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Attractions
Hampstead certainly wouldn’t be the same without the 791 rolling acres of the Heath, with its ancient woodland, bog, ponds, hedgerows and grassland.
Some of the flora on the Heath is so rare that a number of sites where ancient plantlife continue to flourish have been designated as Sites of Scientific Interest by English Nature.
Yet in the 19th century, the Lord of the Manor who had come to own it fought to build houses on it and it was only after the local inhabitants had fought steadfastedly for nearly 50 years to forestall him that eventually in 1871 the land was designated for public use in perpetuity. Today Hampstead residents continue to jealously guard their wonderful inheritance against any proposals for ‘development’.
There is no better place in London for a walk, with its beauty, stillness, spaciousness, glorious views and intimations of primeval times (you may also enjoy the snatches of conversation you overhear, more abstract and intellectual than anywhere else in London because the tradition of writers, artists and thinkers living there survives to this day).
You will find no less than 25 limpid ponds on the Heath, in three of which swimming is encouraged, while in the south of the Heath there is a Lido.
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 The springs on Hampstead Heath were first discovered in 1698. They rapidly became famous for their medicinal qualities so that a popular spa grew up around them. |
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