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
Hampstead Heath at War: Anti-Aircraft Guns, Doodlebugs and the Home Front
Anti-aircraft guns on Parliament Hill, a V1 flying bomb in the ponds, allotments and deep-tube shelters, the remarkable wartime history of Hampstead Heath, and where to find its traces today.
James Calloway · 8 min read
Local Life
Highgate Village Guide: What to See, Eat, and Do in North London
A complete guide to Highgate Village: Highgate Cemetery, Waterlow Park, the historic High Street, the best pubs, getting there, and how it compares to Hampstead.
Oliver Hartwell · 8 min read
Nature & Outdoors
Golders Hill Park: The Complete Guide to Hampstead Heath's Best-Kept Secret
A guide to Golders Hill Park — the free animal enclosures, the playground, the walled garden, the butterfly house and the café, on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
Oliver Hartwell · 5 min read
Nature & Outdoors
The Pergola and Hill Garden Hampstead: London's Most Secret Walled Garden
The Pergola and Hill Garden Hampstead: London's Most Secret Walled Garden The Pergola and Hill Garden on the western edge of Hampstead Heath is, by some margin, the most impressive thing in this part
Oliver Hartwell · 6 min read
Nature & Outdoors
Hampstead Heath at Sunrise: Why the First Hour Is Worth the Alarm
Hampstead Heath at Sunrise: Why the First Hour Is Worth the Alarm Hampstead Heath at sunrise is one of the few genuinely transformative experiences available in Zone 2 London, and almost nobody does
Oliver Hartwell · 10 min read
Local Life
Things to Do in Hampstead with Kids: The Complete Family Guide 2026
From kite flying on Parliament Hill to the Heath's secret ponds, Hampstead is one of London's best family days out.
Oliver Hartwell · 6 min read
Food & Drink
Best Halal Restaurants in London 2026: The Complete Guide
With over 700 halal-certified restaurants across every cuisine imaginable, London is the best city in Europe for halal dining. This guide covers the finest halal restaurants by area and cuisine, from the legendary Pakistani grills of Whitechapel to the Lebanese mezze of Edgware Road and the fine dining of Knightsbridge.
Oliver Hartwell · 9 min read
Food & Drink
Bonoo Indian Tapas Muswell Hill: North London's Favourite Small Plates
Bonoo's Muswell Hill outpost carries the same inventive small-plates philosophy as its Hampstead sibling, colourful, boldly spiced, and entirely worth the trip to N10.
Oliver Hartwell · 7 min read
History & Heritage
Highgate Cemetery: The Complete Visitor Guide 2026
Highgate Cemetery is one of the great Victorian burial grounds of the world, a place of extraordinary atmosphere, Gothic architecture, overgrown pathways, and the graves of some of history's most remarkable people.
Oliver Hartwell · 8 min read
Nature & Outdoors
Hill Garden & Pergola Hampstead Heath: London's Most Romantic Secret
A raised Edwardian pergola draped in wisteria and climbing roses, hovering above a formal garden on the western edge of Hampstead Heath, one of London's most breathtaking hidden spaces.
Oliver Hartwell · 8 min read
Local Life
London Sightseeing by Private Black Cab: The Complete 2026 Guide
London's black cab drivers are the city's most knowledgeable guides, and a private sightseeing tour in a classic TX cab is the most personal, flexible way to see the capital.
Oliver Hartwell · 9 min read
Arts & Culture
Camden Art Centre: Complete Visitor Guide 2026
Camden Art Centre sits at the intersection of Hampstead and West Hampstead, a free, fiercely independent gallery with one of the most adventurous exhibition programmes in London.
Oliver Hartwell · 8 min read
History & Heritage
Fenton House Hampstead: Complete Visitor Guide 2026
Fenton House is one of London's oldest surviving mansion houses, a National Trust property that rewards slow exploration, from its walled garden to its extraordinary keyboard instrument collection.
Oliver Hartwell · 6 min read
Food & Drink
Bonoo Indian Tapas Hampstead: The Best Indian Restaurant in NW3
Bonoo brings the street-food energy of Mumbai and Delhi to Hampstead High Street, one beautifully spiced small plate at a time.
Oliver Hartwell · 7 min read
Food & Drink
Best Bubble Tea in London 2026: The Complete Boba Guide
From Taiwanese originals in Chinatown to Korean fruit teas in Soho and inventive new hybrids across London, the bubble tea scene has become one of the city's most exciting drink cultures. Here is a complete guide to the best boba tea in London.
James Calloway · 6 min read