48-490: Hampstead Town hall is a municipal building on Haverstock Hill, Hampstead , London. It is a Grade II listed building . The facility was commissioned by the Vestry of St John who had previously met in the offices of the local workhouse . After this arrangement became inadequate for their needs, civic leaders decided to build a dedicated vestry hall: the site chosen for the new building had previously been occupied by part of
96-540: A hunter-gatherer community around 7000 BCE. Objects like cinerary urns and grave goods discovered near Well Walk , dating back to 70–120 CE, suggest the possibility of a Roman settlement or road in the vicinity. 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) as being in
144-685: A bell tower containing a staircase in the south west corner of the building. Meetings of the Hampstead Antiquarian and Historical Society were held at the town hall from 1897. The building became the headquarters of the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead when it was formed in 1900 and a substantial extension was built to a design by John Murray in the Baroque style , extending the building south west along Belsize Avenue in 1911. The suffragette , Emmeline Pankhurst , gave
192-519: A borough in Inner London . It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsize Park to the south and is surrounded from the northeast by Hampstead Heath , a large, hilly expanse of parkland. Hampstead is known for its intellectual, artistic, liberal, and literary associations. It contains a number of listed buildings, such as Burgh House , Kenwood House , the Spaniard's Inn , and
240-624: A consequence, Hampstead has an eclectic mix of restaurants ranging from French to Thai. After over a decade of controversy and legal action from local residents, McDonald's was finally allowed to open in Hampstead in 1992, after winning its right in court, and agreeing to a previously unprecedented re-design of the shop front, reducing the conspicuousness of its facade and logo, It closed in November 2013. Popular local eateries also include street food vendors, such as La Creperie de Hampstead, which
288-487: A speech in the hall in 1913, as did the politician Sir Oswald Mosley , in 1938, and the anti-racism campaigner David Pitt , in 1959. During the Second World War , an air raid precautions centre was built in the grounds. It ceased to function as the local of seat of government when the enlarged London Borough of Camden was formed in 1965. Instead it served as the local register office: notable weddings included
336-521: Is in both zones 2 and 3 . Hampstead station serves the north western part of the wider district, near Hampstead's traditional centre. All the other three stations in the area are located to the south. In the 1860s, the Metropolitan and St John's Wood Railway was authorised to build a branch line from Swiss Cottage to Hampstead with its terminus to be located at the junction of Flask Walk, Well Walk and Willow Road. Financial difficulties meant that
384-420: Is often frequented by domestic and global celebrities. Hampstead's rural feel lends itself for use in film, a notable example being The Killing of Sister George (1968) starring Beryl Reid and Susannah York . The opening sequence has Reid's character June wandering through the streets and alleyways of Hampstead, west of Heath Street, around The Mount Square. The Marquis of Granby pub, in which June drinks at
432-504: Is on the West Heath Road in movies 101 Dalmatians (1996.) and 102 Dalmatians (2001.) The 2021 census showed that the population of Hampstead Town ward was 77.7% white (46.7% British, 28% Other, 2.4% Irish). The largest non-white group, Asian, claimed 8.9%. The religious data of the area showed that 32.6% was Christian, 37.9% irreligious and 11% Jewish. 2.7% of the population was unemployed and seeking work; this compared to 5.1% for
480-519: Is part of the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency, formed at the 2010 general election . It was formerly part of the Hampstead and Highgate constituency. Since July 2022 the area has been represented on Camden Council by Conservative Party councillor Stephen Stark and Liberal Democrat councillor Linda Chung. The area has a significant tradition of educated liberal humanism, sometimes referred to (often disparagingly) as "Hampstead Liberalism". In
528-559: Is represented by one Liberal Democrat and one Conservative councillor. South Hampstead is a competitive Labour and Conservative marginal, and Belsize is competitive between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, whereas Frognal is a safe Conservative ward. Hampstead Town (including the area of Hampstead Village and South End Green ) has seen a number of tightly fought Conservative and Liberal Democrat contests, and
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#1732794445640576-473: Is served by routes 13 , 113 , 187 , 268, C11, and N113 . Cycling infrastructure in Hampstead is poor. In early 2016, Transport for London (TfL) consulted with the public on a new " Cycle Superhighway " (CS11) between Swiss Cottage and the West End , which provide an unbroken, predominantly traffic-free cycle route from Hampstead to Central London. The scheme was cancelled following court action from
624-657: The Belsize House Estate. They had also considered a possible site on what became Hampstead Hill Gardens . The new building was designed by Henry Edward Kendall and Frederick Mew in the Italianate style and was built by William Shepherd of Bermondsey; the building was opened without ceremony in June 1878. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing onto the Haverstock Hill;
672-575: The City of Westminster in 2018. There are bus lanes along the A41/Finchley Road that cyclists are allowed to use. A shared-use path runs from Parliament Hill to Jack Straw's Castle / Highgate through the centre of Hampstead Heath. The A41 / Finchley Road passes north–south through Hampstead. The road links the area directly to Marylebone and Oxford Street to the south. The route runs northbound to Golders Green , Brent Cross ,
720-589: The Everyman cinema. With some of the most expensive housing in London, Hampstead has had many notable residents , both past and present, including Helena Bonham Carter , Agatha Christie , T.S. Eliot , Jon English , Sigmund Freud , Stephen Fry , Ricky Gervais , Jim Henson , George Orwell , Harry Styles and Elizabeth Taylor . As of 2004, Hampstead has been home to more Prime Ministers , and contains more millionaires within its boundaries, than any other area of
768-589: 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. In
816-576: The M1 motorway , and Watford . The A502 /Hampstead High Street runs from Camden Town in the south, through Hampstead, to Golders Green and Hendon in the north-west. The Royal Free Hospital and A&E is in Hampstead. Burgh House Burgh House is a historic house located on New End Square in Hampstead , London , that includes the Hampstead Museum . The house is also listed as Burgh House & Hampstead Museum . Burgh House
864-652: The Middlesex hundred of Ossulstone . Outlying hamlets developed at West End and North End . In addition Pond Street formed the southern limit of the settlement for many centuries. The growth of Hampstead is generally traced back to the seventeenth century. Trustees of the Well started advertising the medicinal qualities of the chalybeate waters ( mineral water impregnated with iron) in 1700. A pump room and assembly room were established on Well Walk , supplied by water from springs in nearby Well Road . Elegant housing
912-610: The Spaniard's Inn , Spaniard's Road, where highwayman Dick Turpin took refuge; The Old Bull and Bush in North End; and The Old White Bear (formerly Ye Olde White Bear). Jack Straw's Castle , on the edge of the Heath near Whitestone Pond , has now been converted into residential flats. Others include: Hampstead has served as a testing ground for a number of cafes and restaurants that later became successful chains. Those include Giraffe World Kitchen , Gail's and 'Bagel Street'. As
960-727: The UK Weather Records with the Highest 155-min total rainfall at 169 mm. As of November 2008 this record remains. The average price of a property in Hampstead was £1.5 million in 2018. Hampstead became part of the County of London in 1889 and in 1899 the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead was formed. The Town Hall on Haverstock Hill, which was also the location of the Register Office, can be seen in newsreel footage of many celebrity civil marriages. In 1965,
1008-544: The wider borough . Hampstead station is on one underground line, the Northern Line which has connections to other lines at Camden Town and Kings Cross & St Pancras stations and Embankment among others. The London Overground ( North London line ) also runs through Hampstead Heath and Finchley Road & Frognal . Stations in Hampstead include: All stations are in London fare zone 2 , except Hampstead, which
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#17327944456401056-582: The 1960s, the figure of the Hampstead Liberal was notoriously satirised by Peter Simple of the Daily Telegraph in the character of Lady Dutt-Pauker , an immensely wealthy aristocratic socialist whose Hampstead mansion, Marxmount House, contained an original pair of Bukharin 's false teeth on display alongside precious Ming vases, neo-constructivist art, and the complete writings of Stalin. Michael Idov of The New Yorker stated that
1104-603: The 20th century, a number of notable buildings were created including: Cultural attractions in the area include the Freud Museum , Keats House , Kenwood House , Fenton House , the Isokon building , Burgh House (which also houses Hampstead Museum), and the Camden Arts Centre . The large Victorian Hampstead Town Hall was recently converted and extended as an arts centre. On 14 August 1975 Hampstead entered
1152-524: The Heath, overlooking west London. Parliament Hill also features in Notes on a Scandal (2006) together with the nearby areas of Gospel Oak and Camden Town . Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) features the old Hampstead Town Hall on Haverstock Hill. The film Scenes of a Sexual Nature (2006) was filmed entirely on Hampstead Heath, covering various picturesque locations such as the 'Floating Gardens' and Kenwood House . A musical specifically focusing on
1200-557: The Heath, period harpsichord recitals at Fenton House, Hampstead Scientific Society and Hampstead Photographic Society. The largest employer in Hampstead is the Royal Free Hospital , 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
1248-662: The London Borough of Camden in 1965. Since then, it has become a major tourist destination within Camden, owing to its many historical sites and high street . The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon words ham and stede , which means, and is a cognate of, the Modern English "homestead". Archeological findings from Hampstead Heath , including Mesolithic flint tools, pits, postholes, and burnt stones, indicate
1296-595: The Pond Street side of Hampstead Green. Deconsecrated in 1978 and stripped of much of its assets it was boarded up and subsequently invaded by squatters. In 1998 it was leased to the St Stephen's Restoration and Preservation Trust which, after 11 years of fundraising and grants returned it to the community as a centre for education, weddings, public meetings and social celebrations together with occasional classical music concerts. Winning an English Heritage award for
1344-529: The United Kingdom. Inhabited since at least when the Anglo-Saxons ruled Britain, Hampstead is one of the oldest areas in London. From the 17th century it became popular as a resort away from the capital, especially for the affluent. The areas has been contained within many metropolitan governments since the 13th century, ending with the dissolution of the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead into
1392-471: The area, Les Bicyclettes de Belsize (1968), tells the story of a young man's cycle journey around Hampstead. After crashing into a billboard poster, he falls in love with the fashion model depicted on it. In February 2016, principal photography for Robert Zemeckis' war film Allied starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard, began with the family home located on the corners of Christchurch Hill and Willow Road in Hampstead. Cruella de Vil Mansion (Sarum Chase)
1440-570: The building. Threatened with proposals to turn the house over to a commercial use, local residents formed a charitable trust and launched a "Keep Burgh House" appeal, as a result of which Camden Council granted them a lease for the house. On 8 September 1979, the house, restored by the council and refurbished by the trust, opened to the public as the house and museum that it is today. In recent years it has been further restored with backing from The Heritage Lottery Fund , Bridge House Trust and many local benefactors. The refurbished building opened to
1488-429: The central section featured wide steps leading up to a doorway flanked with windows with integrated oculi on the ground floor; there were three tall round headed windows flanked by brick pilasters on the first floor with a pediment above. Internally, the principal rooms were the council chamber on the ground floor and the assembly hall on the first floor. Alterations made in 1886, to a design by Frederick Mew, included
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1536-581: The community "was the citadel of the moneyed liberal intelligentsia, posh but not stuffy." As applied to an individual, the term "Hampstead Liberal" is not synonymous with " champagne socialist " but carries some of the same connotations. The term is also rather misleading. As of 2018, the component wards of Hampstead (South Hampstead, Frognal, Hampstead Town and Belsize) have mixed representation. Frognal ward elects two Conservative councillors, Belsize ward elects three Liberal Democrat councillors, South Hampstead elects three Labour councillors, while Hampstead Town
1584-518: The designs of Burrell Foley Fischer , with the addition of a large glass atrium; it was re-opened for use as an arts centre by the Prince of Wales in 1999. Hampstead Hampstead ( / ˈ h æ m p s t ɪ d , - s t ɛ d / ) is an area in London , England, which lies 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Charing Cross , forming the northwest part of the London Borough of Camden ,
1632-631: The garden, although only the terrace now remains. In 1925, a director of Lloyds Bank , Captain Constantine Evelyn Benson CBE , DSO , bought the house for £4,750. He built the present music room on the site of Dr. Williamson's library. Between 1933–37, Rudyard Kipling 's daughter, Elsie Bambridge lived in Burgh House with her husband, Captain George Bambridge . Rudyard Kipling's last outing in 1936
1680-468: The metropolitan borough was abolished and its 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 . For some, the area represented by Hampstead today consists principally of the (electoral) wards of Hampstead Town and Frognal & Fitzjohns; others espouse a broader definition, encompassing South Hampstead , Belsize Park and West Hampstead . Hampstead
1728-451: 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
1776-682: The opening of the film, was actually The Holly Bush, at 22 Holly Mount. Another example is The Collector (1965), starring Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar , where the kidnap sequence is set in Mount Vernon. Some scenes from An American Werewolf in London (1981) are shot on Hampstead Heath , Well Walk and Haverstock Hill. More recently Kenwood House is the set of the "film-within-the-film" scene of Notting Hill (1999). Outdoor scenes in The Wedding Date (2005), starring Debra Messing , feature Parliament Hill Fields on
1824-516: The project was cancelled in 1870. There is a major bus terminus near Hampstead Heath station (near the Royal Free Hospital ), served by London Buses routes 24 and 1 . Routes 46 , 268 , C11 , and N5 also serve the Royal Free Hospital. Hampstead tube station and High Street are served by routes 46, 268, 603 , and N5. Route 210 runs along the northernmost rim of Hampstead, stopping at Jack Straw's Castle . Finchley Road
1872-518: The public on 16 July 2006. Burgh House has the world's largest archive and collection of Helen Allingham 's work. The first floor houses the Hampstead Museum, with permanent exhibits on local history and culture. There are also first floor and ground galleries for temporary exhibits of art, local history and culture. A cafe occupies the basement, with outside seating in the gardens. Burgh House currently hosts exhibitions and concerts, and
1920-463: The restoration of buildings at risk, the website www.ststephenstrust.co.uk has further information. Hampstead was once home to many art galleries but few are now left. The Catto Gallery has been in Hampstead since 1986 and has represented artists like Ian Berry , Philip Jackson , Chuck Elliott, Walasse Ting , and Sergei Chepik over the years. Hampstead is well known for its traditional pubs , such as The Holly Bush , gas-lit until recently;
1968-422: The singer, Cleo Laine , to the musician, John Dankworth , in 1958, the actor, Dudley Moore , to the actress, Suzy Kendall , in 1968, and the actress, Judi Dench , to the actor, Michael Williams , in 1971, as well as the singer, Lulu , to hair stylist, John Frieda in 1976. Large sections of the building had fallen into a state of disrepair by the 1990s. However, it was subsequently restored and converted, to
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2016-530: The sources of the River Fleet . The bridge pictured is known locally as 'The Red Arches' or 'The Viaduct', built in fruitless anticipation of residential building on the Heath in the 19th century. Local activities include major open-air concerts on summer Saturday evenings on the slopes below Kenwood House , the FT Weekend Festival, book and poetry readings, fun fairs on the lower reaches of
2064-539: The ward has had mixed representation in recent decades. During the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum , 75% of voters across the London Borough of Camden voted to remain in the EU. Following the result many commentators used Hampstead as an archetype of the type of area that preferred to remain in the EU. This point was often made in alliterative contrast to poor post-industrial northern towns such as Hartlepool and Hull , that preferred to leave. To
2112-476: Was before it relocated to California. The area has some remarkable architecture, such as the Isokon building in Lawn Road, a Grade I listed experiment in collective housing, once home to Agatha Christie , Henry Moore , Ben Nicholson and Walter Gropius . It was recently restored by Notting Hill Housing Trust . St Stephen's Rosslyn Hill (Church of England) was built in 1869 by Samuel Sanders Teulon on
2160-539: Was built in New End road, New End Square and Church Row . Although Hampstead Wells was initially most successful and fashionable, its popularity declined in the nineteenth century 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
2208-527: Was constructed in 1704 during the reign of Queen Anne . At the time of construction the Hampstead Wells Spa was flourishing. In 1720 the Spa's physician, Dr. William Gibbons, moved to Burgh House, which he enlarged. He added the present wrought-iron gate which carries his initials. One inhabitant of the house was Israel Lewis, who was an upholsterer. He was involved in a court case in which he
2256-589: Was found guilty of creating a nuisance by "making an inclosed Dung stall" in his garden, and was fined £5 and made to remove it. Until the 1870s the house was known as Lewis House. In 1858 Burgh House was taken over by the Royal East Middlesex Militia , and served as the headquarters and officers' mess until 1881. The house returned to domestic use in 1884. From 1906–24 the house was occupied by Dr. George Williamson, an international art expert. He commissioned Gertrude Jekyll to design
2304-429: Was to Burgh House, to visit his daughter. From 1937–46 Burgh House was unoccupied. It was bought and restored by Hampstead Borough Council in 1946. The barrack blocks in front of the building were pulled down and in 1947 it reopened as a community centre with a Citizen's Advice Bureau in its basement. The house was again closed indefinitely in 1977 when its new owners, Camden Council , discovered dry rot in
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