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Hampstead: London’s best neighbourhood. By Kathi Diamant, copied with kind permission. My guidebook said that Hampstead Village is the best place in London to wear sunglasses, smoke Gauloises (strong French cigarettes) and contemplate love and death over a double espressso. I did none of the above. Nevertheless, after a two-week stay, I concluded that Hampstead is the best place in London, period. Only four miles north of the Houses of Parliament, and still part of Central London, Hampstead is a perfectly preserved Georg-ian village, a peaceful respite from the noisy city. Tree-lined sidewalks wind along cobblestone lanes. Grand mansions and pretty cottages snuggle between posh shops, old pubs, bohemian cafes, community churches and international restaurants. Hampstead is cool, but not trendy. The leafy village on the hill overlooking the city of London has been popular with writers, mus-icians, artists, scientists and innovative thinkers for several centuries. Through-out the village, blue oval plaques on various houses will tell you which famous historical personage lived there and when. Former and present residents comprise a veri-table Who’s Who: Charles Dickens, Florence Night-ingale, John Constable, William Blake, H.G. Wells, D.H. Lawrence, Lillie Langtry, Sir Henry Moore and Piet Mondrian are just a few of the dozens of famous residents. More recent names include Rex Harr-ison, Peter O’Toole, Jim Henson, Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons, Sting and Boy George. The house at 20 Mares-field Gardens where Sigmund Freud lived, worked and died, after his escape from Nazi-occupied Vienna in 1938, is now a museum. The house still feels lived in, with Freud’s and his daughter Anna’s original furniture and personal effects left just as they were in 1939. The heart of the museum is the study and library, where you can find the famous couch and large collection of art and strange toys that once belonged to the father of psychoanalysis. The Keats House is neat, too. The great Romantic poet, John Keats loved his next-door neighbour Fanny Brawne, but he died of consumption before they could marry. After his death, their two lovely Regency cottages were combined into one house, which now contains their relics, letters and various books and manuscripts. In the front yard a small brass plaque identifies the plum tree which replaced the one under which Keats sat when he wrote “Ode to a Nightingale”. One of Hampstead’s most colourful characters was the highwayman Dick Turpin, who would escape the law by disappearing on horseback into the wilds of Hampstead Heath. The heath is now an 800-acre city park, retaining an amazing amount of wilderness. I got lost there regularly. Hampstead Heath is one of the best-loved parks in all London, a city of truly spectacular parks. Views from Parliament Hill, the highest point in the city, are magnificent. In fact, this is the spot where the English conspirator Guy Fawkes gathered with his gang to watch the Parliament Buildings blow up. Unfortunately for Fawkes, the plot was foiled, and he was executed in 1606. Sitting on one of the many wooden benches scattered throughout the park, you can still see the Parliament Buildings in the London skyline with the Tower of London, Old Bailey and other landmarks. Or read a book. Or watch people walking their dogs or flying kites. Not far away you’ll find the peaceful grove of trees that mark the burial mound of Queen Boadicea, a British queen who roused her followers to rebel against the invading Romans. Her troops were decimated, and she committed suicide in 62. The trees create a sacred feeling, and benches dedicated to the memories of various interesting people surround the grove. I spent hours walking on the narrow paths over hills and dales, around the many ponds, into the woods. In the early morning, I would pass joggers and dog owners. The wild beauty of the heath was breathtaking: the steam rising from the still ponds, the frosty dew on the hills and meadows, the daffodils and gorse bushes rapturously yellow. French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Indian and American restaurants line the streets. All meals were very good, but expensive. The practice of eating a large lunch at lower prices really paid off here. Many of the pubs offer great deals with their “homemade specials”, but stop serving by 2 or 3 in the afternoon. If you want to experience Hampstead Village, but have only a day, or even a few hours to spend, sign up for one of The Original London Walks. My favourite, the Old Hampstead Village Pub Walk, starts at 7pm on Saturday evenings at the Hampstead Underground. Two-hour tours are also scheduled through Old Hampstead during the day on Sundays and Wednesdays to give you a taste of the best of Hampstead’s intriguing flavour. Getting there: Via taxi, less than 15 minutes from the West End, depending on traffic. Via Underground, Hampstead is less than 15 minutes from the West End, on the Northern Line (Edgware branch). The station is in the heart of the village, at the top of the Hampstead High Street and Fitzjohns Avenue. Via train, BritRail has a station at Hampstead Heath. Best guidebook: “The Berkeley Guides: The Budget Traveller’s Handbook to London” (Fodor’s) written by Berkeley students in coop-eration with the Associated Students of the University of California. Lodging: Best walking tour of Hampstead: The Original London Walks, P.O. Box 1708, London NW6 4LW; +44 (0)20 7624 3978. David Tucker started London Walks working from his kitchen table 30 years ago and now offers professionally guided walking tours all over the city of London. His tours of Old Hampstead Village are scheduled three days a week. Walks last approximately two hours and cost $7 per person ($5 for students and seniors). Children under 15 go free if accompanied by an adult. Complete schedules are available from the above address. Famous landmarks: Freud Museum, 20 Maresfield Gardens, London NW3 5SX. +44 020 7435 2002. Admission: adults, $4.25; seniors and students, $2.50; children under 12, free. Museum is open from noon to 5pm. Wednesday through Sunday, except for different times at Christmas and Easter. Keats House, Keats Grove, London, NW3 2RR; Admission is free. Hours of operation vary seasonally, generally from 10.am. to 1pm. and then 2pm to 5pm. Fenton House, Museum of old musical instruments in the heart of the village. Kenwood House, former estate of Guinness family on Hampstead Heath. |
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