Description
Along Hampstead High Street and Heath Street are a number of landscaped areas with grass, shrubs and some trees, such as the central enclosure between The Mount and Heath Street, which have been maintained as public open space by Hampstead Borough Council since at least the late C19th/early C20th. They are now maintained by LB Camden. These green spaces are of interest in providing green banks to the busy high street.
Practical Information
| Site location | Hampstead High Street/Greenhill; Heath Street/The Mount |
|---|---|
| Postcode | NW3 |
| What3Words | ///polite.grin.award |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Hampstead (Northern) |
| Research Updated | 1 August 2002 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ266856 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Camden |
| Site Management | Parks & Open Spaces |
| 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 | Hampstead Village & Fitzjohns/Netherhall |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Character: Hampstead & Highgate Ridge |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space (Small Local). |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Holly Bush Hill has two small areas of green space that since the late C19th/early C20th have been maintained by Hampstead Borough Council, now by LB Camden, a narrow strip of land on Holly Bush Hill was laid out as a shrubbery and a small triangular green bounded by post and chain. A number of fine houses face Holly Bush Hill, including Romney's House named after artist George Romney. This was later converted for Assembly Rooms where the first Hampstead Heath Protection meeting took place in 1829, chaired by James Fenton who lived nearby at Fenton House.
Fenton House is a late C17th merchant's house, which was left to the National Trust in 1952 by owner Lady Binning, together with a collection of porcelain. It had been given its present name after 1793 when the house was bought by merchant, Mr P I Fenton. A description of the garden in 1756 records that it had fruit trees and a kitchen garden. The layout today is not dissimilar to that of the 1860s with a lawn to the south with central gravel path leading to what was then the main entrance of the house. North of the house were terrace gardens with perimeter walks comprising a flower garden and walled kitchen garden.
Hampstead Square Gardens is a small triangular site within which a private garden has been created. A number of the surrounding houses date from the early C18th, and maps of 1762 show a rectangular grove here called The Square. The open space was used in the early C19th by strolling players and then by the Victoria Tea Gardens. In 1850 Christ Church was built here to serve the growing population of Hampstead, which had became too large for St John-at-Hampstead and the parish was sub-divided.
