The Heath: My Year on Hampstead Heath

by Hunter Davies

Overview

An engaging portrait of Hampstead Heath – a place rich not just in natural wonders but in history and monuments, emotions and memories, people and places.

'I enjoyed every inch of the way, from Parliament Hill to the Pergola... A late-life little masterpiece' Ferdinand Mount

'A love letter, both to the Heath and to his late wife' Islington Tribune

'An affectionate book which blends personal anecdote, history and interviews' Ham & High

The eight hundred acres of Hampstead Heath lie just four miles from central London; and yet unlike the manicured inner-city parks, it feels like the countryside: it has hills and lakes, wild spots and tame spots.

Hunter Davies has lived within a stone's throw of Hampstead Heath for more than sixty years and has walked on it nearly every day of his London life. For him, it is not just a place of recreation and relaxation but also a treasure-house of memories and emotions. In The Heath, he visits all parts of this, the largest area of common land in Britain's capital city: from Kenwood House to the Vale of Health, from Parliament Hill to Boudicca's Mound, and from the Ladies Bathing Pond to the fabulous pergola. As he walks, Davies talks to the diverse array of individuals who frequent the Heath: regulars; visitors; dog walkers; stall holders at the weekly farmer's market; famous faces having their morning stroll; twenty-first-century hippies spreading peace, love and happiness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838934804
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	10/15/2022
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.05(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Hunter Davies is a prolific author, journalist and broadcaster who has written for Punch, the New Statesman, Guardian and Sunday Times. He is the author of more than 100 books, including the only authorized biography of The Beatles and biographies of Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter and Alfred Wainwright. He spent every summer in the Lake District for nearly half a century and his Lakeland: A Personal Journey was published by Head of Zeus in 2016. He now divides his time between north London and the Isle of Wight.

Hunter Davies is a prolific author, journalist and broadcaster who has written for Punch, the New Statesman, Guardian and Sunday Times. He is the author of more than 100 books, including the only authorized biography of The Beatles and biographies of Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter and Alfred Wainwright. He spent every summer in the Lake District for nearly half a century and his Lakeland: A Personal Journey was published by Head of Zeus in 2016. He now divides his time between north London and the Isle of Wight.

Table of Contents

1 Summer swimming 1

2 Party time 17

3 Sheep 33

4 Kenwood 47

5 Dog walkers 65

6 The Vale of Health 81

7 A visit to the Vale 95

8 Sports 111

9 Perfect pergola 127

10 Farmers' market 141

11 Famous folks 159

12 Keats House 175

13 Wildlife 189

14 Pub crawl 207

15 The Bull and Last 223

16 Moving to Hampstead 235

17 Lockdown 247

18 Hippies on the Heath 269

19 Swans and end 283

20 Covid coda 293

Picture credits 302

Index 304

Editorial Reviews

An affectionate book which blends personal anecdote, history and interviews with key players from The Heath and Hampstead Society and City of London Corporation, to swimmers and dog walkers” —Ham & High

“A love letter, both to the Heath and to his late wife... Hunter's portrait of the Heath zips by, as a warm reminder of the familiar, but introducing you to new territory” —Islington Tribune

“Just like taking a walk on the Heath, most of the book is familiar before pointing out something you had not noticed before” —Camden New Journal

“I enjoyed every inch of the way, from Parliament Hill to the Pergola... I particularly liked the way [he] gently but remorselessly undermines everyone's preconceptions... A late-life little masterpiece” —Ferdinand Mount

“PRAISE FOR LAKELAND:

'Davies's easy, affable style makes his Lakeland a plum-pie delight of gossip, pictures and facts. This is one to treasure' WI Life.

'Nicely produced and tastefully illustrated, the whole thing enchants from start to finish' The Times

'The generous illustrations to Lakeland are by turns beautiful and quirky. Engravings by artists of the Picturesque evoke the changing past of what Hunter Davies sums up as 'a living place not a museum'' TLS.

'A beautifully produced Lake District miscellany, informed by a lifetime's enthusiasm' TGO Magazine.

'A lovely read for everyone who loves the Lakes'” —Cumberland News

From the Publisher