Relax in this stunning, calm, stylish space in the heart of historic Hampstead Village. The charming Hampstead Heath lakes, swans, swimming ponds, tennis courts, film locations... are minutes away, as are the famous, quirky, idilic Hampstead restaurants, delightful shops & cafes, splendid historical houses, museums, gardens...
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First - we must state the following important info:
(1.) DOCUMENTS - IMPORTANT!
PHOTO IDs & PROOF OF ADDRESS - the building management requires ALL GUESTS and the account holder (who made the booking) to EACH show the following docs - in order to be able to check in:
(a) valid photo ID (passport / driving licence), and
(b) proof of their addresses (RECENT utility bill).
The host is required to take photos of the IDs before the keys can be issued, so please DO NOT FORGET to bring them ! Thanks :-)
(2.) PRICING - IMPORTANT!
You are charged FAIRLY - based on the number of guests and in line with our ACTUAL expenses. Most places on AirBnB charge fixed price, based on the maximum number of guests the apartment can accommodate - ignoring the number of guests actually checking in. This can be unfair - as there is less cleaning and less expenses involved in hosting 1-2 guests, than in hosting 3-4 guests.
We try to keep the nightly rates low and competitive - the smaller the number of guests - the lower the nightly price you pay. Additional charges (cleaning, dry-cleaning, additional time for extra work...) will ONLY be applied if these additional charges are ACTUALLY incurred. In other words - ONLY if additional guests (3rd and/or 4th person) are, in fact, staying too.
So - please note:
(A)
For bookings of 1-2 persons, this 2-bedroom apartment is priced as a 1-bedroom flat. ONLY the double bedroom will be set up for you. You will still have full use of the living room, kitchen, bathroom and hallways.
(1-2 people = one double bed)
(B)
If you would like the second (single) bedroom set up AS WELL - please make sure that you book for - 3 people !
(3 people = one double bed + one single bed)
(C)
If you would ALSO like the third bed set up in the living room - make sure that you make the reservation for - 4 people ! NOTE - the 4th bed is a proper-size, full single bed (NOT a pull-out sofa). It will only be set up for bookings of 4 people !
(4 people = one double bed + two single beds)
Guests only pay for what they use - nothing more (unless you want more space). If you do need/want extra space, extra bedding, extra beds, etc - you always have the option to book the place for more guests - see (B) and (C) above.
PLACES OF INTEREST:
SITES:
To the north and east of Hampstead is London's largest ancient parkland, Hampstead Heath, which includes the well-known and legally-protected view of the London skyline from Parliament Hill. The Heath has 3 open-air public swimming ponds; one for men, one for women, one for mixed bathing, which were originally reservoirs for drinking water and the sources of the River Fleet. The bridge is known locally as 'The Red Arches' or 'The Viaduct', built in fruitless anticipation of residential building on the Heath in the 19th century. Local activities include major open-air concerts on summer Saturday evenings on the slopes below Kenwood House, the FT Weekend Festival, book & poetry readings, fun fairs on the lower reaches of the Heath, period harpsichord recitals @ Fenton House, Hampstead Scientific Society and Hampstead Photographic Society. The largest employer in Hampstead is the Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, but many small businesses based in the area have international significance. George Martin's AIR recording studios, in converted church premises in Lyndhurst Road, is a current example, as Jim Henson's Creature Shop was before it relocated to California. The area has remarkable architecture, such as the Isokon building in Lawn Road, a Grade I listed experiment in collective housing, once home to Agatha Christie, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson and Walter Gropius. It was recently restored by Notting Hill Housing Trust.
CHURCHES AND SYNAGOGUES:
Christ Church, Hampstead Square, NW3 1AB; Heath Street Baptist Church, Heath Street, NW3 1DN; St. Andrew's United Reformed Church, Frognal Lane, NW3 7DY; St John-at-Hampstead, Church Row, NW3 6UU; St John's Downshire Hill, Downshire Hill, NW3 1NU; St Luke's, Kidderpore Avenue, NW3 7SU; St Mary's Church (Roman Catholic), 4 Holly Place, NW3 6QU; Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, Pilgrim's Place, NW3 1NG; Village Shul, synagogue, 27 New End, Hampstead; St Stephen's Rosslyn Hill (Church of England, built in 1869 by Samuel Sanders Teulon), Pond Street side of Hampstead Green. Deconsecrated in 1978 and stripped of much of its assets it was boarded up and subsequently invaded by squatters. In 1998 it was leased to the St Stephen's Restoration & Preservation Trust which, after 11 years of fundraising and grants returned it to the community as a centre for education, weddings, public meetings, social celebrations, occasional classical music concerts. Winning an English Heritage award for the restoration of buildings at risk.
MUSEUMS:
Fenton House, Hampstead Grove, Hampstead, London, NW3 6SP; Freud Museum, 20 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead, London, NW3 5SX; Burgh House & Hampstead Museum, New End Sq, Hampstead, NW3 1LT; Keats House Museum, Keats Grove, Hampstead, London, NW3 2RR; Kenwood House, Hampstead Lane, Hampstead, NW3 7JR.
THEATRES AND CINEMAS:
Everyman Cinema, 5 Holly Bush Vale, Hampstead, London, NW3 6TX; Hampstead Theatre, Eton Ave, Swiss Cottage, NW3 3EU; Pentameters Theatre, 28 Heath Str, Hampstead, NW3 6TE; Art Galleries - Hampstead was once home to many art galleries but few are now left. The Catto Gallery, 100 Heath Street, Hampstead, London NW3 1DP (in Hampstead since 1986) has represented artists like Ian Berry, Philip Jackson, Chuck Elliott, Walasse Ting, Sergei Chepik... Gilden's Art Gallery, 74, Heath Street, NW3 1DN; Zebra One Gallery, 1 Perrin's Court, Hampstead, NW3 1QX
PUBLIC HOUSES:
Hampstead is well known for its traditional pubs. The Holly Bush, gas-lit until recently; the Spaniard's Inn, Spaniard's Road, where highwayman Dick Turpin took refuge; The Old Bull and Bush in North End; The Old White Bear (formerly Ye Olde White Bear). Jack Straw's Castle, on the edge of the Heath near Whitestone Pond, has now been converted into residential flats. Others: The Flask, 14 Flask Walk, Hampstead, NW3 1HE; Freemasons Arms, 32 Downshire Hill, Hampstead, NW3 1NT; The Duke of Hamilton, 23–25 New End, Hampstead, NW3 1JD; The Horseshoe (formerly The Three Horseshoes), 28 Heath Str, Hampstead, NW3 6TE; King William IV (aka KW4), 77 Hampstead High Str, Hampstead NW3 1RE; The Magdala, 2a South Hill Park, Hampstead NW3 2SB; The Garden Gate, 14 South End Rd, Hampstead, NW3 2QE; The Wells Tavern, 30 Well Walk, Hampstead NW3 1BX
RESTAURANTS:
Hampstead has served as a testing ground for a number of cafes and restaurants that later became successful chains. Those include Giraffe World Kitchen, Gails and 'Bagel Street'. Hampstead has an eclectic mix of restaurants ranging from French to Thai. After over a decade of controversy and legal action from local residents, McDonald's was finally allowed to open in Hampstead in 1992, after winning its right in court, and agreeing to a previously unprecedented re-design of the shop front, reducing the conspicuousness of its facade and logo, It closed in November 2013.
SHOPPING:
Hampstead High Street is filled with boutiques, where one can shop for clothing, art supplies, health food, and home wears. Specialty shops like Venchi, the Italian ice cream and chocolatier and the popular teen brand Brandy Melville have local outlets. Many designer fashion outlets also have local boutiques.
FILM LOCATIONS:
Hampstead's rural feel lends itself for use in film, a notable example being The Killing of Sister George (1968) starring Beryl Reid and Susannah York. The opening sequence has Reid's character June wandering through the streets and alleyways of Hampstead, west of Heath Street, around The Mount Square. The Marquis of Granby pub, in which June drinks at the opening of the film, was actually The Holly Bush, at 22 Holly Mount. The Collector (1965), starring Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar, where the kidnap sequence is set in Mount Vernon. Some scenes from An American Werewolf in London (1981) are shot on Hampstead Heath, Well Walk and Haverstock Hill. Kenwood House is the set of the "film-within-the-film" scene of Notting Hill (1999). Outdoor scenes in The Wedding Date (2005), starring Debra Messing, feature Parliament Hill Fields on the Heath, overlooking west London. Parliament Hill also features in Notes on a Scandal (2006) together with the nearby areas of Gospel Oak and Camden Town. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) features the old Hampstead Town Hall on Haverstock Hill. The film Scenes of a Sexual Nature (2006) was filmed entirely on Hampstead Heath, covering various picturesque locations such as the 'Floating Gardens' and Kenwood House. A musical specifically focusing on the area, Les Bicyclettes de Belsize (1968), tells the story of a young man's cycle journey around Hampstead. After crashing into a billboard poster, he falls in love with the fashion model on it. In February 2016, Robert Zemeckis' war film Allied starring Brad Pitt & Marion Cotillard, began with the family home on the corners of Christchurch Hill & Willow Road in Hampstead. In 2017 - film "Hampstead", starring Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson, told a true story based upon the real life events surrounding Harry Hallowes who first squatted on the site in 1987 after being evicted from his council flat in Highgate. Hallowes, who died aged 88 in 2016, battled for the legal rights to own the land on which he had built his shelter arguing that he had gained ownership by adverse possession. He was eventually awarded title to 7,000 square feet. xx
