The Journal
From the Blog
Dispatches from the village — written by people who walk these streets every day. History, food, culture and the stories behind the places you love.
History & Heritage
Turner and Hampstead: The Master of Light and the Heath
J.M.W. Turner made dozens of oil sketches of Hampstead skies in the 1820s. The story of those visits illuminates both the artist and the place.
James Calloway · 7 min read
Food & Drink
The Best Pubs in Hampstead: A Complete Guide to 10 Great Pubs in NW3
Beyond the obvious: the pubs worth seeking out in Hampstead and the surrounding area, for atmosphere, beer, food, and the increasingly rare pleasure of a proper local.
James Calloway · 12 min read
History & Heritage
Keats House: Where the Poet Found His Muse
The Regency villa where John Keats wrote Ode to a Nightingale remains one of Londons most intimate literary museums.
Oliver Hartwell · 5 min read
History & Heritage
The Suffragettes of Hampstead: A Hidden History
Hampstead was home to several leading figures in the suffrage movement. This is the story of their lives their meetings and their actions.
Beatrice Thornton · 5 min read
Local Life
Emergency & Urgent Care in Hampstead: The Complete Guide 2026
Police, fire, ambulance, dental emergencies, mental health crisis lines, the numbers and locations you need when things go wrong in NW3.
Oliver Hartwell · 5 min read
History & Heritage
George Orwell in Hampstead: The Bookshop Years
Before Animal Farm and 1984 Orwell worked in a secondhand bookshop in Hampstead and drew on the experience for his novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying.
Beatrice Thornton · 5 min read
Food & Drink
Best Delis & Food Shops in Hampstead: The Complete Guide 2026
From the cheese shop on Heath Street to the Italian deli that has been on Rosslyn Hill since before most of its customers were born, Hampstead's food shops are part of what makes the neighbourhood.
Beatrice Thornton · 5 min read
Food & Drink
Eating Alone in Hampstead: The Solo Diner's Guide 2026
Counter seats, bar dining, and the cafés where a single person with a book is welcome rather than pitied, eating solo in Hampstead, done properly.
Beatrice Thornton · 5 min read
Food & Drink
Sunday Lunch in Hampstead: The Best Roasts 2026
Sunday lunch is a serious business in Hampstead. Here is where to find the best roast beef, the finest Yorkshire pudding, and the most civilised Sunday afternoon in North London.
Beatrice Thornton · 5 min read
Local Life
Kenwood Concert Season: How to Get the Most from It
Proms by the Lake is one of Londons great summer traditions. Here is everything you need to plan the perfect evening.
Oliver Hartwell · 3 min read
Local Life
A Weekend in Hampstead: The Perfect 48-Hour Itinerary
Two days in one of London's most beloved neighbourhoods, where to eat, what to see, which pubs to settle into, and how to find the bits most visitors miss entirely.
Beatrice Thornton · 10 min read
Arts & Culture
Art Galleries in Hampstead: The Complete Guide 2026
From Kenwood House's Old Masters to the contemporary galleries on Flask Walk, Hampstead has a genuinely remarkable concentration of places to look at art.
James Calloway · 5 min read
History & Heritage
The Vale of Health: Hampstead's Hidden Hamlet in the Heath
A hidden hamlet enclosed within the Heath, the Vale of Health has been home to D.H. Lawrence, Leigh Hunt, and a long succession of artists and writers who valued its improbable combination of wildness and proximity to London.
Oliver Hartwell · 5 min read
History & Heritage
Hampstead During the Blitz: Survival and Loss
The bombing of 1940 to 41 left its mark on Hampstead, in the gaps between buildings in the street names that commemorate the dead.
Oliver Hartwell · 6 min read
Food & Drink
Best Restaurants in Hampstead: The Complete Guide 2026
From a long-running Japanese on Heath Street to a neighbourhood Italian that has been feeding the village for decades, Hampstead's restaurant scene rewards those who know where to look.
Beatrice Thornton · 5 min read