Hampstead has it's fair share of historical and famous people and few greater in reputation than Gracie Fields.More usually connected with Rochdale, Hampstead was the London bolt hole/base for Dame Gracie.
I wandered past this the other day and realised I hadn't featured the house and so reminded myself to do so.
It also drew into my mind the nature of past singers and actresses who I sense might (and this may be a heresy for some) fade from public perception. I mentioned the Gracie Fields house to a pretty clued up friend and it clearly meant nothing to her... is Gracie Fields becoming a
faded memory?More on Gracie and her significance to Rochdale can be found here:
http://www.link4life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=c.showPage&pageID=1118
The house is Number 20 Frognal Way and it's reported that the house was "Her husband Archie Pit built a £15,000 28 room mansion at Hampstead called The Towers. It had marble bathrooms, crystal chandeliers, a lift, and the housekeeper was a Russian princess. Gracie was terrified of the butler, hated the house and kept to her own little bed sitting room."
But I can't help but think that this relates to 136 Bishops Avenue which was also owned/lived in by Gracie - certainly from the outside this house in Frognal Way does not feel big enough...
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