The whole of London at your feet
Although the hill is not quite 100 metres high, the view is breathtaking. To the south-east you see the skyscrapers of the City and Docklands, St Paul’s Cathedral and the glass prism of The Shard. Far away to the left is the Orbit viewing tower in the Olympic park, straight ahead lie Westminster and the London Eye.
Parliament Hill gained its name in the 17th-century civil war, when forces loyal to Parliament occupied it during their campaign against the Royalists. Sometimes called Kite Hill, as it is one of the best spots for Londoners to fly their kites, this elevation is the southern end of Hampstead Heath, a precious recreational area close to the inner city comprising 320 hectares of sandy high ground. Its woods and open grassland are a fine place for walking, playing frisbee and picnicking. 150 years ago Karl Marx liked to come here with his family on Sundays for lunch in the fresh air. Until the 1940s, farm animals kept the grass short. Since that time, some parts of the terrain have been kept as heathland, but the woods have been allowed to expand. The heath is famous for its ponds, which originated as reservoirs. They are a habitat for amphibians and kingfishers, but also famous places to swim in segregated ponds for men and women on the east side of the heath, and the mixed bathing pond on the west side.
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Address South end of Hampstead Heath | Public Transport Hampstead Heath (Overground), then take the road named Parliament Hill | Tip Kenwood House to the north of Hampstead Heath has magnificent interiors by Robert Adam dating from the 1760s, a fine collection of paintings and a lovely park (house open daily, 10am–5pm, Dec–March 10am–4pm).
Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill are a healthy place, therefore, where active people come for exercise in a bracing breeze. Yet linger awhile, perhaps when the light is fading or clouds hang low, to sense the spirits of the past – the travellers who approached London at twilight, anxiously scanning the shadows and bushes on the lookout for highwaymen, or the thousands of Londoners who fled here in 1524 because astrologers had predicted a great flood. From Parliament Hill they looked down on the city in trepidation – and the rain stayed away.
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