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Hampstead Area Guide

Introduction to
Hampstead, London

Hampstead, North London area guide by the leading estate agent and letting agent Goldschmidt and Howland Hampstead. Luxury Homes for sale close to Burgh House, Fenton House and Keats House.

 

With a trading heritage than spans over 130 years, Goldschmidt & Howland is the leading Estate Agent and Letting Agent in Hampstead.  We are pleased to have three offices in the area, either side of Church Row (including a commercial, land and new homes office). The historic location of Hampstead in North London, combines the culture of city-life with all the charm of a village, this destination is renowned as the home of literary and artistic greats and remains the hideout for celebrities and VIPs escaping central London.  Along the cobbled streets, there are nods to the history of the area in the Georgian and Victorian architecture and the eclectic mix of buildings, punctuated by blue plaques and numerous points of interest on the high street, with more than 50 former residents commemorated in this way,  many of which are listed buildings and fiercely protected by the local resident societies.

Drawn to the charming village atmosphere, access to the best schools in London and no shortage of beautiful green space thanks to nearby Hampstead Heath, City bankers, wealthy professionals and entrepreneurs have kept properties within their families, passing them on through the generations. Thanks to these well-known locals, Hampstead continues to remain the area magnet for London’s elite. 

With no shortage of local history and culture destinations (see below), local Camden Arts Centre is a hub of inspiration for world-class contemporary art exhibitions, resident artists, workshops and events. Just off Finchley Road, Hampstead School of Art offers the highest quality of education and excellent studio based tuition and is also a major destination for art buyers. For film lovers, the original Everyman cinema before it became a chain has been open as a cinema since 1933 however the experience offering has changed completely. Sit back and relax with the latest movie while you’re served a three-course meal and your choice of wine, beer or soft drinks on a reclined sofa with your very own service button for the ultimate film experience! 

Transport in Hampstead

Hampstead tube station is serviced by the Edgware branch of the Northern line with trains to the West End and The City and is situated on the boundary of Zone 2 & 3, however TFL class this station under zone fare 2. Hampstead Heath is serviced by the Overground with trains to West Hampstead for the Jubilee Line and Highbury & Islington for the Victoria Line. The A1M motorway and other key transport roads, including the M25 can be easily reached. For buses, the 24 goes from South End Green to Trafalgar Square and Victoria, The 46 goes from Hampstead High Street to Kings Cross and the 210 takes shoppers to Brent Cross. 

Schools and Education in Hampstead

Primary Schools and Education in Hampstead

Independent and Secondary Education in Hampstead


Property in Hampstead

Hampstead is the home to some of the most exclusive and desirable homes in London, with highly sought after and rare early 18th century period properties tucked behind cobbled lanes. Its charm and atmosphere is very much reflective of its smaller village days with cobbled winding streets and pretty period cottages, home to  18 ‘Grade 2 listed’ properties on Hampstead High Street alone. Offering a combination of large Victorian houses (some of which have been converted into flats), large Edwardian mansions, mansion flats and a number of recently built modern apartment blocks, there is a huge diversity in property types. The affluence of the area is subtle in some streets and more evident with others, reflected in The Bishops Avenue, known as ‘Billionaire's Row’ with a collective worth of over £650 million and  Downshire Hill which is one of the area’s most picturesque streets with large Stucco villas.  With nods to architecture greats across Hampstead, from minimalist great Claudio Silvestrin’s contemporary home on Cannon lane to ‘The Wabe’ in Redington Road, built by mathematician William Garnett in 1903 for himself and which was the backdrop for the Women’s Suffrage fundraiser where Isadora Duncan danced.

Not only offering a plethora of history and famous residents, but Hampstead also offers a number of pioneering modern architecture and new developments. Housden House, inspired by the Rietveld Schroder House and the Maison de Verre in Paris in South Hill Park was built by architect Brian Housden for his family. Whilst highly desirable, the Mansfield conservation area at the southern end of the heath offers a lower value entry point,  conveniently situated between Hampstead Heath and Gospel Oak, where the properties here provide scope to enter the area with a good choice of homes at lower price points to that of Hampstead Village.

Council Tax Bands for Hampstead

Council Tax Annual Rates for the London Borough of Camden 2023/2024

A £1,266.78
B £1,477.90
C £1,689.03
D £1,900.16
E £2,322.42
F £2,744.67
G £3,166.93
H £3,800.32

(Source London Borough of Camden)

 

And now for a bit of History on Hampstead

Hampstead was a hub of the Bohemian community in the 19th century, drawing in  a host of artists, writers, ballerinas, composers and actors which are now noted by over 60 blue plaques commemorating the diversity of the individuals attracted to the area. Referenced by Charles Dickens and in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Hampstead has been a source of inspiration for a number of films, books and artists. Early records of Hampstead are noted in the Doomsday book of 1086, however, the growth of the area was predominantly in the 17th century, when wealthy Londoners fled central parts of the city after the outbreak of the plague. The population grew at such a rate that Hampstead became recognised as part of the city of London in 1889. With so many well-known residents, there is no shortage of history and local stories to be discovered, Keats Grove is the property where romantic poet John Keats fell in love with his neighbour Fanny Brawne which is now a museum, and the famous cough where Sigmund Freud analyses his patients can still be viewed in his home in Mansfield Gardens. Erno Goldfinger, the renowned mid-century architect’s home can be viewed by the public in Willow Road.

The Chalybeate Well provides a nod to the geological background of Hampstead, where fresh springs of water were in the local area. The waters of which were bottled on what is now the site of ’The Flask Pub’ after analysis in 1884, it was deemed unsuitable for human consumption however they were crucial in the development and natural history of Hampstead.

History lovers are spoilt for choice with plenty of museums and historic buildings in the area including Burgh House (https://burghhouse.museumssites.com/), Fenton House (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fenton-house-and-garden),  2 Willow Road (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/2-willow-road), The Freud Museum (https://www.freud.org.uk/) Keats House (https://keatslocations.co.uk/keats-house-hampstead-london/), and Kenwood House (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenwood/