Hampstead & West Hampstead Guide

Located in the London Borough of Camden, Hampstead is approximately four miles north west of the centre of London and has been home to famous names past and present such as Lord Byron, Sigmund Freud, George Orwell and Stephen Fry.

Nothing seems able to shake Hampstead’s well-to-do reputation, not even the notorious goings-on on Hampstead Heath. Its villagey feel is in part due to its geography, as Hampstead is located atop a hill. Popular with writers, actors and wealthy middle class residents, people from all over London flock to Hampstead in the summer to stroll along the heath and swim in the ponds. There are numerous patisseries, cafes, gastropubs and restaurants – it’s safe to say you won’t go hungry here, and it’s also home to the Freud Museum, Keat’s House and Kenwood House, the latter containing artworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Henry Moore.

West Hampstead

Amazingly, until the end of the 19th century, West Hampstead was little more than a small village known as West End, until the railways expanded to this area of the North West London. At this point, the farming land surrounding the West End was rapidly redeveloped into housing estates. It was in 1879 that the name West Hampstead was used by the railway, because customers were getting it confused with the area in central London also referred to as the West End.

Modern West Hampstead is now a popular destination for a night out for those who live further out of London as it has a large number of bars and restaurants that come alive at night!