From Coleridge's house to Francis Bacon's ill-fated experiment with a frozen chicken, visitors to Highgate can now learn more about the area's historic sites.

Community leaders have been on a mission to improve the experience of tourists to the village, with a handy visitor map, self guided tours, and signposts pointing the way to landmarks such as the famous cemetery.

The latest improvement was unveiled last week - two tourist plaques, one opposite The Flask pub in Highgate West Hill, the other in Pond Square.

Points of interest include the house in The Grove where the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge spent his final years, the site of the pub where the landlord was granted a Royal coat of arms for saving the young Queen Victoria when her carriage horses bolted, and the house where philosopher Francis Bacon died of pneumonia "thought to be contracted while experimenting with preserving food by stuffing a chicken with snow".

The Mayor of Camden and Cllr Anna Wright - who has been instrumental in getting the Visit Highgate boards installed - were joined by representatives of the Highgate Society and Highgate Neighbourhood Forum, who were behind the scheme.

Highgate Society vice-chairman Michael Hammerson, his "co-conspirators" Richard Webber, who masterminded the project, and John Plews, former artistic director of Upstairs at The Gatehouse Theatre, also spoke at the unveiling.

Mr Hammerson said: "This is part of Visit Highgate's initiative to promote tourism and local history awareness in Highgate; it follows on from our tourist leaflet which we published last year.

"The event was really successful, with a good local crowd in attendance."

He was also encouraged that Haringey Council sent a representative as the society hopes to install similar boards on the Haringey side of Highgate.