MJ Maccardini (trailerfullofpix)'s photos

Keats House, Keats Grove, Hampstead

The poet John Keats lived here for 17 months, beginning in 1818 until he left for Italy where he subsequently died in 1821.

Keats House, Keats Grove, Hampstead

By Barbara Hepworth, on the grounds of Kenwood House.

By Barbara Hepworth, on the grounds of Kenwood House.

Kenwood House. At first I thought this was a parish boundary marker, but on closer inspection learned otherwise.

Kenwood House

Kenwood House. I didn't see the bath house (not open to the public), but I can attest that the loos on the lower level, very near this sign, are really nice.

By Henry Moore. On the grounds of Kenwood House.

By Henry Moore. On the grounds of Kenwood House.

By Henry Moore. On the grounds of Kenwood House.

Hampstead Heath

From the heath-hands.org.uk website: Perhaps the most famous tree on the Heath, hailed as ‘The Queen of the Woods’ and as one of the Great Trees of London, the Hollow Beech casts a fantastical figure near the Vale of Health. Having naturally hollowed through the action of bacteria and fungi over the past century or so, you can now see straight through the tree from the right angle, and people in the past have clambered inside. The record is 15 people inside the trunk but this must have been quite a stack and a squeeze! Being such a popular attraction for playful children and adults alike does raise concern for the tree’s health. Root compaction from so much footfall around the trunk can damage this magnificent tree’s life support system, so a rope fence now encourages people to admire it from a respectful distance. Work has been done to aerate and fertilise the soil around the tree, as well as pruning it to prevent storm damage so this magnificent specimen can thrive and be admired by future generations.

Hampstead Heath

Built in 1888, by Henry S Legg; converted to housing c1985. Grade II listed. I was confused about the "Campden" on the stone fascia, rather than "Camden" as the borough is spelt. I think there might be a connection to the Hampstead Wells and Campden Charity. I found this on the website of the Wells and Campden Trust: Although the Trust in its present form dates only from 1971, its earliest origins were in 1698 when the Earl of Gainsborough, then an infant, through his mother The Hon Susanna Noel, gave six acres of land for the perpetual benefit of the poor of the Parish of Hampstead. This became known as the Wells Charity, taking its name from the Chalybeate Well built by the Earl of Gainsborough to commemorate the bequest. It was on this land that the residential estate of the Trust was built. The origins of the Campden Charity date back to the early days of the English Civil War in 1642, when Lady Campden (a member of the Gainsborough family) made a bequest of £200, which, together with two further bequests, totalled £250. This was used to buy land in Child’s Hill and the income from the land was to be divided: half for the perpetual benefit of the poor and needy of the Parish of Hampstead and half for apprenticeships for poor boys of the same parish. The Campden Charity existed till 1880, when it merged with the Wells Charity and the Wells and Campden Charity was established.

Leading to Gardnor Road, Hampstead

I'm not sure what Flask House was originally, but it appears to be flats now.

Hampstead High Street, across from the Hampstead Post Office. According to the placard, this postbox dates from 1870.