The Sign Design Society secured an exclusive lettering tour of Highgate Cemetery. Stonemason Neil Luxton gave us a guided tour of the lettering in the cemetery. Neil conducts stonemasonry workshops, and his work can be seen in monuments and headstones around the cemetery, but we thought it would be really interesting to get his views on the rich trove of lettering on view across the cemetery. The tour lasted two hours and was followed by a stop for refreshments afterwards nearby. A great way to spend a summer afternoon despite the heavy rain!
About our tour guide
Neil Luxton’s passion for master craftsmanship is in the blood. Upon leaving school, he followed in his father’s footsteps to become an apprentice stone carver. Now with over four decades’ experience as a stonemason working on private commissions from his studio in Sudbury, Suffolk and restoring listed memorials for the National Trust and English Heritage. For a quarter of a century, Neil has also been the resident stone mason at Highgate Cemetery where he and the team have created memorials on-site for the likes of playwright Anthony Shaffer, actress Jean Simmons, and impresario and iconoclast Malcolm McLaren. Alongside this Neil also shares his passion with others via his stone carving course days and talks.