The Mount Cemetery

Directions to the grave of Lewis Carroll Rebekah Beatnik (Atlas Obscura User)

The Mount Cemetery (also known as Guildford Cemetery) is hidden just minutes from Guildford’s bustling High Street. Venture down the rabbit hole to explore this Victorian burial ground and you will find the grave of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the famous author of “Alice in Wonderland,” better known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll.

After wandering up the road known as “the Mount,” you enter the leafy cemetery and follow a footpath through overgrown grass, possibly startling a couple of deer grazing on the site. Despite being just a 5-minute walk from the main street, the Mount Cemetery feels like it is part of a hidden country estate miles away from any town.

After paying your respects at the graves of Lewis Carroll and his family, you can follow the footpath further along to the far end of the cemetery. In the furthest corner of the plot, behind some graves and trees, there is an old locked tower. It doesn’t quite look like a mausoleum, more like a smokestack or tiny octagonal church. This spooky Victorian structure is the Bookers Tower, reportedly used by 19th-century scientist John Rand Capron as a laboratory for his experiments with lightning.

Eerie, yet photogenic, the Mount Cemetery is an unexpected highlight of exploring Guildford.

Know Before You Go

The Mount is a very steep walk! You can also take bus #8 to a stop right next to the cemetery.

Opening times are seasonal, so be sure to check the website prior to visiting. Lewis Carroll's grave is fairly easy to spot, it is a white cross next to a tree and to the left of the church. There is a hand-made sign and a smattering of offerings nearby.