London/Hampstead

Hampstead is a district of north inner London. The key sights are a wealth of under-stated historical attractions, and the magnificent open spaces of Hampstead Heath. Kenwood House is one of the most accessible of London's great Regency homes, John Keats has a museum devoted to his life and work at his former residence here, and the inspiration for many of John Constable's landscapes is all around you on Hampstead Heath. Combine those with some of the most interesting historical pubs in the whole city, and a vibrant restaurant and cafe scene, and Hampstead really does have much to offer the visitor.

Understand
Hampstead Village, with its myriad restaurants, old pubs and cafes, is an agreeable place to spend a day or two. The area retains much of its original village character, and Hampstead High St alone houses no fewer than 18 grade II listed buildings. This is one of the wealthiest sections of the city's inner boroughs, full of stately neighbourhoods and grand historic houses. You will also find  some interesting, non-mainstream shopping, several repertory theatres and one of the best arthouse cinemas in London.

The nearby vast, open green spaces of Hampstead Heath are a major attraction for Londoners, but relatively few visitors know much about this wonderful remnant of countryside in the centre of London.

Hampstead is a district of great literary, artistic and thespian traditions, and former residents include Kingsley Amis, William Blake, John Constable, Ian Fleming, William Hogarth, John Keats, Anna Pavlova and Alfred Tennyson. Those traditions continue today, and Hampstead is the home of choice for many actors, musicians, writers and media personalities. The residents of Hampstead are acutely aware of the history of the neighbourhood they live in, and any changes in this area are subject to rigorous discussion, and often protest.

Belsize Park is in many ways a southward extension of Hampstead Village, and is made up of many similarly grand residential streets with the odd gem of a restaurant. This is also home to one of the largest and most famous hospitals in London, the Royal Free.

The western reaches of Highgate in the Dartmouth Park area, are inside the Hampstead district, and include the important tourist attraction of Highgate Cemetery, which houses the grave of Karl Marx among other notables.

Primrose Hill is a quiet, stately, residential area in the south of the district bordering Regent's Park. Due to the lack of through roads for traffic, this area seems miles away from the general rush and bustle of London, and forms something of an oasis of calm in what is a very central area.

West Hampstead is less grand, and was traditionally a blue-collar housing neighbourhood. Inevitably though, gentrification from about 1990 onwards changed all that, and the area is now a favoured residential area by young professionals. Aside from some budget accommodation, there is little of interest for the visitor here though.

By tube
The district is served by the following tube stations, in zones 2 or 3:
 * Hampstead (Northern Line) – Zones 2+3
 * Belsize Park (Northern Line) – Zone 2
 * Chalk Farm (Northern Line) – Zone 2
 * Golders Green (Northern Line) – Zone 3
 * Swiss Cottage (Jubilee Line) – Zone 2
 * Finchley Road (Jubilee Line and Metropolitan Line) – Zone 2
 * West Hampstead (Jubilee Line and Overground) – Zone 2

By train
Hampstead is reachable via Thameslink trains and the London Overground.



By London Overground
Three London Overground lines run through the area:
 * Mildmay line (formerly North London line (NLL)) – from Richmond to Stratford via Willesden Junction and Highbury & Islington
 * Suffragette line (nicknamed the GOBLIN) – from Gospel Oak to Barking via Blackhorse Road
 * Lioness line (formerly Watford DC) – from Watford Junction to London Euston

Hampstead Heath and Gospel Oak stations are both convenient stops for visiting Hampstead Heath.



Further west in the district, the Overground also stops at Finchley Road & Frognal and West Hampstead which are both on the Mildmay line.

Finchley Road
Finchley Rd is a major bus route through London. Bus numbers 13, 82 and 139 all originate in central London and pass along the length of Finchley Rd, allowing easy access to Swiss Cottage and West Hampstead.

By road
The best advice for any visitors wishing to drive into Hampstead is, don't. This is a largely residential area, and there is virtually no on-street parking available. Residents-only parking spaces are guarded very jealously. With the public transport links being very good, there is little need for any visitor to drive into the district.

If you do insist on driving, there is a public car park on the south eastern edge of Hampstead Heath accessed from East Heath Rd, and this is convenient for visiting the heath. The "easiest" (the term must be used relatively as all routes are congested) routes in from central London are:


 * A41 north from Marylebone Rd at Baker St. The A41 becomes Finchley Rd in this district.
 * A4200 (Eversholt St) north from Euston Station to Camden High St, and then the A502 which runs through the heart of the district as first Chalk Farm Rd, then Haverstock Hill and then Hampstead High St.

Coming from the north, the A41, A502 and A598 all connect to the district from the A406 North Circular Rd, and thus from the M1 motorway.

Get around
Much of the district, particularly in Hampstead Village and Hampstead Heath, lends itself beautifully to walking.

See


Many of the key historical sights are in a cluster within a ten-minute walk of Hampstead tube station and therefore easily covered on foot. If you are planning a full day in the area, a morning visit to Hampstead Heath followed by lunch in Hampstead Village and then an exploration of the historical attractions makes for a good itinerary.











Hampstead Heath
Totalling 320 hectares this is the largest green space in the inner districts of London.

Hampstead Heath, or just the Heath as locals call it, is not a park and has a very different character to the highly manicured Royal Parks in central London. This is a remnant of the great Middlesex Wood that has somehow survived as common land as the metropolis grew around it, and in that sense, it is very unique. Its proximity to, and ease of access from, densely populated urban areas of London, have ensured that Hampstead Heath has a special place in the hearts of Londoners.



The heath has much to offer to the visitor, but is generally not that well known as being a tourist attraction. If you are in the city and simply want some fresh air and calm natural surroundings, there is no better choice than jumping on the tube and coming for an early morning walk here. Both Hampstead and Belsize Park tube stations are about 10-minute walk from the heath. The North London Line rail station Hampstead Heath is right on the southwestern tip of the heath.

Hampstead Heath is administered by the City of London Corporation, and it is worth visiting their website, where there are useful trail maps and other visitor information.

Cultural inspirations
Like so many other iconic landscapes, Hampstead Heath has inspired a great many works of art from all disciplines, with some of the more notable being:
 * John Constable painted numerous landscapes both from sitting on the upper level of his house at the nearby Well Walk, and from on the heath itself. As you take in the splendid vistas over the heath, it is not difficult to see how Constable was so inspired here.
 * John Keats composed his great Ode to a Nightingale whilst sitting at the Spaniard's Inn and hearing the sound of a nightingale on the heath. The nightingales have sadly gone, but the heath still has a very healthy wild bird population.
 * CS Lewis was inspired to write The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe whilst wandering Hampstead Heath on a snowy winter's day.
 * In contemporary literature, Hampstead Heath is the setting for the village of Ham in Will Self's superb The Book of Dave.
 * The cult movie Scenes of a Sexual Nature was shot entirely on Hampstead Heath.

Orientation
Hampstead Heath is a large space, and visitors may find it useful to compartmentalise the different sections.


 * The main part of Hampstead Heath is bounded by Spaniards Rd and Hampstead Lane to the north, Highgate Rd to the east, the North London railway line to the south, and East Heath Rd and Spaniards Rd (again) to the east. A line of ponds runs along each side of the heath here: Highgate Ponds on the eastern side, Hampstead Ponds on the western side. The northern part of this section is occupied by Kenwood House, looked after by English Heritage and the only part of the heath not administered by the City of London Corporation. Parliament Hill forms the southern part of this section.
 * West Heath is across Spaniards Rd and North End Rd from the main section, and includes Golder's Hill Park, The Pergola and The Hill Garden, as well as large tracts of mature oak, hornbeam and birch woodland.
 * Sandy Heath is northwest of Spaniard's Rd and consists mostly of beautiful, mature oak woodland.
 * The Hampstead Heath Extension is north of Sandy Heath bordering suburban Golders Green, and consists mostly of sports pitches. Older locals still call this area the "gunsite" as it was exactly that during World War II, and was not cleared until the 1960s.

Specific attractions on Hampstead Heath










Do
Given its reputation as a centre of the arts, it is no surprise that Hampstead is home to three of London's better known repertory theatres and a truly top-class arthouse cinema. Evenings here certainly focus around those performing arts activities. One-off performances (sometimes at unusual venues) are also far from uncommon, so check local listings. A good place to look is the local weekly newspaper, the Hampstead and Highgate Express.



Buy
Hampstead Village has long been known as a home of off-beat, independent shops. Sadly, that is less the case today than previously as spiralling rents have forced many independent retailers out of the area. Some do remain though, and the keen shopper will be rewarded by exploring the small lanes that lead off the main streets here.

Hampstead High St, Heath St, Rosslyn Hill and Haverstock Hill have a number of mid and upper market boutiques including Nicole Farhi, Gap, Karen Millen, Nine West, Kurt Geiger and Molton Brown.

The usual suspects among British high street retailers are well represented in the Finchley Rd and Swiss Cottage area.



Eat
Hampstead Village and Belsize Park are well known for a wide selection of quality restaurants and cafes. The local resident population here is notably demanding, so any places that make it long term will be serving good food and providing good service. The daytime sees a cafe culture perhaps as strong as anywhere in London, and in the evening, restaurants attract visitors fom all over London, as well as neighbourhood locals.

Elsewhere in the district, Primrose Hill has its own eating sub-culture centre around some chic outlets on Gloucester Avenue, and London's oldest vegetarian restaurant nearby. The West Hampstead and Swiss Cottage area has some good local restaurants.

Budget




Drink
Historic pubs are widespread in this district and visitors will have few problems finding a good quality, rewarding option. A vintage of 200 years is by no means unusual for such establishments and many have colourful stories to tell.

This is not a district with any regular after hours nightlife, but it is not far down the hill to the neighbouring areas of Camden Town and King's Cross where there are many late bar and dance club options.

Hampstead Village and around
Among Hampstead's many pubs are a few traditional jewels, including:







Elsewhere




Sleep
This is not a district well known for its accommodation options and few visitors stay here. The hotels that are available tend to be in the south of the district, although Hampstead Village itself does have a couple of good quality bed and breakfast options which are very much off the regular tourist path. In West Hampstead, there is a small cluster of budget bed and breakfast options.



Stay safe
This is a comparatively safe district of London, it is also rather upper-class populated. You are however still in the city, so be sensible, especially after dark. If you do run into any difficulties, the nearest police station is:



Go next

 * Camden Town with its wonderfully eclectic markets and shops, is just a couple of stops south on the Northern Line.
 * From the south of the district, you can easily walk to Oxford Street and elsewhere in the West End, through the lovely Regent's Park.