"The nicest cemetery in London" To alleviate the acute shortage of burial grounds in the capital, Parliament passed a bill in 1832 encouraging the establishment of seven private cemeteries in a ring around outer London. These are known today as the Magnificent Seven. The first to open, in 1832, was Kensal Green, followed by West Norwood (1837), Highgate Cemetery (1839), Nunhead (1840), Brompton (1840), Abney Park (1840), and Tower Hamlets (1841), The cemetery in Falling Angels is based on Highgate Cemetery, which is considered the finest of the seven cemeteries for its landscaping and unusual funerary architecture. Features include an area of family vaults based around a Cedar of Lebanon, as well as an "Egyptian Avenue" of vaults, complete with obelisks and lotus-flower columns. CLOSE WINDOW