King Midas NW3?

Without a doubt it's one of the nicest and most hidden treasures of Hampstead and all the better for not being the focus of historic pilgrimage...

It's Golden Yard - sadly not named after some Midas element but after the Goulding family who lives here from about 1580 until Sarah Brown (nee Goulding) sold the last property in 1779.

In some document's the yard features as Goulding's Yard and clearly just changed over time and useage. As I have blogged previously The Mount Square was previously known as Golden Square and probably had the same family name origin.

For those that haven't found this little gem before it's nestled between the Heath Street and the Holly Bush Pub and the street name sign had been charmingly adorned to reflect the name in what is one of the nicest little touches in street architecture.

The houses are classic Georgian style Hampstead cottages - brick built, almost plain, but with a cool charm that is immeasurable.

NW3 to Scotland

Sometimes the history of an area emerges unexpectedly in front of you and so it was one day the other week when a billboard came down revealing this old painted advert for the trains from Kings Cross to Scotland.

The space only lasted for a few days and indeed came to the attention of the South End Green Association who spotted it and featured it in their newsletter... but I managed to get a few pics and then mislaid them.

So i'm now catching up and popping them on here. Because I don't think we'll see it again I'm uploading all the pictures I got.

If you squint and stare you will see it says
LNER
KINGS CROSS
SCOTLAND
SHORTEST AND ...

Just 474 more votes - writ large...

For too many weeks we have had to endure billboards of David Cameron and the Tory Party - funded from abroad...

I'm proud and delighted that local residents, friends of mine, supporters, people who live here in NW6, NW3 agreed to fund a specific number of billboards in support of our campaign for a new type of local MP.

The first of these has gone up in Hilltop Road, near Swiss Cottage and received quite a lot of comment judging by my e-mail in-box!

Enjoy! :-)

Ed

Modernism of the last century

Controversial - even terrible - that was the reaction to this 1938 construction of a small row of three houses by the architect Erno Goldfinger.

Now they feature on the Hampstead Tourist Trail, not least because number 2 is now a National Trust property.

The James Bond creator Ian Flemming so hated the architecture and apparently these houses in particular that he named his principal villain Goldfinger thus placing the name into household status.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ern%C5%91_Goldfinger

Goldfinger was a much celebrated Hungarian modernist architect, a generation on from the bauhaus movement, but also much known for his firery nature and character.

This house, at number 2 Willow Road, was Goldfinger's house of residence and opposite the house on the Preacher's Hill part of the Heath is a bench in memory of his son.

It's fair to say that even though the house is celebrated now, it was controversial with modernists at the time...

Erno passed away in 1987 and was cremated at Golders Green cemetary where his ashes were scattered.

NW3's Embassy

One of the more significant bits of public space is here in NW3, at the end of Eton Avenue, just outside the Hampstead Theatre and the Central School of Speech and Drama.

The School has an amazing schedule of alumni and a proud track record of providing high quality education and training.

But the building itself has considerable history and hosts the Embassy Theatre.

The Theatre accomodates about 700 people and is a former Music Hall and dates essentially from 1928 when it was converted by architect Andrew Mather. It was previously Eton Avenue Hall from 1890 then Hampstead Conservatoire of Music.

During WWII the building was damaged and so saw an extensive refurbishment in 1945/1946.

The Theatre has a crucial place in the history of the development of modern Hampstead and Belsize in that it hosted the meetings of the AJR (Association of Jewsh refugees). This group initially met at 26 Belsize Park and then rented small premises at 279a Finchley Road before moving to 8 Fairfax Mansions.

On 27th May 1945 a meeting at the Embassy Theatre to mark the end of the wa saw 800 people in the theatre and 200 more outside and again on 3rd September the venue was used for the next stage of the AJRs work. A fascinating little part of the rich tapestry of NW3.

Dear Gertie, how are you getting along?

I spotted this ages ago and love the simplicity and anonymity/personality of it.

It has that air of affection, naivety and charm.

The plaque is in South End Green, just by the gates of Maryon Mews and is just tuced away at the bottom of the pedestrian gate.

Who was Gertrude and what happened in November 1897 - is this the start of a novel? Other than 1897 is of course the Jubilee of Victoria's accession to the throne...

Perhaps Getrude was a local cat who always patrolled these parts, maybe Gertrude was the oldest resident when this block was first built, was getrude the name of the youngest daughter of the builder/architect who did the topping off or foundation stone laying... answers on an electronic postcard please...

Ed

Gail's Party livening up the street!

Yes, it's the Hampstead Gail's street party - a great riot of colour, smells and tastes - lots of breads, cakes, sausage, homegrown direct marketed products.

It was yesterday (Saturday) in Hampstead (just off the High Street and Heath Street) and was absolutely packed.

Lots of children, families, older folks as well as the traders and performers.

A huge well done and thanks to Ran the owner of Gail's - I'm absolutely sure that small scale festivals such as this add to the atmosphere of a community like this and only for the better.

Once again thanks.

Taken from my pocket

I took this pic. almost from my pocket during a meeting and when flicking through the photo album couldn't work out what it was...

After a bit of squinting and memory delving I realise that it's the interior roof of the newly restored St Stephen's on Rosslyn Hill, NW3.

The brickwork in this former church is pretty stunning and I now have a mental note to get in there with a tripod and a good zoom lense...

But until then, here's just a small taster of the quality and complexity of the architectural brick and stonework inside St Stephen's.

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/04/come-on-st-stephens.html

Swing swing together?

This is a plaque on the wall of a lovely house in Pilgim's Lane and unusually topped by a ships figurehead.

William Johnson Cory was a poet from the victorian era and his principle poem was Ionicus.

Cory is really a person of the victorian era - when classics was a valued form of respect in society - when education was a key part of social standing - when latin verse, indeed verse itself, was currency.

Cory retired to London in the mid 1870's, having left Eton in a bit of a cloud, but he set up home and married and had a family. There was much in Cory's writing about homoerotic thought and relations and his is considered something of a guru on the subject - though nonetheless controversial for all of that...

As a former master of Eton Cory's effect on society was significant - he wrote the boating song, he educated literally hundreds of pupils - many of whom by definition went on to the governance of Britain and indeed then, the empire.

As to the figure above the plaque - presumably from the front of one of Cory's boats from his travels or Eton?

These are called a figurehead, and was not always a woman. It could be a man, or a representation of Neptune or other mythological figure, or a horse, lion or dragon, ie something that suited the name of the ship. For example, HMS Centurion might have the figure of a Roman soldier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Johnson_Cory

The boating song for those that don't know...
(first verse only!)

Jolly boating weather,
And a hay harvest breeze,
Blade on the feather,
Shade off the trees,
Swing swing together,
With your bodies between your knees,
Swing swing together,
With your bodies between your knees.

(and yes, there is a Kit and the Widow song to the same tune...)

Gwan, gwan, gwan - stop and stare

So today we are looking at the The Roebuck Hotel, Pond Street.

Until you pause, step back and look up you don't have a real sense of just how big the damned place it - three stories with a full pediment atop it is truly large and with the landscape of the hill it really takes you by surprise.

It has a pretty long historical pedigree having opened circa 1860.

Nineteenth century directories for NW London list the landlords/licensees as:

1866 - William John Tolladay
1885-7 - G F Dettmer
1874 directory - Paul Paris
1894 - William J Harris

This is just opposite the Royal Free Hospital - it's an old hotel and has a great demeanour - it dominates the street.

The frontage has a pretty impressive stucco polychrome buck at the top of the building - it's well worth a pause to have a proper look...

It has a good reputation for live acts and music generally, but the license hours can be controversial due to the residential nature of the locality.

Well worth popping down to, but don't stay too late and please keep quiet as you leave!
;-))

Murals to stand and admire

Here we are on Haverstock Hill - in fact just outside the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency boundaries but well within the remit of this blog.

The Haverstock Arms
http://thehaverstockarms.com/
Should I be slightly aghast at the reinventions as 'The Havers'?

The mural is pretty famous and much admired - it was painted in 1983 (1984?) by John Murray. John is a pretty famous character all of his own and there is a really fond, interesting and full website dedicated to him, his life and work:
http://www.johnmurrayartist.co.uk/index.htm

This site also details the book Pub Signs by Paul Corballis which features this mural as one of the finest pub signs in the country.

The sign alludes to the old delivery of barrels on the old horse and cart. Things have moved on a shade since then and the CAMRA website is pretty generous in its' praise:

"Glorious in summer with its roof terrace (facing onto the side road), large open picture doors, a large number of outside tables and a veritable panoply of hanging, flowering baskets. Down to earth corner pub, very much a community local. Bare boarded with upholstered settles and a large collection of photos of thespians. See if you can find the “T Heath Improved beer engines and cellar fittings” prints. Food is served seven days a week from 11.00 - 21.00 (19.00 Sun). For those with overseas tastes in beers, there’s a good selection. Live music most Friday and Saturdays excluding the summer months. In addition the pub also features bed and breakfast accommodation, nine rooms all en-suite with TV. Underground: Belsize Park. Bus: C11, 168.
previously Haverstock Arms "
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/nlpg/nw3.html

Arts and Crafts movement in NW3

Well, when I started this blog I'm not sure what my expectations were.

I knew I was up for architecture, history and fascinating insights into the character of our local community.

But I didn't for a minute think I would be doing a post on the nature of a roof, but here we are. I was going to my meeting of School Council at UCS and I saw this amazing tiled roof - it's on the corner of Arkwright Road and Fitzjohn's Avenue and is truly impressive.

I've put a small snap on the right hand side so readers can double click and get a large blown up quality pic...

Now I like the idea of this sortof thing but every tile has been laid by hand, the sense of detail, the time, the effort required is vast...

Now I also know these houses are large and therefore were the domain of the rich and wealthy, but nonetheless it is reflective of the arts and crafts tradition - not only was this a commitment to a more rustic pride and tradition, but it was an appreciation of quality and a lifestyle that aspired to be the best for everyone.

The reality was that Arts and Crafts movement was actually a middle and upper class preserve, but the intent was a good one and the fruits can be seen here today in NW3...

The setting of this church is just - wow!

St John's Church in Downshire Hill, Hampstead NW3, is one of the loveliest urban settings for a church.

Built in about 1823 it is a proprietary chapel - privately owned - chapel - the last one in London (?).

The building was completed in 1823 with the first service on 26th October.

The churches website reads: "From its earliest history, St John's was founded within an Evangelical tradition to preach the good news about Jesus Christ clearly and faithfully from the Bible to all who might enter its doors and to those in the surrounding vicinity."

"As a proprietary chapel, St John's is recognised as a church within the London Diocese of the Church of England but has complete independence in financial matters. It receives no support from and makes no contribution to Diocesan Funds. It is entirely self supporting and all costs, including staff and building costs, are borne by the congregation which has owned the building since 2003 when they bought it from the family trust which had owned it and leased it to them since the First World War."

It is a Grade I listed building and in 2004 had a major refurbishment whcih included the provision of underpinning of the church and in the process adding an undercroft which extended the facilities of the church. But most of all is it's magical setting, against the heath and due to the nature of the landscape the sky arches over it magnificently.

http://www.sjdh.org/

The building boom of the late 19th Century

In my love of local architecture, features, and what I see around me I now carry my camera all the time. Today was quite a little crop of pictures and will take me a few days to get them all sorted and up on here - but here's a start.

This is on the corner of Dennington Park Road and West End Lane and is on the building above Lupa. It's a relatively straightforward date plaque, but it is topped by a really attractive gargoyle esq feature. Now I'm sure it's slightly sentimental but these sort of features really add to an area, to the building and to the locality. Here in NW6/NW3 we are especially laden with such features.

In the context of this and seeing that the public library opposite and the fire station a few hundred yards down the road opened in 1901. It made me reflect that West End Lane between the arrival of the railways (1870's) and 1901 when the public facilities went in the local area must have seen amazing level of change.

At this time 1892 it must have been something of a building site on West End Lane and the scale of building work going on must have been huge - in fact the development of the whole area would have been from open fields to close serried streets.

I can almost hear the discussion on the 19th century equivalent of local chat rooms (pubs/bars?) - "oh, stop the development, stop it now. Let's protest." :-)