Resident’s Guide: how to spend a weekend in Hampstead
SEE
1. 2 Willow Road
Two Willow Road is one of three terraced houses designed by the Hungarian architect Ernö Goldfinger in 1939 – the middle home being for his family. The project was mired in controversy from the start: such a starkly modern style was, so claimed some of Hampstead’s residents, tasteless and at odds with the overall neighbourhood aesthetic. It is a great relief that their opinion did not prevail. The property was purchased by the National Trust in 1993 (an event that itself caused controversy, as it was the Trust’s first modernist acquisition) along with its furnishings and Goldfinger’s art collection, which includes pieces by the likes of Henry Moore and Max Ernst.
2. Hampstead Theatre
A small venue that packs a punch: Hampstead Theatre, off the main West End circuit, showcases big names – think Sir Ian McKellen and Indira Varma – in an intimate setting. And this is also the place to go to for lesser-known plays by great classicists like Chekhov and Ibsen, as well as for contemporary pieces that other venues may have overlooked.
3. Camden Art Centre
The former public library is now a contemporary art gallery, bookshop and café, with free entry. At the back is a small, secluded garden that makes for a pleasant reprieve after touring the exhibition space.
EAT
4. The Horseshoe
Everyone in London knows the Camden Town Brewery but few are aware of the pub, The Horseshoe, where it all began as a basement operation in 2010. This is not a gimmicky ‘tour-the-brewery’ affair but a well-designed bar and restaurant in its own right – just with an extensive selection of Camden Town beers on tap, of course. The menu struts somewhere between Mediterranean and refined pub-fare, with meat and fish taking centre stage.
5. L’Antica Pizzeria
There are plenty of options in London for a good pizza – ones that’ll even placate an ex-pat Italian – but few are quite as authentic as L’Antica Pizzeria. The Italian-owned restaurant uses high-standard Caputo flour, slow-fermented for 36 hours and cooked in a traditional, ceramic wood-fired oven.
6. Jin Kichi
This cosy Japanese restaurant serves a classic izakaya (tavern) menu, from sushi and udon to donburi (rice bowls) and yakitori (barbecued skewers). If you can, opt for the kitchen-side bar seating – watching the chefs work makes for some mesmerising theatre between the dishes.
7. La Crêperie de Hampstead
The pint-sized crêpe stand, with its charming French signage, is a household name and lunchtime favourite in Hampstead. It’s a sleeves-up, feet-shoulder-width-apart, eat-on-the-street affair.
8. The Wells Tavern
The Wells Tavern, whose roots as a public house date back to 1849, finely straddles the line between a no-fuss pub – with plush sofas, roaring fires and excited dogs fresh from the Heath – and an elegant restaurant serving a traditional British menu.
SHOP
9. Daunt Books
Daunt Books has the peculiarity of arranging its collection by country rather than author’s surname – the point being to instil in visitors the idea of literature as an adventure. Shopping here is like spinning a globe; it might well give you inspiration for your next trip abroad. Look out too for Daunt’s stellar programme of literary talks.
10. Hampstead Butcher & Providore
A fine place to pick up a picnic for the Heath, as much as quality free-range meat to take home. It’s one of the old bastions of traditional butchering: think tie-and-collar staff and expert knowledge. The deli counter stocks a wide selection of cheese and charcuterie, as well as ready-made hampers, best paired with a bottle of cold sparkling wine.
11. Maud & Mabel
Karen Whiteley established this gallery-shop in 2012 as a platform for artists working primarily in ceramics and textiles but also jewellery, wood, glass and metalwork. The overall ethos is grounded in minimal Japanese aesthetics, in quality and simplicity. The works on display change throughout the year, meaning new designs are always there to be discovered, but it also means that the teapot or vase that caught your eye might not be there for long: so snap it up quick.
12. Antique Textiles Company
A rare gem of an antiques shop, even by London standards: this one specialising in textiles, patchwork and quilts from the North of England, Wales and North America. It is surprising how portentously modern some of the designs are. You’ll also find antique linens, cashmere and paisley shawls.
13. Livingstone Studio
From one textiles trove to the next. This studio and gallery champions an international roster of designers, from India to Italy, Germany to South Korea, all of which work at the intersection of contemporary practice and tradition. You’ll find clothing, home textiles, furniture and pottery, as well as curated shows which hone in on subjects like vintage Welsh quilts.
14. Melrose & Morgan
Ian James and Nick Selby are all about independently made produce. At the Hampstead outpost (there’s one in Primrose Hill, too) they stock an array of goods either locally made or from reputed suppliers further out: chocolate from Pump Street in Suffolk, or Mancini pasta from the Marche region. There’s ample in-house produce too, such as Melrose & Morgan granola, biscuits and jam. Check out our visit to Ian and Nick’s home here.
DO
15. Kenwood House
Sitting at the northern end of Hampstead Heath is the sumptuous neoclassical manor of Kenwood. There has been a house on this site since the early 17th century but Kenwood’s history really began in the mid-18th, when the architect Robert Adam gave the residence, now owned by the Earls of Mansfield, its current look and stately interiors. Today it is part of the English Heritage charitable collection, and is renowned for its art collection – Gainsborough, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals make appearances – but all this might never have been had Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl Guinness and founder of the Guinness brewery, not purchased and later bequeathed the house to the public in 1929.
16. Blue Plaque Hunting
Hampstead has an abundance of ‘blue plaques’ – signs on exteriors of buildings commemorating famous personages who once lived there. Seeking these out makes for an architectural treasure hunt of sorts, from one august house to another. More entertaining still are some of the inscriptions. The plaque at 16 Bracknell Gardens, to honour Aldous Huxley and his brothers, reads laconically: ‘Men of Science and Letters lived here’. Aren’t we all?
17. Walk Around Hampstead Heath
The Heath differs from other London parks in its wildness and expanse – in fact, it’s not really a park at all. This is a prime spot for a long weekend amble – and particularly popular with dog walkers; there are plenty of copses to get lost in, wildlife to appreciate and several sights to anchor your walk: such as Parliament Hill, which offers an expansive view of the London skyline.
18. Ponds and Lido
Come summer, Hampstead is a hit with swimmers, who flock to either the open-air lido or the wild ponds. The former is mixed, has a café and is more popular with those wanting to do lengths. The latter offers a leisurely, rustic splash-about and is split into mixed (on the Hampstead side of the park), ladies and men’s ponds (these being further north). The cultish following of the ponds is celebrated in At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies’ Pond, a collection of essays from 14 writers that will have you reaching for your bathing suit.
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