Hampstead Heath is one of London’s
most popular open spaces, situated just four miles (six
kilometres) from Trafalgar Square. An island of beautiful
countryside, the magic of Hampstead Heath lies not only in its
rich mosaic of flora and fauna and extensive recreational
facilities, but also in its proximity and accessibility to
millions of people.
The City of London has managed all of Hampstead Heath,
apart from the Kenwood area, since 1989. Acquired by its
predecessors under various Acts of Parliament between 1871 and
1906, the Heath covers 791 acres (320 hectares) within two London
boroughs - Camden, 681 acres (276 hectares), and
Barnet, 110
acres (44 hectares). This total includes the 112 acres (45
hectares) at Kenwood which are maintained by
English
Heritage.
New Diary available...
View the new
Hampstead Heath Diary (2.82mb) which
runs from April 2009 to March 2010 and provides information on
all Heath facilities and management.
Download the Guide to Events section of the
Hampstead Heath Diary (751kb).
The Heath's landscape is varied with woodland, meadows, fragments
of heathland and strings of ponds along its valleys. With its
origins in former countryside, long-established features such as
hedgerows and ancient trees provide links with the past. The range
of wildlife is impressive for an urban site visited by so many
people. Kingfishers, reed warblers and all three species of British
woodpecker breed. Over 300 species of fungi have been recorded and
it is one of the best places in London to see a number of species
of bats.
The Heath is managed from the main staff yards at Parliament Hill
(covering East Heath and the area up to Kenwood) and Golders Hill
(covering Hampstead Heath Extension, Sandy Heath, the Hill Garden
and Pergola and West Heath). The Superintendent and administrative
staff are based near the Heath at Highgate. If you are interested
in helping to keep Hampstead Heath such a special place for people
and wildlife contact the volunteer corps
Heath
Hands.
Proposed changes at Parliament Hill
In recent weeks there has been a great deal of interest in some
of the proposed changes the City of London Corporation hopes to
make at Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath with regard to vehicle
access to Parliament Hill.
Please see the Media Centre pages for further information
Hampstead Heath - have your say!
A website
www.greenstat.org.uk has been set up to
record feedback and provide local residents with the
opportunity to comment on how open spaces nationwide are
managed and maintained. The City of London will be able
to access this information and compare results on Hampstead
Heath with other open spaces up and down the country.
We would very much welcome your involvement. Please visit
www.greenstat.org.uk and click on the London
region, where you will then see a list of organisations – please
chose ‘City of London’ which is conveniently located at the very
top of the page. You will then be asked to select whether you wish
to comment on the Service provided by City of London, or to comment
on a specific Open Space. If you select option 2 ‘Park or Open
Space’ you will be given a list of City of London open spaces to
comment on – please select ‘Hampstead Heath’ from this list and you
will then be taken through an online survey.
Hampstead Heath has received the
Green Flag Award for over ten consecutive years. The
award scheme is managed by a consortium consisting of
Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), BTCV and GreenSpace and
is the national benchmark against which the quality of public
open space is measured. It recognises and awards the best
green spaces in the country. More information about the award
can be found on the
Green Flag Award
website.