Belsize Park
| Belsize Park | |
| Middlesex | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Washington, Belsize Park | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ273845 |
| Location: | 51°32’42"N, 0°9’56"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | London |
| Postcode: | NW3 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Camden |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Hampstead and Highgate |
Belsize Park is a residential area of Hampstead in Middlesex.
The residential streets are lined with Georgian and Victorian villas and mews houses. Some nearby localities are Hampstead village to the north and west, Camden Town to the south-east and Primrose Hill to the south.
There are restaurants, pubs, cafés, and independent boutiques in Belsize Village,[1] and on Haverstock Hill and England's Lane. Hampstead Heath is close by, and Primrose Hill park is a five-minute walk from England's Lane.
History
The name is derived from French bel assis meaning "well situated".
The Manor of Belsize dates back to 1317, when as a subdivision to the Manor of Hampstead it was left to the monks of Westminster Abbey.[2] The original manor consisted of a number of subdivided farms, which were rented out for income. After the Reformation, King Henry VIII returned the estate to the Dean of Westminster Abbey. By 1600, including the manor house of Belsize House there were at least three other properties on the estate, with diplomat and courtier Sir Isaac Wake (1581 – 1632) having a substantial property built on the west side of the main London to Hampstead road. Inherited by his daughter and her husband, Charles West (1626–1687), the fifth Baron de la Warr, by 1714 it had passed through various hands into the ownership of William Paget, 6th Baron Paget, who had a substantial formal garden constructed.
The name 'Belsize Park' comes from the 17th-century manor house and parkland (built by Daniel O'Neill for his wife, the Countess of Chesterfield) which once stood on the site. Rebuilt in 1663, it was sublet by 1721, when the parklands opened as pleasure gardens for those looking to escape the dirt and grime of the City of London, with concerts, singing, dancing and country sports such as fishing and racing. In 1722 magistrates were instructed to act to stop riotous behaviour, although the parkland remained open until 1745. Belsize House was rebuilt in 1746, after which additional large country houses were built on the surrounding farmlands for wealthy lawyers and merchants.
Between 1679 and 1714, the number of houses on the estate had increased from 8 to 14, and by 1808 there were still only 22 recorded. The income from houses allowed the church to have Belsize House rebuilt in 1812 for additional letting income. The wealthy leaseholders came to purchase the freeholds from the church, allowing the accelerated development of Belsize as a Victorian country-urban suburb.
Victorian development started along the main London to Hampstead road before the Victorian Age, from 1815 through the works of Edward Bliss and later, from 1829, Eton College, When the London and Birmingham Railway planned a line through Belsize Park, the College successfully lobbied for it to be tunnelled underground, hence the Primrose Hill Tunnel.
The opening in 1851 of Hampstead Road railway station on the L&BR prompted William Lund in 1852 to agree a 99-year construction sublease on the former Forsyth estate
Developing housing resulted in the need for improved transport facilities, including Hampstead Heath, Finchley Road, and Swiss Cottage stations. From 1873 William Willett, who helped his father from 1881 onwards) took over the church's leases after the bankruptcy of Daniel Tiley. Willett redeveloped much of the former Eton College estate with newer, smaller but still substantial properties inspired by Queen Anne style architecture. By 1900, most of the residual country mansions and their gardens had been demolished, to make way for smaller terraced houses. Following years saw the developments grow.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Belsize Park) |
- A History of the County of Middlesex - Volume 9 pp 51-60: Hampstead: Belsize (Victoria County History)
- Deep level shelters in London: Belsize Park
- Belsize Residents Association
- Belsize Park Rugby Club