Hampstead (/ˈhæmpstɪd,-stɛd/) is an area inLondon, England, which lies 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest ofCharing Cross, located mainly in theLondon Borough of Camden, with a small part in theLondon Borough of Barnet. It bordersHighgate andGolders Green to the north,Belsize Park to the south and is surrounded from the northeast byHampstead 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 asBurgh House,Kenwood House, theSpaniard's Inn, and theEveryman cinema. With some of the most expensive housing in London,Hampstead has had many notable residents, both past and present, includingKing Constantine II of Greece and his wifeQueen Anne Marie,Helena Bonham Carter,Agatha Christie,T. S. Eliot,Jon English,Sigmund Freud,Stephen Fry,Ricky Gervais,Jim Henson,George Orwell,Harry Styles,Jedward,Tim Burton,Martin Freeman andElizabeth Taylor. As of 2004, Hampstead has been home to morePrime Ministers, and contains more millionaires within its boundaries, than any other area of the United Kingdom.[1]
Inhabited since at least theAnglo-Saxons period, 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.[2] The area has been contained within many metropolitan governments since the 13th century, ending with the dissolution of theMetropolitan Borough of Hampstead into the London Borough of Camden in 1965.[3] Since then, it has become a major tourist destination within Camden, owing to its many historical sites andhigh street.
The name comes from theAnglo-Saxon wordsham andstede, which means, and is a cognate of, the Modern English "homestead".
Archeological findings fromHampstead Heath, includingMesolithic flint tools, pits, postholes, and burnt stones, indicate ahunter-gatherer community around 7000 BCE. Objects like cinerary urns and grave goods discovered nearWell Walk, dating back to 70–120 CE, suggest the possibility of aRoman settlement or road in the vicinity.[4]
Early records of Hampstead can be found in a grant by KingEthelred the Unready to the monastery of St. Peter's at Westminster (AD 986), and it is referred to in theDomesday Book (1086)[5] as being in theMiddlesex hundred ofOssulstone. Outlyinghamlets developed atWest End andNorth End. In additionPond 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 thechalybeate waters (mineral water impregnated with iron) in 1700. A pump room andassembly room were established onWell Walk, supplied by water from springs in nearbyWell Road. Elegant housing was built in New End road,New End Square andChurch 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 theNorth London Railway in the 1860s (now theLondon Overground with passenger services operated byTransport for London), and expanded further after theCharing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway opened in 1907 (now part ofLondon Underground'sNorthern line) and provided fast travel tocentral 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 the 20th century, a number of notable buildings were created including:
Cultural attractions in the area include theFreud Museum,Keats House,Kenwood House,Fenton House, theIsokon building,Burgh House (which also houses Hampstead Museum), and theCamden Arts Centre. The large VictorianHampstead Town Hall was recently converted and extended as an arts centre.[6]
On 14 August 1975 Hampstead entered theUK Weather Records with theHighest 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.[7]
Hampstead became part of theCounty of London in 1889 and in 1899 theMetropolitan Borough of Hampstead was formed. TheTown 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, the metropolitan borough was abolished and its area merged with that of theMetropolitan Borough of Holborn and theMetropolitan Borough of St Pancras to form the modern-dayLondon 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, encompassingSouth Hampstead,Belsize Park andWest Hampstead.
| Climate data for Hampstead (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) | 8.1 (46.6) | 10.9 (51.6) | 14.1 (57.4) | 17.3 (63.1) | 20.4 (68.7) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.3 (72.1) | 19.1 (66.4) | 14.8 (58.6) | 10.6 (51.1) | 7.8 (46.0) | 14.7 (58.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) | 2.2 (36.0) | 3.7 (38.7) | 5.5 (41.9) | 8.3 (46.9) | 11.2 (52.2) | 13.3 (55.9) | 13.3 (55.9) | 11.1 (52.0) | 8.3 (46.9) | 5.0 (41.0) | 2.7 (36.9) | 7.3 (45.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 69.5 (2.74) | 51.4 (2.02) | 42.8 (1.69) | 49.6 (1.95) | 50.5 (1.99) | 58.5 (2.30) | 50.5 (1.99) | 67.7 (2.67) | 59.1 (2.33) | 78.6 (3.09) | 75.7 (2.98) | 68.2 (2.69) | 722.1 (28.43) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1 mm) | 12.1 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 9.2 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 119.6 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 60.0 | 76.1 | 114.2 | 155.2 | 199.2 | 193.7 | 199.8 | 188.2 | 145.5 | 106.3 | 67.2 | 54.0 | 1,559.4 |
| Source:Met Office[8] | |||||||||||||
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Hampstead is part of theHampstead and Highgate constituency, re-established at the2024 general election.Since July 2022 the area has been represented on Camden Council byConservative Party councillor Stephen Stark andLiberal Democrat councillor Linda Chung.
The area has a significant tradition of educated liberal humanism, sometimes referred to (often disparagingly) as "Hampstead Liberalism". In the 1960s, the figure of the Hampstead Liberal was notoriously satirised byPeter Simple of theDaily Telegraph in the character ofLady Dutt-Pauker, an immensely wealthy aristocratic socialist whose Hampstead mansion, Marxmount House, contained an original pair ofBukharin's false teeth on display alongside precious Ming vases,neo-constructivist art, and the complete writings of Stalin.[9] Michael Idov ofThe New Yorker stated that the community "was the citadel of the moneyed liberal intelligentsia, posh but not stuffy."[10] 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 2025, 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 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 andSouth End Green) has seen a number of tightly fought Conservative and Liberal Democrat contests, and the ward has had mixed representation in recent decades.
During the2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 75% of voters across theLondon Borough of Camden voted to remain in the EU.[11] 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 asHartlepool andHull, that preferred to leave.[12][13]
To the north and east of Hampstead, and separating it fromHighgate, 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 publicswimming ponds; one for men, one for women, and one formixed bathing, which were originallyreservoirs for drinking water and the sources of theRiver 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 belowKenwood House, the FT Weekend Festival,[14] 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 employer in Hampstead is theRoyal Free Hospital,Pond Street, but many small businesses based in the area have international significance.George Martin'sAIR recording studios, in converted church premises inLyndhurst Road, is a current example, asJim Henson's Creature Shop was before it relocated to California.
The area has some remarkable architecture, such as theIsokon building in Lawn Road, aGrade I listed experiment in collective housing, once home toAgatha Christie,Henry Moore,Ben Nicholson andWalter Gropius. It was recently restored byNotting Hill Housing Trust.
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 likeIan Berry,Philip Jackson, Chuck Elliott,Walasse Ting, and Sergei Chepik over the years.[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]
Hampstead is well known for its traditionalpubs, such asThe Holly Bush, gas-lit until recently;[42][43] theSpaniard's Inn, Spaniard's Road, where highwaymanDick Turpin took refuge;The Old Bull and Bush in North End; and TheOld White Bear (formerly Ye Olde White Bear).[44]Jack Straw's Castle, on the edge of the Heath nearWhitestone 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 includeGiraffe World Kitchen,Gail's and 'Bagel Street'. As 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,[54] It closed in November 2013.[55] Popular local eateries also include street food vendors, such as La Creperie de Hampstead, which is often frequented by domestic and global celebrities.[citation needed]
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Hampstead's rural feel lends itself for use in film, a notable example beingThe Killing of Sister George (1968) starringBeryl Reid andSusannah 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 the opening of the film, was actually The Holly Bush,[42] at 22 Holly Mount. Another example isThe Collector (1965), starringTerence Stamp andSamantha Eggar, where the kidnap sequence is set in Mount Vernon.[56]
Some scenes fromAn American Werewolf in London (1981) are shot onHampstead Heath, Well Walk and Haverstock Hill.
More recentlyKenwood House is the set of the "film-within-the-film" scene ofNotting Hill (1999).[57] Outdoor scenes inThe Wedding Date (2005), starringDebra Messing, featureParliament Hill Fields on the Heath, overlooking west London. Parliament Hill also features inNotes on a Scandal (2006) together with the nearby areas ofGospel Oak andCamden Town.Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) features the old Hampstead Town Hall on Haverstock Hill. The filmScenes of a Sexual Nature (2006) was filmed entirely on Hampstead Heath, covering various picturesque locations such as the 'Floating Gardens' andKenwood House.
A musical specifically focusing on 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 filmAllied 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) 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 thewider borough.[58]
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.
TheLondon Overground (Mildmay line) also runs throughHampstead Heath andFinchley Road & Frognal.
Stations in Hampstead include:
All stations are inLondon fare zone 2, except Hampstead, which is in both zones 2 and3.[59] 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, theMetropolitan and St John's Wood Railway was authorised to build a branch line from Swiss Cottage to Hampstead withits terminus to be located at the junction of Flask Walk, Well Walk and Willow Road. Financial difficulties meant that the project was cancelled in 1870.[60]
There is a bus terminus near South End Green in Hampstead (near theRoyal Free Hospital), served byLondon Buses routes1 and24. Routes46,268,C11, andN5 also serve the Royal Free Hospital.[61]
Hampstead tube station and High Street are served by routes 46, 268,603, and N5. Route210 runs along the northernmost rim of Hampstead, stopping atJack Straw's Castle.[61]
Finchley Road is served by routes13,113,187, 268, C11, andN113.[62]
Cycling infrastructure in Hampstead is poor. In early 2016,Transport for London (TfL) consulted with the public on a new "Cycle Superhighway" (CS11) betweenSwiss Cottage andthe West End, which provide an unbroken, predominantly traffic-free cycle route from Hampstead to Central London. The scheme was cancelled following court action from theCity of Westminster in 2018.[63]
There arebus lanes along the A41/Finchley Road that cyclists are allowed to use.
Ashared-use path runs fromParliament Hill toJack Straw's Castle/Highgate through the centre of Hampstead Heath.[64]
TheA41/Finchley Road passes north–south through Hampstead. The road links the area directly toMarylebone andOxford Street to the south. The route runs northbound toGolders Green,Brent Cross, theM1 motorway, andWatford.
TheA502/Hampstead High Street runs fromCamden Town in the south, through Hampstead, to Golders Green andHendon in the north-west.
Places adjacent to Hampstead | |
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Hampstead has long been known as a residence of the intelligentsia, including writers, composers, ballerinas and intellectuals, actors, artists and architects – many of whom created a bohemian community in the late 19th century. After 1917, and again in the 1930s, it became base to a community ofavant garde artists and writers and was host to a number of émigrés and exiles from the Russian Revolution and Nazi Europe.
There are at least60 English Heritage blue plaques in Hampstead commemorating the many diverse personalities that have lived there.[65]
The local newspapers, as of 2014, were theHampstead and Highgate Express[66]—known locally as the "Ham and High"—and the freeCamden New Journal. The area is also home to the left-wing Labour magazineTribune and the satirical magazineHampstead Village Voice.
Media related toHampstead at Wikimedia Commons
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