Description
Heathcroft is an estate of Neo-Georgian flats built in 1923-4 for Second Hampstead Tenants Ltd, to designs of J B F Cowper following an architectural competition. His design, influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, consists of linked blocks of 3 and 4 storeys laid out in an inverted 'T' arrangement with a 1-storey caretaker's cottage at the front. The development was informed by the ethos of Hampstead Garden Suburb and communal facilities were an important part of the estate, which includes various areas of communal gardens and recreational facilities.
Practical Information
| Site location | Hampstead Way |
|---|---|
| Postcode | NW11 |
| What3Words | ///kicks.smashes.quite |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping |
| Borough | Barnet |
| Open to Public | No |
| Public Transport | Tube: Golders Green (Northern) |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Heathcroft was built as part of Hampstead Garden Suburb, which was founded by Dame Henrietta Barnett in 1907. The Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust (HGS Trust) retains powers over freeholders in the Garden Suburb under a scheme of management passed by the High Court in 1974, giving the Trust powers similar to those of a superior landlord. These include the control of all aspects of the appearance of the exterior of the building including trees and the gardens, planning permission, etc. Residents of Heathcroft pay an annual fee to HGS Trust though their service charge.
HGS Trust also supports an independent Residents Association (www.hgs.org.uk/ra), a voluntary organisation open to all residents, with an elected Council and appropriate standing committees. The Association is a watchdog for the welfare of the Suburb and acts as a strong pressure group.
The south part of Hampstead Way and the area adjacent to Hampstead Heath Extension (q.v.) was largely developed between 1908 - 1914 and post WWI, with Neo-Georgian style red brick predominating. Heathcroft was built in the spirit of Hampstead Garden Suburb, which sought to show 'how thousands of people, of all classes of society, of all sorts of opinions, and all standards of income, can live in helpful neighbourliness'. Communal facilities were provided for the residents of Heathcroft including a ball-room and dining hall, central kitchens, communal hot water, tennis and badminton courts, a bowling green, shared storage rooms and other amenities. In 1978 Heathcroft Residents Association was established whose main objective was to present a united front to the landlord of the estate, the Freshwater Group. In March 2007 the residents acquired the freehold of the estate, which is now owned and managed by Heathcroft 2002 Ltd and this has enabled the sense of shared community intended by the original designers to be restored.
HGS Trust also supports an independent Residents Association (www.hgs.org.uk/ra), a voluntary organisation open to all residents, with an elected Council and appropriate standing committees. The Association is a watchdog for the welfare of the Suburb and acts as a strong pressure group.
The south part of Hampstead Way and the area adjacent to Hampstead Heath Extension (q.v.) was largely developed between 1908 - 1914 and post WWI, with Neo-Georgian style red brick predominating. Heathcroft was built in the spirit of Hampstead Garden Suburb, which sought to show 'how thousands of people, of all classes of society, of all sorts of opinions, and all standards of income, can live in helpful neighbourliness'. Communal facilities were provided for the residents of Heathcroft including a ball-room and dining hall, central kitchens, communal hot water, tennis and badminton courts, a bowling green, shared storage rooms and other amenities. In 1978 Heathcroft Residents Association was established whose main objective was to present a united front to the landlord of the estate, the Freshwater Group. In March 2007 the residents acquired the freehold of the estate, which is now owned and managed by Heathcroft 2002 Ltd and this has enabled the sense of shared community intended by the original designers to be restored.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ258874 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Heathcroft 2002 Ltd |
| Site Management | Rennie & Partners (managing agent appointed by Heathcroft 2002 Ltd) |
| Dates | 1923-4 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Heathcroft |
| 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 | No |
| Local Authority | Barnet |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Hampstead Garden Suburb |
| Tree Preservation Order | To be checked |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Article 4 Direction |
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
Waterlow Court is an enclave of cloistered flats designed in 1904 by architect M H Baillie Scott, his only multiple housing scheme for Hampstead Garden Suburb. It was built as a communal residence for professional single women by the Improved Industrial Dwellings Company Ltd, whose chairman was Lord Sidney Waterlow. Around the buildings are five landscaped areas with lawns, beds, a wild garden with 35 fruit trees and a 1939 pre-cast shelter. The layout remains similar today to that of Baillie Scott's original plan; it is likely that the planting scheme was inspired by Gertrude Jekyll.
The land for Hampstead Heath Extension was acquired from Eton College in the early C20th. It is a sloping grassland with a number of old hedgerows, mature oak trees and a series of 7 ponds fed by a stream, one of which is an old field pond. The lower part of the slope has playing fields, while at the upper part the fields are managed for hay. To the north it is separated from Hampstead Garden Suburb by a boundary wall punctuated by a raised terrace known as Sunshine Corner.
St Alban and St Michael's Church is an imposing brick building, planned in 1925 but not built until 1932-33, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in free Gothic style. The church hall to the south was built as the first church here in 1909 by Herbert Wills. Golders Green developed rapidly after the Northern Line was extended and the station opened here in 1907, with the line reaching Edgware in 1924; the North Circular Road and Hendon Way were constructed in the 1920s. The church is set within a pleasant garden with lawns, trees and shrubs. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was Curate at St Alban's in the 1960s.
