Top 5 Heritage Destinations in North London
North London is often associated with cosy pubs, cobbled streets and the wilds of Hampstead Heath, but it also has a varied and unusual history. From a famously extravagant Victorian cemetery to a minimalist apartment block exploring new ways of urban living, this area has some of the most fascinating heritage in London.
I have lived in London for nearly 5 years now and it is only recently that I have ticked off some of the places on my 'list', many of which are a stones throw away from my flat. Lockdown has encouraged so many to reconnect with the history on their doorstep - from a nearby National Trust to the heritage in the park. A positive of the lockdown for me has been discovering the many beautiful historic places that my local area of North London has to offer.
Hampstead Hill Garden & Pergola
Perhaps the epitome of faded grandeur, the pergola on Hampstead Heath was once the site of extravagant Edwardian garden parties. It is now overgrown with vines and flowers, but is a beautiful spot overlooking the Heath.
The wealthy Lord Leverhulme had the initial structure built in 1905, expanding it further over the years. It is essentially a winding raised walkway that overlooks the gardens and park beyond.
Highgate Cemetery
A bit of a morbid one - Highgate Cemetery - known for its extravagant Victorian funerary architecture and as the burial place for many famous people including Karl Marx, Mary Ann Evans (known as George Eliot), Christina Rossetti, Douglas Adams and Michael Faraday.
The Victorians were obsessed with the ancient Egyptians, which is why you come across such unusual looking tombs at Highgate Cemetery. Pictured above is the ‘Circle of Lebanon’, which you access via ‘Egyptian Avenue’. Although going to a cemetery seems like an odd thing to do, it is an interesting place for a stroll (click here for my post on Highgate Cemetery).
Freud Museum
"The ego is not master in its own house" (Sigmund Freud, 1917)
Freud's legacy is controversial, but you can't deny its influence on popular culture. Think of the Freudian terms that are commonly used (although probably not in their original meaning) - 'unconscious', 'defence mechanism', and of course 'Freudian slip'. The Freud Museum is a lesser known museum of North London but a must for anyone intrigued by psychoanalytic theory.
It is located in the final home of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, and his daughter Anna Freud, who was a pioneering child psychoanalyst. The interiors include Freud's study filled with intriguing objects and the infamous reclining couch brought over from his home in Vienna. As you walk through the house, you discover Freud and his family's journey to London, fleeing from Nazi-occupied Vienna and setting up their home in North London, where Freud continued to see patients until his death.
The Freud Museum website has some interesting online resources that explain Psychoanalysis.
Kenwood House
Situated on the edge of Hampstead Heath, Kenwood House and its grounds are free for all to roam. It is run by English Heritage, who have just recently reopened the house with social distancing measures in place. The interiors are beautiful, particularly the Great Library, considered the 'star attraction' of Kenwood, and it boasts a world class collection of art.
Equally as charming as the grand house itself, is the lovely little secondhand book store and garden shop right by the main building, along with a cafe of course.
Isokon Gallery
Modern architecture, retro furniture and tales of unusual tenants - the Isokon Gallery reveals the story of a remarkable 1930s apartment block in Belsize Park that was built as an experiment in minimalist urban living.
An intriguing aspect of its history is its famous and unusual tenants. Highlights include Soviet spies, most notably the Cambridge Five recruiter, Arnold Deutsch, and the writer Agatha Christie, who called it home between 1942-47. Unsurprisingly, during this time she wrote her spy novel ‘N or M'. Plus, the blue plaque outside is for the three 'Bauhaus Masters', Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer and László Maholy-Nagy, who lived in the flats after fleeing pre-war Europe.
