One of three walks by Anthony Davis on the theme of London's boundaries.
This walk shows a different side of London's famous suburb of Hampstead and explores how the boundaries of the old village expanded physically and socially.. It is a tour of big houses built by the wealthy from the 1890’s to the present day, built as London's boundary expanded and Hampstead was transformed by the opening of the underground railway from a small village to a London suburb. popular with businessmen, artists and architects. In the last few decades, its residents have changed: the rich and super rich, including many celebrities, alter and demolish the old properties and contribute their own new buildings to the architectural mix.
The quality of architecture we see is extraordinarily high. There are houses by great Arts and Crafts architects like Philip Webb, important Edwardian architects like Basil Champneys and Charles Quennell and some outstanding work by modern and contemporary architects too. Their clients include remarkable actors, politicians and artists – we hear some of their stories.
But the pressures of modern property values are taking their toll on the architecture of this period. Many of the architects are just not quite famous enough to merit protection – we see how this area is changing, to achieve a new identity.