This was a forest until Tudor times, when Elizabeth I had it cleared as fields for grazing cattle. The hill probably got its name from the flowers which particularly grew there. The hill is over 200 feet high and is also known as Battle Hill and Greenberry Hill. In the early 19th century Primrose Hill was popular for duels. In 1834 the North Western Railway built a tunnel through the hill to connect Chalk Farm and Swiss Cottage.

Primrose Hill looks down on Regent’s Park to the south over Prince Albert Road. Most of the best housing lies between the hill and the railway lines which divide it from Chalk Farm to the east. Regent’s Park Road contains large semi-detached stucco faced houses. Gloucester Avenue nearest the rail tracks has Victorian terraces. Between these two main roads is a maze of small streets with attractive mid-Victorian houses. They include Chalcot Square and Chalcot Crescent Rothwell Street and St Mark’s Crescent, all very desirable. Slightly further north there are mansion blocks in Primrose Hill Road, which skirts Primrose Hill, as well as terraces of Victorian houses.