Society thanks the City for 30 years of caring for the Heath.
The City of London Corporation has been managing and preserving the Heath since 1989. During that time, the Society has been working closely with the City and it was only fitting to host a party to mark that anniversary and honour the relationship. The selection of photographs, courtesy of Diana Von R Photography, and the reprint of the addresses by Society Chair Marc Hutchinson and Karina Dostalova, Chair of the City’s Hampstead Heath Management Committee, recreate the festive ambience from that late summer evening.
(more…)Sheep return to graze on Hampstead Heath
On 27 August sheep will return to Hampstead Heath to graze for the first time since the 1950s as part of a week-long trial.
The flock of five sheep, provided by Mudchute Park & Farm, are made up of Oxford Down and Norfolk Horn. They will graze at The Tumulus on the Heath, an ancient Roman monument managed by Historic England. Fencing has been installed at The Tumulus to protect the sheep who will be kept securely at the Heath’s nearby Kenwood Yard overnight.
Protect Millfield Lane and Hampstead Heath from Urbanisation
In the Planning Report of our January newsletter you will find details of an application for a totally unacceptable development of five houses in a beautiful garden right on the edge of the Heath . The Society is supporting a petition launched by the Friends of Millfield Lane and we would encourage members to sign it https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/millfield2019
The Ponds film – Still Waters Run Deep
After two years’ work including a 12-month filming period, The Ponds – a documentary celebration of the year-round swimmers and the Hampstead Heath ponds – is ready for release.
Co-producers Patrick McLennan and Samuel Smith endeavoured to capture life at the unique swimming ponds over all four seasons, getting to know the regular swimmers and trying to capture the essence of the unique urban swimming spots.
“The cold water unites swimmers in a way you don’t often see in ordinary life,” said Patrick. “We’ve heard a lot of stories over the year: some funny, some sad, many of them heart-warming. There’s a shared bond over the pleasure and benefits of swimming in the ponds that brings the regulars together.
“Not for nothing have we subtitled the film the ‘healing waters of Hampstead Heath’.”
The Ponds tracks a group of different personalities at the Men’s, Ladies’ and Mixed Ponds, giving a revealing perspective of their lives plus an insight into what the ponds are all about, which you’d only otherwise get if you were a regular.
The Heath is captured in all its beauty, from the first shoots of spring when the water temperature hovers around 10-12ºC, through the heat and crowds of summer to the bleak onset of autumn and the shivering descent into winter.
“High points of the film include the excitement of the iconic Christmas Day Races and the winter swimmers breaking the ice,” said Patrick. “The snow scenes in particular have some heart-stopping moments.”
The Ponds (Still Waters Run Deep) will be shown at the Everyman Hampstead from early January. Check the cinema for screening details.
South Fairground Site Public Inquiry
This public inquiry scheduled for 11-12 December 2018 (as stated in our October newsletter) has been postponed until 2019. When the new dates are known, they will be announced here.
