London is full of secret places and I am enjoying searching them out. Hill House Garden is a little known part of Hampstead Heath. It would be hard to come across this garden by accident as it is really tucked away off North End Way close to the former pub Jack Straw’s Castle. When I visited it for the first time last year for a BookCrossing picnic I was absolutely blown away. The manicured gardens with the ornamental fish pond and the Edwardian pergola make this an amazing place. The pergola is in need of some much needed and probably costly refurbishment but you can still enjoy the beautiful views and imagine all the garden parties that took place here at the beginning of the 20th century Picnicking in these peaceful beautiful surroundings is a great way to spend a summer afternoon.
The pergola and gardens together with Hampstead Heath are owned by the City of London Corporation and more details about the history of the pergola can be found on this link. The garden is halfway between Golders Green and Hampstead tube stations on the Northern Line and on bus routes 210 and 268 and interestingly the building of the Northern Line helped in the creation of the garden.
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B5F7A42F-FA5A-4087-A3A4-C3FFE907EB2D/0/OS_HH_pergola.pdf
Oops, I realised how selfish it was of me to demand comments on my blog, when I too rarely comment on others!!!
So – I always read your updates and find them intriguing, even though I barely know London at all so rarely have any idea where you're talking about.
It's good that you're so enthusiastic about your subject!!!
Keep blogging, at least we know we're reading eachother's!!!