Hampstead is one of the highest places in London. There, the heavens are vast and wide. Beneath this expanse of sky is an area with an eventful past and a vibrant present.

This book takes a refreshingly new look at Hampstead and shows that the locality is richly imbued with historical memories and has been home to a multitude of fascinating and noteworthy people. Many books have been written about Hampstead. Doubtless, there will be more. This one is different. It looks at Hampstead from unusual as well as familiar viewpoints and gives the reader a richer appreciation of what makes the place both delightful and intriguing. This volume explores a wide variety of subjects, familiar and obscure, as well as some which have never been described in other books about the locality. Here is a fresh and at times quirky look at this place on a hill, one of London’s treasures: a district, which is familiar to many people, yet full of surprises. Although most of this book is about Hampstead, there are also sections describing some of its environs including: Golders Green, Highgate, Primrose Hill, Swiss Cottage, and West Hampstead. By reading this book, you can find out what makes the area so special and how John Constable, Samuel Johnson, Boy George, Barbara Hepworth, Herbert read, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Mahatma Gandhi, Peter Sellers, Henry Moore, Maxim Litvinov, General de Gaulle, Sir Harry Vane, Julian Huxley, Stanley Spencer, Thomas Masaryk, Lee Miller, Agatha Christie, Jim Henson, Ian Fleming, Ernő Goldfinger, Pitt the Elder, and many others, both famous and familiar, were all connected with Hampstead.

The book has several sections. The first is a brief survey of Hampstead’s general history and geography. Next, there is an introduction to Hampstead’s main thoroughfares with some reminiscences of the area as it was during the 1960s and 1970s. This is followed by the largest section of the book: a collection of chapters about various aspects of Hampstead’s past and present. The last few sections of the book deal with some places of interest near to Hampstead including Golders Green, Highgate, Primrose Hill, Swiss Cottage, and West Hampstead.
Recently, a friend of mine bemoaned the fact that Hampstead High Street and Heath Street are lined with branches of shops and cafés that can be found all over London. He is right. So, if you wish to capture the true character of Hampstead, you need to stray into the side streets and explore, which is what I hope this book will stimulate you to do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Adam Yamey lived near Hampstead for 30 years. Throughout the 1960s, he attended schools in Swiss Cottage and Highgate. Over a period of more than 60 years, he has been visiting the area regularly, and continues to do so with great pleasure. Adam is a retired dentist and author. He has published several books including: “Albania on my Mind”, “Rediscovering Albania”, “Charlie Chaplin waved to me”, “Exodus to Africa”, “Indian Freedom Fighters in London (1905-1910)”, “Soap to Senate: A German Jew at the dawn of apartheid”, and “Scrabble with Slivovitz - Once upon a time in Yugoslavia”.

LIST OF CHAPTERS

INTRODUCTION
SOME GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
HEATH AND HIGH STREETS WITH SOME MEMORIES
SATURDAY STROLLS
PERRINS LANE, THE EVERYMAN, AND LOUIS
DISCOVERING HAMPSTEAD
A HOUSE ON HEATH STREET AND THE KIT CAT CLUB
A CHURCH ON HEATH STREET
FLASK WALK AND THE HAMPSTEAD SPA
MORE ABOUT THE SPA
THE VALE OF HEALTH
POETS AND THE VALE OF HEALTH
FRENCH CONNECTIONS AND ST MARYS ON HOLLY WALK
ARTISTS IN HAMPSTEAD: ROMNEY, CONSTABLE, AND OTHERS
MODERN ARTISTS AND THE ISOKON
BOLSHEVISM AND HEATH STREET
A SINGER AND A PHILOSOPHER ON BRANCH HILL
JUDGES WALK
WHITESTONE POND
EAST HEATH ROAD AND SOUTH END GREEN
SIR HARRY AND ROSSLYN HILL
PILGRIMS LANE AND MORE ON ROSSLYN HILL
NEW END, CHOLERA, AND GROVE PLACE
FITZJOHNS AVENUE AND SWISS COTTAGE
SHEPHERDS WELL
CHURCH ROW
GRACIE FIELDS, FROGNAL WAY, AND FROGNAL
WEST HEATH ROAD AND PLATTS LANE
WEST HAMPSTEAD
SHOOT UP HILL
PRIMROSE HILL
NORTH END AND GOLDERS GREEN
NORTH END AND GOLDERS HILL PARK
POETS AND GOLDERS GREEN
LIFE AND DEATH ON HOOP LANE
HIGHGATE
CODA
INDEX OF PLACE NAMES
SOME BOOKS CONSULTED
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS