summer on Hampstead Heath

London is a city with so much history that it's written into the buildings, the streets and even several feet underground. When we examine the history of a city, we look at its architecture, its layout, the people who built it and the ground it's built on.

View of London from Parliament Hill

One thing we often forget is that there are green spaces in a city, and that they may be as old or even older than the buildings that surround them. We visit, photograph and read about landmarks like St. Paul's Cathedral or the Tower of London, and we forget about the ancient heritage of St. James's Park or, in this case, Hampstead Heath.

View of Hampstead Pond no.1 from Parliament Hill

In the year 986, the amusingly-named Anglo-Saxon king Aethelred the Unready granted his vassal five units of land at a place named Hemstede, later owned by the monastery of St. Peter's. The land was sold off to the city little by little, most of the park becoming public in the 19th century. 

Parliament Hill panorama

Parliament Hill Viewpoint and the Swimming Ponds are probably the most popular spots on the Heath. The viewpoint boasts a 360 degree view of the Heath and the skyline of London; there's a visual guide of the buildings for tourists on the spot.

Sign showing silhouette guide to London buildings
such as the Shard, the Walkie-Talkie and Canary Wharf

Hampstead Heath is also home to the ancient and very reduced River Fleet, which springs out from two points of the park: the Kenwood Estate and the Viaduct Pond. Kenwood House was the ancient seat of the Earls of Mansfield, but bought and donated to the country by Lord Edward Guiness in 1927.

The house has been a film location for Notting Hill, Sense and Sensibility, Belle and Swing Time. The main attraction of the estate are the woods and the Thousand Pound Pond, a dammed reservoir of the Fleet graced with a beautiful bridge that we only found out later was artificial.

The Thousand Pound Pond with its Sham Bridge

The scene of the pond, trees and surrounding slopes were designed by Humphry Repton, the famous landscape designer. This curated view is called a "prospect" by Jane Austen and other Regency writers.

There is a long tradition of English landscape design that is similar to Japanese gardens, in that real elements of nature are tamed and edited to create an ideal version of "countryside", to be viewed at specific points by residents and visitors.

sign by Kenwood House explaining Humphry Repton and his work

The woods surrounding the property, however, are real, and Hampstead Heath Wood is home to many ancient trees and native wildlife. The thick woods and dark canopy are extremely rare in Britain and almost unseen in London, and turn this city park into a fairytale world.

It's a dark fairytale world, though, full of gloom, diffused daylight and deep shadows under the trees. It stirs the primal imagination, and this beach-dweller definitely felt a little hemmed in by the ancient oaks and beeches. I even got lost a few times before meeting up with my friends!

Luckily I was with experienced Londoners who loved hiking through the park and knew the trails. I had a few hairy moments with steep slopes but was proud of myself for making the trek. 

The Hampstead Heath is a beautiful place that has inspired many artists, writers, philosophers and designers. It's a thrill to walk in their footsteps and stand under the same shade with friends I've known for years.