Belsize Park

The Manor of Belsize dates back to 1317, with the name is derived from French bel assis meaning 'well situated'.

Belsize Park (1917)
Credit: Robert Polhill Bevan (1865-1925)

Belsize Manor was built by Daniel O'Neill for his wife, the Countess of Chesterfield, in the 17th century. Urbanisation took place largely between 1852 and 1878, by which time it extended to Haverstock Hill. After World War I, the construction of blocks of flats began, and now a great many of the larger houses are also converted into flats.

Belsize Park underground station was opened on 22 June 1907 by the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway as an intermediate station on its line from Charing Cross to Hampstead. It is served by three lifts and there are 219 steps. The station was designed by Leslie Green and has his familiar facade of ox-blood faience with four round arched windows. It remained largely untouched until the late 1980s when the lifts were replaced and a new ticketing system installed.

It was during the 1930s that Belsize Park contributed most to the artistic and intellectual life of Hampstead. Artists associated with the Mall studios included Dame Barbara Hepworth from 1927 to 1939, her first husband John Skeaping and second Ben Nicholson from 1931 to 1939, and Henry Moore, who lived at no. 11A Parkhill Road from 1929 to 1940. They were members of Unit One, a group of artists and architects founded in 1933 by Paul Nash (1889-1946), who lived at no. 3 Eldon Grove from 1936 to 1939. Sir Herbert Read, the poet and art critic, who lived in 1934-5 at the Mall studios, which he described as a 'nest of gentle artists', published the group's manifesto, a theory of modern style.

Another centre was no. 37 Belsize Park Gardens, meeting place of MARS, an architectural group, and home of Jack Pritchard, who founded Isokon, a firm making modern furniture designed by people like Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer, refugees who brought a European dimension to the abstract design movement in the arts. Others included Piet Mondrian, the Dutch painter, who stayed with the Pritchards before moving to no. 60 Parkhill Road (1938-41). Pritchard also commissioned Wells Coates in 1934 to build the Isokon or Lawn Road flats, partly to house artistic refugees, on a site which he owned. Built in concrete in a functional style, the flats came to be recognized as 'a milestone in the introduction of the modern idiom into London'.

In World War II, a large underground air-raid shelter was built here and its entrance can still be seen near the tube station at Downside Crescent. The area on Haverstock Hill north of Belsize Park underground station up to Hampstead Town Hall and including part of a primary school near the Royal Free Hospital was heavily bombed.

Belsize Park these days is a lively area with many restaurants, pubs and cafés along Haverstock Hill and also England's Lane.

Glossary: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 9, edited by C R Elrington.

Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence

Belsize Park (1917)

Robert Polhill Bevan (1865-1925)

THE STREETS OF BELSIZE PARK

Adamson Road, NW3 Adamson Road is a street in Hampstead.
Akenside Road, NW3 Akenside Road is a street named after a famous local resident.
Antrim Grove, NW3 Antrim Grove is a street in Hampstead.
Antrim Mansions, NW3 Antrim Mansions is a street in Hampstead.
Antrim Road, NW3 Antrim Road is a street in Hampstead.
Aspern Grove, NW3 Aspern Grove is a street in Hampstead.
Baynes Mews, NW3 Baynes Mews is a mews within the conservation area of Belsize Park.
Belsize Court, NW3 Belsize Court is a street in Hampstead.
Belsize Crescent, NW3 Belsize Crescent is a street in Hampstead.
Belsize Cresent, NW3 Belsize Cresent, NW3 dates from 1868.
Belsize Grove, NW3 Belsize Grove is a street in Hampstead.
Belsize Mews, NW3 This is a street in the NW3 postcode area
Belsize Park Gardens, NW3 Belsize Park Gardens is a street in Hampstead.
Belsize Park, NW3 Belsize Park is a street in Hampstead.
Belsize Place, NW3 Belsize Place is a street in Hampstead.
Belsize Square, NW3 Belsize Square is a street in Hampstead.
Belsize Terrace, NW3 Belsize Terrace is a street in Hampstead.
Briary Close, NW3 Briary Close is a street in Hampstead.
Brocas Close, NW3 Brocas Close is a street in Hampstead.
Buckland Crescent, NW3 Buckland Crescent is a street in Hampstead.
Chalcot Gardens, NW3 Chalcot Gardens is a street in Hampstead.
Conybeare, NW3 Conybeare is a street in Hampstead.
Crossfield Road, NW3 Crossfield Road is a street in Hampstead.
Daleham Gardens, NW3 Daleham Gardens dates from the 1880s.
Daleham Mews, NW3 Daleham Mews is a mews in Belsize Park.
Downside Crescent, NW3 Downside Crescent is a street in Hampstead.
Dunboyne Road, NW3 Dunboyne Road is a street in Hampstead.
Elizabeth Mews, NW3 Elizabeth Mews is a street in Hampstead.
England’s Lane, NW3 This is a street in the NW3 postcode area
Englands Lane, NW3 Englands Lane is a street in Hampstead.
Eton Avenue, NW3 Eton Avenue is a street in Hampstead.
Eton College Road, NW3 Eton College Road is a street in Hampstead.
Eton Court, NW3 Eton Court is a street in Hampstead.
Eton Garages, NW3 Eton Garages is a street in Hampstead.
Eton Hall, NW3 Eton Hall is a street in Hampstead.
Eton Rise, NW3 Eton Rise is a street in Hampstead.
Eton Road, NW3 Eton Road is a street in Hampstead.
Eton Villas, NW3 Eton Villas is a street in Hampstead.
Fellows Road, NW3 Fellows Road is a street in Hampstead.
Fitzjohn’s Avenue, NW3 Fitzjohn’s Avenue is a road in the NW3 postcode area
Fitzjohns Avenue, NW3 Fitzjohns Avenue is a road in the NW3 postcode area
Fitzjohn’s Avenue, NW3 Fitzjohn’s Avenue is a road in the NW3 postcode area
Fountain Mews, NW3 Fountain Mews is a street in Hampstead.
Garnett Road, NW3 Garnett Road is a street in Hampstead.
Glenilla Road, NW3 Glenilla Road is a street in Hampstead.
Glenloch Road, NW3 Glenloch Road is a street in Hampstead.
Glenmore Road, NW3 Glenmore Road is a street in Hampstead.
Gordon House Road, NW3 Gordon House Road is a street in Hampstead.
Hampstead Green, NW3 Hampstead Green is a street in Hampstead.
Haverstock Hill, NW3 Haverstock Hill is a street in Hampstead.
Hawtrey Road, NW3 Hawtrey Road is a street in Hampstead.
Hillfield Court, NW3 Hillfield Court serves a prominent art deco residential mansion block of the same name in Belsize Park.
Hillfield Mansions, NW3 Hillfield Mansions is a street in Hampstead.
Hornby Close, NW3 Hornby Close is a street in Hampstead.
Howitt Close, N16 Howitt Close is a road in the N16 postcode area
Howitt Close, NW3 Howitt Close is a street in Hampstead.
Howitt Road, NW3 Howitt Road is a street in Hampstead.
Huson Close, NW3 Huson Close is a street in Hampstead.
King?s College Road, NW3 King?s College Road is a street in Hampstead.
Kingsford Street, NW5 Kingsford Street is a street in Kentish Town.
Lamble Street, NW5 Lamble Street is a street in Kentish Town.
Lambolle Place, NW3 Lambolle Place is a street in Hampstead.
Lambolle Road, NW3 Lambolle Road is a street in Hampstead.
Lancaster Drive, NW3 Lancaster Drive is a street in Hampstead.
Lancaster Grove, NW3 Lancaster Grove is a street in Hampstead.
Lancaster Stables, NW3 Lancaster Stables is a street in Hampstead.
Lawn Road, NW3 Lawn Road is a street in Hampstead.
Lowlands, NW3 Lowlands is a street in Hampstead.
Lyndhurst Gardens, NW3 Lyndhurst Gardens is a street in Hampstead.
Lyndhurst Terrace, NW3 Lyndhurst Terrace is a street in Hampstead.
Maitland Park Road, NW3 Maitland Park Road is a street in Hampstead.
Maitland Park Villas, NW3 Maitland Park Villas is a street in Hampstead.
Mansfield Road, NW3 Mansfield Road is a street in Hampstead.
Mansfield Road, NW5 Mansfield Road is a street in Kentish Town.
Martys Yard, NW3 Martys Yard is a street in Hampstead.
McCrone Mews, NW3 McCrone Mews is a mews - formerly the location of a depot of the London Parcel Delivery Company.
Midland Crescent, NW3 Midland Crescent is a street in Hampstead.
Northways Parade, NW3 Northways Parade is a street in Hampstead.
Ormonde Court, NW3 Ormonde Court is a street in Hampstead.
Ornan Road, NW3 Ornan Road is a street in Hampstead.
Park Hill Road, NW3 Park Hill Road is a road in the NW3 postcode area
Parkhill Road, NW3 Parkhill Road is a street in Hampstead.
Parkhill Walk, NW3 This is a street in the NW3 postcode area
Perceval Avenue, NW3 Perceval Avenue is a street in Hampstead.
Primrose Gardens, NW3 Primrose Gardens is a street in Hampstead.
Provost Road, NW3 Provost Road is a street in Hampstead.
Quickswood, NW3 Quickswood is a street in Hampstead.
Stanbury Court, NW3 Stanbury Court is a street in Hampstead.
Steele?s Mews South, NW3 Steele?s Mews South is a street in Hampstead.
Steele?s Road, NW3 Steele?s Road is a street in Hampstead.
Strathray Gardens, NW3 Strathray Gardens is a street in Hampstead.
Sumpter Close, NW3 Sumpter Close is a street in Hampstead.
Tasker Road, NW3 Tasker Road is a street in Hampstead.
Tobin Close, NW3 Tobin Close is a street in Hampstead.
Tudor Close, NW3 Tudor Close is a street in Hampstead.
Upper Park Road, NW3 Upper Park Road is a street in Hampstead.
Wandsworth Place, NW3 Wandsworth Place is a street in Hampstead.
Waterhouse Close, NW3 Waterhouse Close is a street in Hampstead.
Wood Field, NW3 Wood Field is a street in Hampstead.
Woodland Walk, NW3 Woodland Walk is a street in Hampstead.
Woodland Walk, NW6 Woodland Walk is a road in the NW6 postcode area

West End Lady Added: 7 Mar 2018 21:30 GMT IP: 82.11.189.108 2:1:44	Post by West End Lady: Rossmore Road, NW1 Rossmore Road is not in Camden Town, it is in St Marylebone - I should know. I was born and raised there! If anyone wants a further information please post on here.
Alicemary Added: 4 Mar 2018 21:27 GMT IP: 86.5.192.251 2:2:44	Post by Alicemary: Erskine Road, NW3 I am trying to find any information out about 3 Erskine Road. NW3. I have just come across an old identity card which was my Grandmothers, dated 1946 , this being where she then lived. If anyone can give me any information about this area then, or old photographs, that would be really good.
Cassandra Green Added: 19 Sep 2017 21:39 GMT IP: 95.149.2.213 2:3:44	Post by Cassandra Green: Rudall Crescent, NW3 I lived at 2 Rudall Crescent until myself and my family moved out in 1999. I once met a lady in a art fair up the road who was selling old photos of the area and was very knowledgeable about the area history, collecting photos over the years. She told me that before the current houses were built, there was a large manor house , enclosed by a large area of land. She told me there had been a fire there. Im trying to piece together the story and find out what was on the land before the crescent was built. This website is very interesting.

	VIEW THE BELSIZE PARK AREA IN THE 1750s The 1750 Rocque map is bounded by Sudbury (NW), Snaresbrook (NE), Eltham (SE) and Hampton Court (SW). Outside these bounds, the 1750 map does not display.
	VIEW THE BELSIZE PARK AREA IN THE 1800s The 1800 mapping is bounded by Stanmore (NW), Woodford (NE), Bromley (SE) and Hampton Court (SW). Outside these bounds, the 1800 map does not display.
	VIEW THE BELSIZE PARK AREA IN THE 1830s The 1830 mapping is bounded by West Hampstead (NW), Hackney (NE), Greenwich (SE) and Chelsea (SW). Outside these bounds, the 1830 map does not display.
	VIEW THE BELSIZE PARK AREA IN THE 1860s The 1860 mapping is bounded by Brent Cross (NW), Stratford (NE), Greenwich (SE) and Hammermith (SW). Outside these bounds, the 1860 map does not display.
	VIEW THE BELSIZE PARK AREA IN THE 1900s The 1900 mapping covers all of the London area.

Belsize Park

The Manor of Belsize dates back to 1317, with the name is derived from French bel assis meaning 'well situated'.

Belsize Manor was built by Daniel O'Neill for his wife, the Countess of Chesterfield, in the 17th century. Urbanisation took place largely between 1852 and 1878, by which time it extended to Haverstock Hill. After World War I, the construction of blocks of flats began, and now a great many of the larger houses are also converted into flats.

Belsize Park underground station was opened on 22 June 1907 by the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway as an intermediate station on its line from Charing Cross to Hampstead. It is served by three lifts and there are 219 steps. The station was designed by Leslie Green and has his familiar facade of ox-blood faience with four round arched windows. It remained largely untouched until the late 1980s when the lifts were replaced and a new ticketing system installed.

It was during the 1930s that Belsize Park contributed most to the artistic and intellectual life of Hampstead. Artists associated with the Mall studios included Dame Barbara Hepworth from 1927 to 1939, her first husband John Skeaping and second Ben Nicholson from 1931 to 1939, and Henry Moore, who lived at no. 11A Parkhill Road from 1929 to 1940. They were members of Unit One, a group of artists and architects founded in 1933 by Paul Nash (1889-1946), who lived at no. 3 Eldon Grove from 1936 to 1939. Sir Herbert Read, the poet and art critic, who lived in 1934-5 at the Mall studios, which he described as a 'nest of gentle artists', published the group's manifesto, a theory of modern style.

Another centre was no. 37 Belsize Park Gardens, meeting place of MARS, an architectural group, and home of Jack Pritchard, who founded Isokon, a firm making modern furniture designed by people like Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer, refugees who brought a European dimension to the abstract design movement in the arts. Others included Piet Mondrian, the Dutch painter, who stayed with the Pritchards before moving to no. 60 Parkhill Road (1938-41). Pritchard also commissioned Wells Coates in 1934 to build the Isokon or Lawn Road flats, partly to house artistic refugees, on a site which he owned. Built in concrete in a functional style, the flats came to be recognized as 'a milestone in the introduction of the modern idiom into London'.

In World War II, a large underground air-raid shelter was built here and its entrance can still be seen near the tube station at Downside Crescent. The area on Haverstock Hill north of Belsize Park underground station up to Hampstead Town Hall and including part of a primary school near the Royal Free Hospital was heavily bombed.

Belsize Park these days is a lively area with many restaurants, pubs and cafés along Haverstock Hill and also England's Lane.

Glossary: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 9, edited by C R Elrington.