Hampstead
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hampstead is an area of London, England, located 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is in the London Borough of Camden, and is thus considered part of Inner London. It is known for its intellectual, artistic, musical and literary associations and for the large and hilly parkland Hampstead Heath. It is also home to some of the most expensive housing in the London area, or indeed anywhere in the world, with large houses regularly listed for sale at over twenty million pounds sterling (about US$40 million in 2008). The village of Hampstead has more millionaires within its boundaries than any other area of Britain.[1]
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[edit] 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 most successful and fashionable, its popularity declined in the 1800s due to competition with other fashionable 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 London Overground with passenger services operated by Transport for London), and expanded further after the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway opened in 1907 (now part of London Underground's 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 Frognal & Fitzjohns. Much of this housing remains to this day.
During the 20th Century, a number of notable buildings were created. These include:
- Hampstead tube station (1907), incidentally the deepest station on the entire Underground network;
- Isokon building (1932)
- Hillfield Court (1932)
- 2 Willow Road (1938)
- Hampstead Theatre (1962)
- Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre (1964)
- Swiss Cottage Central Library (1964)
- Royal Free Hospital (1974)
Of these, the Hampstead Theatre relocated in 2003 to the present Swiss Cottage site (increasing capacity from 140 to 325 seats) and the Swiss Cottage leisure centre was closed for rebuilding in 2003 and reopened in 2006.
Cultural attractions in the area include the Freud Museum, Keats' House, Kenwood House, Fenton House, The Isokon building, and the Camden Arts Centre. The large Victorian Hampstead Library and Town Hall was recently converted and extended as a creative industries centre.
Though now considered an integral part of London, Hampstead has retained much of its village atmosphere and charm, with Hampstead High Street playing a vital role in the day to day life of a Hampsteadian.
On 14 August 1975 Hampstead entered the UK Weather Records with the Highest 155-min total rainfall at 169 mm. As of July 2006 this record remains.
Mark Pevsner, the grandson of Sir Nicholas Pevsner, famously described Hampstead as "a large collection of roads and passages which don't go in straight lines, houses of different ages, many of them good architecture but more often it's just the way they fit together, full of nice vistas and surprises. Hampstead is a huge collection of twists and turns."[2]
[edit] Politics
Hampstead became part of the County of London in 1889 and in 1899 the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead was formed. The borough town hall on Haverstock Hill, which 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 abolished and is former area merged with that of 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.
The area has a significant tradition of educated liberal humanism, sometimes referred to (occasionally disparagingly) as "Hampstead Liberalism".
The area is also home to the left-wing Labour magazine, Tribune and the satirical magazine the Hampstead Village Voice.
[edit] Notable current and former residents
Hampstead has long been known as a residence of the intelligentsia, including writers, composers, and intellectuals, actors, artists and architects — many of whom created a bohemian community in the late 19th century. In the 1930s it became base to a community of avant garde artists and writers and was host to a number of émigrés and exiles from Nazi Europe.
Famous past inhabitants have included:
- Sir Kingsley Amis— novelist and poet[3]
- Martin Amis—writer; son of Kingsley
- Sir Alan Ayckbourn - playwright
- Sir A. J. Ayer — philosopher, philanderer
- Michael Ayrton – artist, sculptor, painter
- Nigel Balchin – writer, psychologist
- Sir Arnold Bax — impressionist composer [4]
- Cecil Beaton — society man, fashion photographer, style icon[5]
- John S. Beckett — musician, composer and conductor
- Sybille Bedford — writer, essayist [6]
- Sir Isaiah Berlin— philosopher, historian of ideas, man of letters[7]
- Sir John Betjeman—poet[8]
- William Blake — poet, painter, writer, mystic[9]
- Arthur Bliss — composer
- Dirk Bogarde — actor [10]
- Arthur Boyd — Australian painter and sculptor[11]
- Marcel Breuer — modernist Hungarian architect and refugee
- Sir Richard Burton — explorer[12]
- Richard Burton—Hollywood actor[13]
- Lord Byron — poet[14]
- Elias Canetti — nobel prize winning novelist[15]
- John le Carré — author[16]
- Dame Agatha Christie — author[17]
- Lord Clark— art-historian
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge— romantic poet and philosopher[18]
- John Constable — artist [19]
- Peter Cook — writer and comedian[20]
- Milein Cosman — artist
- Charles Dickens — author[21]
- Jacqueline du Pré — cellist[22]
- Daphne du Maurier[23]
- Sir Edward Elgar — composer[24]
- T. S. Eliot — poet
- Sir William Empson— poet and renowned man of letters[25]
- Marianne Faithfull[26]
- Ian Fleming — author, creator of James Bond[27]
- John Fowles — novelist, lived on Church Row for many years[28]
- Anna Freud[29]
- Lucian Freud — artist
- Sigmund Freud — psychoanalyst and philosopher[30]
- Naum Gabo — artist[31]
- John Galsworthy—Nobel Prize winning novelist[32]
- Hugh Gaitskell — renowned leader of the Labour Party (1955-63)[33]
- Ernő Goldfinger — architect[34]
- Sir Ernst Gombrich — art historian, man of letters [35]
- Walter Gropius — architect and designer[36]
- Thom Gunn — poet[37]
- Audrey Hepburn — actress
- Barbara Hepworth[38]
- Freddie Highmore— actor
- Elizabeth Jane Howard— novelist and actress [39]
- Sir Andrew Huxley — nobel laureate [40]
- Aldous Huxley — novelist, spiritualist
- Leigh Hunt — romantic poet[41]
- Mahomed Ali Jinnah founding father of Pakistan and a notable barrister [42]
- Samuel Johnson— poet, aphorist, essayist, biographer, lexicographer, wit - typically known as 'Dr Johnson' [43]
- John Keats — poet[44]
- Hans Keller — musician and writer[45]
- Lillie Langtry[46]
- Doris Lessing nobel prize winning novelist[47]
- D. H. Lawrence — author[48]
- Berthold Lubetkin[49]
- Anna Mahler — sculpturess and daughter of composer Gustav Mahler[50]
- Ramsay MacDonald— former Prime Minister [51]
- Lord Yehudi Menuhin — violinist, conductor, child-prodigy, virtuoso [52]
- A. A. Milne — author of "Winnie the Pooh"[53]
- Sir Jonathan Miller[54]
- Lee Miller — photographer, fashion model, actress, war correspondent [55]
- Piet Mondrian[56]
- Henry Moore — sculptor[57]
- Marie-Louise Von Motesiczky — expressionist painter[58]
- Florence Nightingale — humanitarian[59]
- George Orwell — author[60]
- Peter O'Toole —[61]
- Lady Jane Bailey Paget[62]
- Anna Pavlova — ballerina[63]
- Sir Roger Penrose — mathematician, theoretical physicist, philosopher, attended UCS[64]
- Roland Penrose — artist and curator, surrealist, founder of the ICA[65]
- J. B. Priestley — author[66]
- Charles Saatchi— billionaire advertising executive and sponsor of the contemporary arts[67]
- Percy Bysshe Shelley— poet and romantic [68]
- Sir Percy Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke — Governor of the Seychelles, 1947–1951[69]
- Stephen Spender — poet, man of letters, grew up in Frognal Gardens and schooled at UCS[70]
- Robert Louis Stevenson [71]
- Marie Stopes —world-renowned feminist and campaigner for birth-control [72]
- Elizabeth Taylor— actress [73]
- Eric Thompson — actor, producer, father of Sophie Thompson and Emma Thompson; married to Phyllida Law.
- Evelyn Waugh — author[74]
- H. G. Wells — author[75]
- Richard Wollheim — renowned philosopher of art
- William Wordsworth — poet[76]
- Thierry Henry — football player[77]
- Sir Neil Shields— financier[78]
- Saul Hudson (Slash) — musician
- Bob Hoskins — actor
Hampstead is currently and has been recently home to:
- Constantine II of Greece— the (now deposed) King of Greece[79]
- Alfred Brendel— world-famous classical pianist[80]
- Stephen Kovacevich—world-famous classical pianist, best known for his Brahms sonatas[81]
- Rachel Weisz[82]
- Gwyneth Paltrow
- Ki Longfellow, novelist
- Russell Crowe
- Peter O'Toole
- Freddie Highmore
- Boy George
- Michael Foot[83]
- Stephen Fry — writer, actor, comedian and filmmaker
- Hugh Grant
- Hugh Laurie
- George Michael
- Jonathan Ross
- Ricky Gervais
- Tim Burton
- Helena Bonham-Carter— actress [84]
- Stephen Merchant
- Jeremy Irons
- Sienna Miller
- Jamie Oliver - TV Chef
- Jude Law
- Fiona Bruce
- Brad Pitt
- Michael Palin
- Tim Roth
- Sting
- Freddie Ljungberg - Footballer
- Ralph Fiennes
- Aliaksandr Hleb
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Emma Thompson
- Francesc Fabregas
- Kate Winslet
- Chris Evans
- Russell Brand - comedian, actor, dj and tv presenter.
- David Walliams - Little Britain comedian
- Jon Culshaw - BBC Radio 4 comedian
- Rachel Stevens - S Club 7
- Jon Sopel
- Robin van Persie
- Theo Walcott
- Myleene Klass - TV Presenter
- Geri Halliwell - Spice Girls
- Melanie Chisholm - Singer
- Emma Bunton - Spice Girls
- Patrick Viera - Footballer
- Jake Maskall
- Richard Wilson
- Liam Gallagher - Oasis
- Craig David
- Sacha Baron Cohen - aka Ali G & Borat
- Mark Banin - Poker Player
- Sarah Harding - Girls Aloud
[edit] 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, a 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 in Pond Street, but many small businesses based in the area have international significance. George Martin's Air recording studios, in converted church premises in 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 in 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.
[edit] Museums
- Fenton House
- Freud Museum
- Hampstead Museum / Burgh House
- Keats' House
- Kenwood House
[edit] Places of Interest
[edit] Pubs
Hampstead is well known for its traditional pubs, such as the Holly Bush (which was gas lit until recently), the Spaniard's Inn (where highwayman Dick Turpin took refuge), The Old Bull and Bush and Ye Olde White Bear. Jack Straw's Castle on the edge of the Heath has now been converted into residential flats. Others include:
- Freemasons Arms
- The Duke of Hamilton
- Ye Olde White Bear
- The Holly Bush
- The Three Horseshoes
- King William IV
- The Magdala, where Ruth Ellis killed her lover.
[edit] Restaurants
Hampstead has an eclectic mix of restaurants ranging from French to Thai. Notable and longstanding are The Gaucho Grill, Jin kichi, Tip Top Thai, Al Casbah and Le Cellier du Midi.
[edit] Schools
[edit] Transport
[edit] Nearest places
- Belsize Park
- Chalk Farm
- Childs Hill
- Frognal
- Golders Green
- Highgate
- Primrose Hill
- Regent's Park
- South Hampstead
- St John's Wood
- Swiss Cottage
- West Hampstead
[edit] Nearest tube stations
- Hampstead tube station
- Belsize Park tube station
- Swiss Cottage tube station
- Construction of North End tube station was started but not completed
[edit] Nearest railway station
[edit] Nearest hospital
 Hampstead High Street sign |
 The Heath |
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2004/05/08/phamp08.xml "Whatever happened to Hampstead Man?" (Daily Telegraph: retrieved 11/16/2007)
- ^ http://www.findaproperty.com/areaguidebook.aspx?edid=00&salerent=0&storyid=0765&areaid=0242
- ^ The menage a trois that saved Kingsley Amis from despair | the Daily Mail
- ^ Arnold Bax (Composer, Arranger) - Short Biography
- ^ Cecil Beaton (1904-1980), Photographer, designer and writer
- ^ Sybille Bedford - Telegraph
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.intute.ac.uk/artsandhumanities/limelight/betjeman.html Limelight: Sir John Betjeman
- ^ Camden New Journal
- ^ The private world of Dirk Bogarde Independent 28 Mar 2007 accessed 28 Apr 2007
- ^ Arthur Boyd one of the most famous Australian artists
- ^ The Life of Sir Richard Burton, by Thomas Wright (chapter32)
- ^ What I've Learned: Peter O'Toole (Esquire Magazine: Personal Finance) at SmartMoney.com
- ^ Hampstead & West Hampstead Guide
- ^ Elias Canetti
- ^ John le Carre resources
- ^ Camden New Journal
- ^ London's Literary Village - New York Times
- ^ Biography - Victoria and Albert Museum
- ^ Camden New Journal
- ^ A Charles Dickens Journal - 1837
- ^ Camden New Journal
- ^ Whatever happened to Hampstead Man? - Telegraph
- ^ Camden New Journal
- ^ http://www.bl.uk/collections/sound-archive/pdf/playback37.pdf
- ^ [2]
- ^ Ian Fleming Centre: Welcome to Ian Fleming Centre
- ^ Camden Islington & West End - News Reviews Listings
- ^ Adoption History: Anna Freud (1895-1982)
- ^ Freud and his family moved to 20 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead in June 1938. His daughter Anna Freud recreating his Vienna consulting room in the house that is now a museum to his memory. Freud died in 1939.
- ^ Naum Gabo
- ^ London's Literary Village - New York Times
- ^ Whatever happened to Hampstead Man? - Telegraph
- ^ Resident of 2 Willow Road
- ^ Ernst Gombrich: History man | By genre | guardian.co.uk Books
- ^ TATEetc. Peder Anker on László Moholy-Nagy
- ^ Poetry Foundation: The online home of the Poetry Foundation
- ^ Mondrian In London
- ^ The menage a trois that saved Kingsley Amis from despair | the Daily Mail
- ^ Andrew F. Huxley - Biography
- ^ Leigh Hunt
- ^ Jinnah of Pakistan, page 132, Stanley Wolpert
- ^ Alliance of Literary Societies, Gazetteer. London
- ^ Guide to Hampstead
- ^ Hans Keller: The Jerusalem Diary (excerpts)
- ^ Hampstead - St. John’s Wood | British History Online
- ^ Doris Lessing 'delighted' to win Nobel Prize - Times Online
- ^ London's Literary Village - New York Times
- ^ Communities - Themes - Exploring 20th Century London
- ^ Biography - Content
- ^ Whatever happened to Hampstead Man? - Telegraph
- ^ [3]
- ^ A. A. Milne
- ^ British Humanist Association
- ^ Observer review: Lee Miller by Carolyn Burke | By genre | guardian.co.uk Books
- ^ Mondrian In London
- ^ Henry Moore
- ^ [www.motesiczky.org]
- ^ Florence Nightingale: Part III. Strachey, Lytton. 1918. Eminent Victorians
- ^ 9.Booklover's Corner
- ^ What I've Learned: Peter O'Toole (Esquire Magazine: Personal Finance) at SmartMoney.com
- ^ Worldroots.com
- ^ Pavlova, Anna - Exploring 20th Century London
- ^ University College School
- ^ Observer review: Lee Miller by Carolyn Burke | By genre | guardian.co.uk Books
- ^ London's Literary Village - New York Times
- ^ What Charles did next | | guardian.co.uk Arts
- ^ London's Literary Village - New York Times
- ^ The hard boiled saint: Selwyn-Clarke in Hong Kong - Horder 311 (7003): 492 - BMJ
- ^ Hampstead - Frognal and the Central Demesne | British History Online
- ^ Camden New Journal
- ^ London's Literary Village - New York Times
- ^ Elizabeth Taylor Biography (1932-)
- ^ Evelyn Waugh - Penguin UK Authors - Penguin UK
- ^ Henry James and H.G. Wells (Rexroth)
- ^ Guide to Hampstead
- ^ French soccer star Thierry Henry quit Arsenal to "get away from everything English"
- ^ Sir Neil Shields obituary - Times Online. The Times (London) (2002-11-01). Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
- ^ Ex-king of Greece is paid £7m for seized royal homes - Telegraph
- ^ New Statesman - A master of thoughtfulness
- ^ Stephen Kovacevich and friends play excellent Mozart and Brahms, enjoyed by Malcolm Miller
- ^ Rachel's Weisz guy | the Daily Mail
- ^ Whatever happened to Hampstead Man? - Telegraph
- ^ The Biography Channel - Helena Bonham Carter Biography
[edit] External links
- Hampstead Village Online
- London's Literary Village
- The Heath and Hampstead Society
- The Hampstead Scientific Society
- Camden Council
- Hampstead Theatre
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