Author Archives: paul_admin

Hidden rivers revealed

You might have wondered whether the hidden rivers of London matter all that much, because they’re… well… hidden! Not any more:

The work of the Town Committee

The Town Committee focuses exclusively on the interests of Hampstead Town, a range of vital and sometimes controversial matters:

Did you know? – Hampstead in the Domesday Book

In the Domesday Book Hamestede was valued at 50 shillings – a small farm with pigs and ploughs.

Did you know? – Hampstead used to be a spa

In the early 1700s Hampstead became a popular spa destination, rivalling both Bath and Tunbridge Wells. It’s bitter ferruginous waters were said to cure gout, gravel, shingles and scrofula.

Did you know? – Music at Fenton House

You can listen for free to music played on the country’s finest collections of early keyboard instruments at Fenton House (built c.1698), Hampstead’s oldest house.

Did you know? – Hampstead Observatory

At the village’s highest point Hampstead has its own observatory with a marvellous 6-inch refracting telescope, open and free to public.

Did you know? – Hampstead in WWII

During WWII the Borough of Hampstead was hit by 467 bombs and missiles and thousands of incendiaries, it suffered 1,134 casualties, of which over 200 were fatal.

Did you know? – Goldfinger

So great was Hampstead author Ian Fleming’s dislike of the modern architectural masterpiece built at 2 Willow Road, he named his most famous villain after the architect: Goldfinger.

At the epicentre of the Hampstead Storm of 14 August 1975, it has been estimated that as much as 200mm of rain may have fallen in 95 minutes – the single greatest inundation over such a short period since records began.

Did you know? – Hampstead millionaires

Hampstead, it is said, has more millionaires within its boundaries than anywhere else in the UK.