Primrose Hill
| Primrose Hill | |
| Middlesex | |
|---|---|
 Central London seen from Primrose Hill | |
| Summit: | 256 feet TQ282838 51°32’23"N, 0°9’39"W |
Primrose Hill is a hill of 256 feet in Middlesex, rising on the northern side of Regent's Park. It is also the name given to the surrounding residential district. The hill has a clear view of central London, as well as Hampstead and Belsize Park to the north. It is one of the most exclusive and expensive residential areas in London and is home to many prominent residents.[1]
History
Like Regent's Park, Primrose Hill was once part of a great chase appropriated by Henry VIII. In 1841, the hillside again became Crown property and in 1842 an Act of Parliament secured the land as public open space. The built up part of Primrose Hill consists mainly of Victorian terraces. It has always been one of the more fashionable districts in the urban belt that lies between the core of London and the outer suburbs, and remains expensive and prosperous. Primrose Hill is an archetypal example of a successful London urban village, due to the location and the quality of its socio-historical development.[2]
In October 1678 Primrose Hill was the scene of the mysterious murder of Edmund Berry Godfrey.
In 1792 the radical Unitarian poet, antiquarian and forger Iolo Morganwg (Edward Williams) founded the 'Gorsedd of the Bards of the Isle of Britain' (Gorsedd Beirdd Ynys Prydain), a ceremony of Welsh bards, at a ceremony on 21 June at Primrose Hill. He claimed it was the revival of an ancient tradition, and it continues annually today as part of the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales.
Blue plaques
There are seven English Heritage blue plaques in Primrose Hill commemorating the noteworthy personalities that have lived there, famous or infamous: the residences of poet Sir Arthur Hugh Clough, historian and broadcaster A J P Taylor and painter William Roberts all in St Mark's Crescent, the Communist philosopher Friedrich Engels in 122 Regent's Park Road, photographer Roger Fenton in Albert Terrace, poet and novelist Sylvia Plath in Chalcot Square, and poet William Butler Yeats at 23 Fitzroy Road.
 View of London from Primrose Hill |
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Primrose Hill) |
- PrimroseHill.com
- Primrose Hill – An Urban Village Examined by Alistair Barr, Architect & Resident (Barr Gazetas)
- Article on Primrose Hill Farmers' markets
- Primrose Hill and Regent's Park in Literature and Music, a bibliography
References
- ↑ Knight Frank & Rutley, Londons Top 10 Expensive Areas 2011
- ↑ Barr, Alistair, Primrose Hill, An Urban Village Examined
