at will once one’s life mission is over and the ability to serve society gone.

Highgate station today serves the Northern line; however, the original Highgate station that sits directly above it on Archway Road was opened by the Great Northern Railway in 1867, and connected an area on the outskirts of London which was considered “remote and inaccessible”. While Highgate station today is underground, this station was above ground and is one of the best preserved abandoned Victorian railway stations in the capital. The station was closed when the line between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace was shut down. Today the tunnels of the railway track remain but are sealed off as they have become the home of an endangered bat species.

Highgate’s reputation of hosting large mansions for the ultra-rich has a solid basis, with the Witanhurst development being the second-largest private home in London after Buckingham Palace. In recent years there have also been battles over the extension of historical properties into large estates. However, the Highgate Society aims to maintain the area’s character, and residents have successfully fought the creation of massive estates as of late.

Several high-end apartment buildings have begun to crop-up around Highgate, taking advantage of their proximity to Highgate Underground station as well as the surrounding greenery. One such development is the Holly Lodge scheme on Oakshott Avenue. The development is typically small and is made up of a collection of 4 private sale and 4 Shared Ownership properties. The Highgate Neighbourhood Forum, a resident-led group, works to maintain the ecology in the neighbourhood as well as developing amenities, including relocating a library and providing better signage for pedestrians.