Hampstead Heath, Ancient public park in North London, England
Hampstead Heath is a large green space in North London spanning roughly 790 acres and combining woodlands, open meadows, natural ponds, and rolling hills. From the highest point you can see across the city to the skyscrapers in the center and the hills to the south.
The land was first recorded in the late 10th century when it was granted to an abbey and remained largely undeveloped for centuries. In the 19th century public protests prevented building plans and led to its permanent protection as open space.
The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for homestead and points to early settlements, while the heathland and ponds are now used for walking and swimming. Many Londoners visit the hilltops on weekends to picnic on the meadows or swim in the historic bathing ponds.
Several entrances lie near Underground and Overground stations, and wide paths run throughout the grounds. The ponds are open for swimming while dogs are allowed off-lead on most meadows.
Mesolithic tools, pits, postholes and charred stones found on the heath point to a hunter-gatherer community camped here around 7000 BC. The heath also carried a shutter telegraph station from 1808 to 1814, relaying Admiralty signals from London to the fleet at Great Yarmouth.
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