Mausoleum of Julius Beer in Highgate (Western) Cemetery is a Grade II* listed building in the Camden local planning authority area, England. First listed on 14 May 1974. A Victorian Mausoleum.

Mausoleum of Julius Beer in Highgate (Western) Cemetery

WRENN ID
low-marble-bone
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Camden
Constituency
Hampstead and Highgate MP: Tulip Siddiq (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
14 May 1974
Type
Mausoleum
Period
Victorian
Address
Mausoleum of Julius Beer in Highgate (Western) Cemetery, Swains Lane
OS grid reference
TQ 283 871
Coordinates
51.56864, -0.14971
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Mausoleum of Julius Beer is located in Highgate (Western) Cemetery and was built around 1878. It was designed by William Oscar Wilford Bouwens van der Boijen and constructed by John Oldrid Scott, inspired by the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The structure is made of stone and has a square plan. It features channelled clasping pilasters that support rusticated Diocletian windows, which have continuous hoodmoulds and antefixae. Above these windows rises a pyramidal roof, designed to resemble tiles, adorned with oculi and a cross finial. The panels beneath the windows are accented with Ionic pilasters. The architraved doorway includes a cornice and an inscription reading "Mausoleum of Julius Beer" in a panel below, with bronze doors made by Farmer & Brindley.

Inside, the mausoleum is styled in the Quattrocento manner, showcasing marble carvings by HH Armstead. It contains two sarcophagi, with Beer's sarcophagus positioned opposite the entrance, featuring a swagged frieze in front of a round-arched high relief panel that depicts an angel raising a winged child. This scene is framed by paired Corinthian columns on pedestals, topped with an enriched dentil entablature. The interior is illuminated by patterned stained glass windows.

Historically, Julius Beer was a wealthy figure who made his fortune in the Stock Exchange and owned The Observer newspaper. He passed away in 1880, having purchased the plot and commissioned the architect in 1876.

Local climate

Mausoleum of Julius Beer in Highgate (Western) Cemetery sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 680 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 99% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 99% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 29 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 66% of listed buildings. Of these, 13 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

Sign in or create a free account to unlock:

  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • No related consent applications matched
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Create free account

Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.

Similar buildings

The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.

See all similar buildings →

this building   1 similar   nearby listed buildings

Nearby listed buildings

  1. Monument to Harvey Brown in Highgate (Western) Cemetery Grade II 16 m
  2. The Catacombs and Terrace in Highgate (Western) Cemetery Grade II* 16 m
  3. Mausoleum of Henry Eaton, Lord Cheylesmore in Highgate (Western) Cemetery Grade II 20 m
  4. The Egyptian Avenue and Lebanon Circle (Inner and Outer Circles),Highgate Western Cemetery Grade I 21 m
  5. Monument to Mrs Henry Wood in Highgate (Western) Cemetery Grade II 32 m
  6. Monument to Federick Ibbetson in Highgate (Western) Cemetery Grade II 33 m
  7. Monument to John Maple in Highgate (Western) Cemetery Grade II 36 m
  8. Mausoleum of Carl Rosa in Highgate (Western) Cemetery Grade II 36 m
  9. Monument to Sampson Copestake Grade II 38 m
  10. Monument to Mrs Esther Uzielli in Highgate (Western) Cemetery Grade II 42 m