Description
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Formerly rough farmland belonging to the College of Eton and Lord Southampton, Primrose Hill was acquired as a gift, to be opened as a public park as a result of local pressure in 1842. After 1851 the land was drained and levelled on the north and west sides of the hill, and footpaths and lamps and some new planting were laid out. In 1863 the north side of the hill was developed for housing. The hill top, which gives panoramic views over London, has been exposed and treeless since the Middle Ages, and on the slopes are many mature trees including oak, horse chestnut, London planes, whitebeam and hawthorn.
Formerly rough farmland belonging to the College of Eton and Lord Southampton, Primrose Hill was acquired as a gift, to be opened as a public park as a result of local pressure in 1842. After 1851 the land was drained and levelled on the north and west sides of the hill, and footpaths and lamps and some new planting were laid out. In 1863 the north side of the hill was developed for housing. The hill top, which gives panoramic views over London, has been exposed and treeless since the Middle Ages, and on the slopes are many mature trees including oak, horse chestnut, London planes, whitebeam and hawthorn.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Primrose Hill Open Space |
|---|---|
| Site location | Regent's Park Road/Prince Albert Road |
| Postcode | NW8/ NW3 |
| What3Words | ///actor.paths.splice |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Playground |
| Events | Various events including annual fireworks display |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Camden Road then bus. Tube: Camden Town (Northern) then bus. Bus 274. |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Site on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens, for Register Entry see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list
Formerly rough farmland belonging to the College of Eton and Lord Southampton, this site was acquired as a gift, to be opened as a public park as a result of local pressure in 1842. Eton College had exchanged the land here for land owned by the Crown near the college in Berkshire. It was reputedly a place of Druid worship in the past. After 1851 the land was drained and levelled on the north and west sides of the hill, and footpaths and lamps and some new planting were laid out. In 1863 the north side of the hill was developed for housing. 'On the south side of Primrose Hill there has been from very early days, a sort of open air gymnasium.' It is an irregularly shaped piece of land enclosed by C20th cast iron railings and a hedge to the south, rising to a hill on the north side giving panoramic views over London. The hill is criss-crossed with asphalted paths, benches and C19th cast iron street lamps, grass and many mature trees including oak, horse chestnut, London planes, whitebeam and hawthorn. The hill top has been exposed and treeless since the middle ages. Along the western side is a flower bed strip and at the south-west corner a C19th lodge of red brick; the southern side has fenced enclosures containing a children's playground and a small exercise course.
To the south Primrose Hill is contiguous with the London Zoo and Regent's Park, separated only by Prince Albert Road. At the south-east corner by the junction of Regent's Park Road and Albert Terrace is a granite drinking fountain, erected by the Committee and Friends of the United Kingdom Band of Hope Union, in memory of Joseph Payne with a bronze plaque inscribed 'A Zealous Total Abstainer, and a Faithful Friend of Bands of Hope' who died 29 March 1870.
The park has been the venue for various outdoor events, such as Monika Sosnowska's 'The Wind House' shown as part of Portavilian in summer 2008.
The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.
Formerly rough farmland belonging to the College of Eton and Lord Southampton, this site was acquired as a gift, to be opened as a public park as a result of local pressure in 1842. Eton College had exchanged the land here for land owned by the Crown near the college in Berkshire. It was reputedly a place of Druid worship in the past. After 1851 the land was drained and levelled on the north and west sides of the hill, and footpaths and lamps and some new planting were laid out. In 1863 the north side of the hill was developed for housing. 'On the south side of Primrose Hill there has been from very early days, a sort of open air gymnasium.' It is an irregularly shaped piece of land enclosed by C20th cast iron railings and a hedge to the south, rising to a hill on the north side giving panoramic views over London. The hill is criss-crossed with asphalted paths, benches and C19th cast iron street lamps, grass and many mature trees including oak, horse chestnut, London planes, whitebeam and hawthorn. The hill top has been exposed and treeless since the middle ages. Along the western side is a flower bed strip and at the south-west corner a C19th lodge of red brick; the southern side has fenced enclosures containing a children's playground and a small exercise course.
To the south Primrose Hill is contiguous with the London Zoo and Regent's Park, separated only by Prince Albert Road. At the south-east corner by the junction of Regent's Park Road and Albert Terrace is a granite drinking fountain, erected by the Committee and Friends of the United Kingdom Band of Hope Union, in memory of Joseph Payne with a bronze plaque inscribed 'A Zealous Total Abstainer, and a Faithful Friend of Bands of Hope' who died 29 March 1870.
The park has been the venue for various outdoor events, such as Monika Sosnowska's 'The Wind House' shown as part of Portavilian in summer 2008.
The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ278837 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 25.1888 |
| Site Ownership | Royal Parks Agency |
| Site Management | Royal Parks Agency |
| Dates | 1842 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | Yes |
| NHLE grade | Grade II |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Camden |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space (District). Strategic View Corridor |
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
St George's Terrace was built c.1852, with a strip of communal garden in front of the houses that was owned partly by the Provost and College of Eton and partly by the Trustees of the Broder Estate, the dividing line marked by three stones in the ground. Tenants of the terrace were able to use the garden upon payment of an annual sum. A former resident of the terrace was Lord Byron's widow who lived in Nos. 10-11, where she died in 1860. The small railed garden is now publicly accessible.
Chalcot Square, called St George's Square until 1937, was laid out between 1849-60 around a central garden enclosure. The name Chalcot recalls a farm of that name in the area from the C13th. The central garden was owned and maintained by the Trustees of the Broder Estate for the benefit of tenants of the square. It is now publicly accessible. Little changed since the original layout, the square today has children's play equipment in one corner.
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.
