Description
This area was part of farmland held by Eton College since the C15th, which remained rural until the C19th when it was developed in three phases from the 1840s onwards. Much of the area around Eton Avenue was developed by speculative builder William Willett between 1886-1894, largely the work of architects Harry Measures and Amos Faulkner and inspired by Arts and Crafts style. At the junction of Eton Avenue and Adamson Road is a small triangular green with two trees, which has been maintained as public open space by Hampstead Borough Council since the late C19th or early C20th.
Practical Information
| Site location | Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage |
|---|---|
| Postcode | NW3 |
| What3Words | ///pans.rider.jungle |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Swiss Cottage (Jubilee). |
| Research Updated | 1 August 2002 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
This area was part of 243 acres of land held by the Provost and College of Eton since 1449, which was mainly farmland until it was developed in three phases from the 1840s onwards. The estate was once the Manor of Chalcots, from which Chalk Farm takes its name, and until Henry VIII granted it to Eton College it had been owned by St James's Leper Hospital at Westminster. The development of the area was encouraged by John Nash's Regent's Park development on the Crown Estate, which led to builders and landowners assessing the area north of the park as to its suitability for fashionable housing. The Eton College Estate was surveyed in 1824 and an Act of Parliament granted the college the authority to issue building leases, although this did not begin in earnest until the 1830s. The area north of Adelaide Road was developed from the 1860s and Eton Avenue was part of area developed by speculative builder William Willett between 1886 and 1894, largely the work of architects Harry Measures and Amos Faulkner and inspired by Arts and Crafts style. At the junction of Eton Avenue and Adamson Road is a small triangular green with two trees, which has been maintained as public open space by Hampstead Borough Council since the early C20th. A number of the houses designed by Faulkner in Eton Avenue are listed. Adamson Road is said to have been named after a contractor working for the Eton Estate.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ268844 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0094 |
| Site Ownership | LB Camden |
| Site Management | Parks & Open Spaces |
| Dates | late C19th |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | Yes |
| Local Authority | Camden |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Belsize Park |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space (Small Local). London Squares Preservation Act 1931. |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Sigmund Freud and his family came to London as refugees from the Nazis in 1938, and moved to 20 Maresfield Gardens on 27 September where Freud lived until his death in September 1939. He spent much of his last summer here. After his death, his wife, sister-in-law, housekeeper and youngest daughter Anna Freud, herself a leading psychoanalyst, continued to live here. After Anna's death in 1982 it was then turned into the Freud Museum, which opened to the public in 1986. The Conservatory at the back of the house overlooks the garden, which with its lawn, trees, flower and shrub beds is preserved much as it was in the 1930s. An almond tree in the front garden was immortalised by Stephen Spender in his poem 'Almond Tree in a Bombed City', written during WWII.
This area was part of farmland held by the Provost and College of Eton since the C15th, which was developed in three phases from the 1840s onwards. Wadham Gardens was part of the third phase, and was developed by speculative builder William Willett between 1890 and 1911, largely the work of architects Harry Measures and Amos Faulkner and inspired by Arts and Crafts principles. Wadham Gardens and the west part of Elsworthy Road were built from 1895 on the former site of the Eton and Middlesex Cricket Ground.
This area was part of farmland held by the Provost and College of Eton since the C15th, which was developed in three phases from the 1840s onwards. Elsworthy Road was part of the third phase, and was developed by speculative builder William Willett between 1890 and 1911, largely the work of architects Harry Measures and Amos Faulkner and inspired by Arts and Crafts style. This small area of grass and a few trees formed a common frontage to a number of houses in Elsworthy Road. It was transferred to Hampstead Borough Council, and covenanted to be kept as ornamental landscaping.