Hampstead remains a very desirable area, the village ranges from wide, leafy avenues with imposing detached mansions to classically picturesque, almost medieval lanes, squares and cul-de-sacs packed with a fascinating variety of architectural styles dating back 300 years and more - many with famous historical literary connections. Trendy shops and arty cafes line the High Street while still maintaining picturesque charm. Hampstead Heath, with its hilly mixture of woodlands, gardens, and pastures, provides an oasis from surrounding urban stresses.

Local History

The Hampstead area has a long and distinguished history. Hampstead was first mentioned in a charter of King Edgar (10th Century).

During the Great Plague, the Courts of Law were transferred to Hampstead and this is reflected in the names of more prominent groves like 'Judge's Walk' and 'Kings Bench Avenue'. At the time, judges and barristers were forced to camp out under canvasses because accommodation was so scarce.

The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed 436 acres, or four-fifths, of the old city of London. While the more prosperous were able to load their belongings into wagons or bargers and escape into the countryside, many of the common class were forced to leave their belongings behind and head to Hampstead Heath. It was here that the government set up a relief center where they improvised tents and hutted camps as well as they could.

Come 1698 when its springs were discovered, Hampstead Heath became a spa, and one of the more fashionable areas of London. These springs were said to have special medicinal qualities, and Hone once described Hampstead Heath as 'the place of groves'. Hampstead has always been a favourite haunt for writers, poets, and artists. Even Glenda Jackson, the area's current MP, was an actress at one point. The Kit-Kat Club met at the Upper Flask on East Heath Road. Members and visitors included such literary giants as Steele, Shelley, Pope and Keats. Dickens frequently referred to the Heath in his writings and paid many visits to Jack Straw's Castle. The slope of Hampstead put off both Victorian speculators and rail companies, saving it from being destroyed by the rapid industrialization that swept through London during the Industrial Revolution.

The Heath was fought over in series of long, drawn-out disputes between local inhabitants and Sir Thomas Maryon Wilson, the Lord of the Manor who introduced 15 parliamentary bills, trying to build over it. The legal quarrel lasted from 1831 when it was finally decided that the Heath should belong to the public. It is still a popular place, and up to 100,000 visitors have been recorded on Bank Holidays.

Canon Hall, 1720 once the home of Magistrates also used as the Courthouse - The Old Village lock up is still in Cannon Lane.

Architecture

Heath St also leads, on the south side, to the splendid terraces (some Queen Anne) in Church Row, past the ancient St John's Parish Church and Frognal Garden's, to Frognal - one of the oldest roads in Hampstead, and the site of University College School. There are some magnificent hidden 'pan handle' properties in this area.

Further south are the very large houses in Fitzjohns Avenue, many of which have been converted into schools, B & Bs and clinics. Maresfield Gardens also has large houses, the new Freud Museum in the house where Sigmund Freud died in 1939, and UCS's sister school South Hampstead High. Some of these homes are now luxury flats.

Look out, too, for terraced houses and flats in the Vale of Health, an exclusive enclave on the heath itself. Once known as Hatche's Bottom, the land was drained in 1777 and a few houses are Georgian.