Hampstead Hampstead Haggerston Category="Camden"Category="Districts of London"
For other places with the same name, see Hampstead (disambiguation).

Hampstead
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:Maps for TQ265855
Administration
London borough:Camden
Area:Greater London
Region:London
Nation:England
Other
Ceremonial county:Greater London
Traditional county:Middlesex
Police force:Metropolitan Police
Post office and telephone
Post town:LONDON
Postcode:NW3
Dialling code:020
Politics
UK Parliament:Hampstead and Highgate
London Assembly:Barnet and Camden
European Parliament:London
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Hampstead is a place in the London Borough of Camden and near to Hampstead Heath. It is a suburban development located 4 miles (6.4 km) north west of Charing Cross.

History

Although early records of Hampstead can be found in a grant by King Ethelred the Unready to the monastery of St. Peter’s at Westminster (AD 986) and it is referred to in the Domesday Book (1086), the history of Hampstead is generally traced back to the 17th century.

Trustees of the Well started advertising the medicinal qualities of the chalybeate waters (water impregnated with iron) in 1700. Although Hampstead Wells was initially successful, its popularity declined in the 1800s due to competition with other London spas. The spa was demolished in 1882, although a water fountain was left behind.

Hampstead started to expand following the opening of the North London Railway in the 1860s (now the North London Line operated by Silverlink), and expanded further after the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway opened in 1907 (now part of the Northern Line) and provided fast travel to central London.

Much luxurious housing was created during the 1870s and 1880s, in the area that is now the political ward of Fitzjohns & Frognal. Much of this housing remains to this day.

During the 1900s, a number of notable buildings were created. These include:

Of these, the Hampstead Theatre relocated in 2003 (increasing capacity from 140 to 325 seats) and the leisure centre was closed for rebuilding in 2003.

Though now considered an integral part of London, Hampstead has retained much of its village charm.

Politics

Hampstead became part of the County of London in 1888 and in 1899 the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead was formed. The borough town hall, on Rosslyn Hill, because it was also the location of the Registry Office, can be seen in newsreel footage of many celebrity civil marriages. In 1965 the metropolitan borough was merged with the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn and the Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras to form the modern-day London Borough of Camden.

Hampstead is part of the Hampstead and Highgate constituency and since 1992 the member of parliament has been the former actress Glenda Jackson of the Labour Party.

Famous Residents

Hampstead has long been known as a residence of actors, artists, writers, and intellectuals. Famous past inhabitants have included John Keats, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sigmund Freud, John Constable, A.J. Ayer, George Orwell, Edward Elgar, Peter Cook and Dusty Springfield.

Hampstead is currently home to Billie Whitelaw, Anthony Minghella, Boy George, Constantine II of Greece, Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), Fredrik Ljungberg, George Michael, Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes, Jamie Oliver, Kate Winslet, John le Carré, Liam Gallagher, Mel C. (Sporty Spice), Michael Foot, Rachel Stevens, Robert Pirès, Thierry Henry, and Peter O'Toole.

Sites

To the north and east of Hampstead, and separating it from Highgate, is London's largest ancient parkland, Hampstead Heath, which includes the well-known and legally-protected view of the London skyline from Parliament Hill. The Heath, an major place for Londoners to walk and "take the air", has three open-air public swimming ponds; one for men, one for women, and one for mixed bathing, which were originally reservoirs for drinking water and part of the River Fleet.

Local activities include major open-air concerts on summer Saturday evenings on the slopes below Kenwood House, book and poetry readings, fun fairs on the lower reaches of the Heath, period harpsichord recitals at Fenton House, Hampstead Scientific Society and Hampstead Photographic Society.

The largest single place of employment in Hampstead is the Royal Free Hospital on Pond Street, but many small businesses based in the area have international significance. George Martin's Air recording studios, in converted church premises on Lyndhurst Road, is a current example, as Jim Henson's Creature Shop was, before it relocated to California.

The area has some remarkable examples of architecture, one being the Isokon building on Lawn Road, a Grade I Listed experiment in collective housing, once home to the likes of Agatha Christie, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson and Walter Gropius. It was recently restored by Notting Hill Housing Trust.

Museums

Pubs

Hampstead is well known for its restaurants and famously traditional pubs, such as the Holly Bush (which was gas lit until recently), the Spaniard's Inn , The Old Bull & Bush and the White Bear. Jack Straw's Castle on the edge of the Heath has now been converted into residential flats.

Schools

Main article: List of schools in Hampstead

Nearby

Nearest places:

Nearest tube stations:

Nearest railway station:

Nearest hospital:

External links