This neighbourhood area is known locally as Hampstead and is in the borough of Camden. It is situated on the edge of Hampstead Heath, one of London’s most popular green spaces. This neighbourhood is known for its charming village feel because of its winding small streets, alleyways, and ample flowers and trees. Its High Street is filled with small shops, boutiques, pubs, and restaurants to wander in and out of. There is also a popular pedestrian-only zone that has even more pubs, restaurants, and vintage shops.

The earliest known inhabitants of the Hampstead area were Mesolithic forest hunters who settled here in about 7000 BC. Their campsites were found and excavated in the mid-1900s. The first recorded history of the area is in 986 AD, with a charter housed in the British Library that grants the land to a monastery. Jumping to the 20th century, this neighbourhood played an important role during WW1. The Hampstead Union Workhouse and Infirmary was commissioned as a war hospital and used to treat wounded and shell-shocked soldiers. To learn even more about the neighbourhood’s history, residents can visit the Burgh House and Hampstead Museum, which houses over 3,000 objects relating to the local area.

John Constable, a famous British landscape painter, lived in the neighbourhood with his family in the early 1800s. Constable is most known for his paintings of Suffolk, where he grew up. However, after moving to Hampstead, Constable conducted studies on cloud formations, made numerous oil sketches of the area, and several finished works of the park. Today a blue plaque honouring his memory can be seen on his former house.

The Kit-Cat Club, an 18th century literary and political group, often met at a pub on East Heath Road. Also, London had its own miniature version of the Winter Olympics in 1950. A ski jump was installed on the edge of the park for a weekend competition open to the public.

The most reported crime in this area is anti-social behaviour. There can be some loitering late at night, due to the number of pubs in the area. However, business owners report feeling happy with their location and are optimistic about the area’s continued growth.

King’s College London recently redeveloped a few of their sites in the area into student residences that can house around 150 students, following the demolition of existing structures on the land. Additionally, close to this neighbourhood area will be a new Crossrail station, West Hampstead, which should connect all the way to Hounslow. The line and associated stations are expected to be completed by 2026 and the new building will have lifts to both platforms, and will be bigger than the current station with twice as many gates and a much larger concourse.