Hampstead history

There are two ancient barrows in Hampstead and Boadicea is said to have been buried in one in 62 AD. The word “stead” means estate in Anglo Saxon (as in the modern “homestead”) and Hampstead probably takes its name from an owner of the land in Anglo Saxon times. It was a wooded area until the 17th century, when most of the timber was cut down for the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of London. Hampstead became fashionable in the 18th century. Its spring water was sold in taverns – the Perrier of the day. A race course was opened at Jack Straw’s Castle. When the Gordon rioters marched on Hampstead to attack a minister’s house, the landlord of the Spaniards Public House diverted them by giving them free drinks until soldiers arrived. Dick Turpin used to keep his famous horse, Black Bess, stabled nearby. In 1829, the Lord of the Manor tried to build houses on Hampstead Heath, but a petition from local residents caused Parliament to refuse permission. The heath was preserved as a public park. Parliament Hill and the grounds of Kenwood house have been added since. Many famous people lived in Hampstead village; William Pitt the elder, Byron, Keats, H. G. Wells, and Freud, to name a few.