HAMPSTEAD, a north-western metropolitan borough of London, England, bounded E. by St. Pancras and S. by St. Marylebone, and extending N. and W. to the boundary of the county of London. Pop. (1931) 88,914. The name, Hamstede, is synonymous with "homestead," and the manor is first named in a charter of Edgar (957-975), and was granted to the abbey of Westminster by Ethelred in 986. It reverted to the Crown in 155o, and then had various owners.
The surface of the ground is sharply undulating, an elevated spur extending south-west from the neighbourhood of Highgate, and turning south through Hampstead reaches a height of 443 ft. above the level of the Thames. The Edgware road bounds Hamp stead on the west. The heath is a fine open space of about 24o acres, including in its bounds the summit of Hampstead hill. It is sandy, in parts well wooded, diversified with several small sheets of water, and to a great extent preserves its natural char acteristics unaltered. Of all the public grounds within London this is the most valuable to the populace at large. In 1871 its preservation as an open space was insured, when the lord of the manor gave up his rights. An act of parliament transferred the ownership to the Metropolitan Board of Works, to which body the London county council succeeded. The heath is continued eastward in Parliament hill (borough of St. Pancras), acquired for the public in 1890; and westward in Golders Hill park: a further extension which is now public property is Kenwood. A Protection Society guards the preservation of the heath. Hamp stead has long been a favourite residential quarter, especially for lawyers, artists and men of letters. Among famous residents are found the first earl of Chatham, John Constable, George Romney, George du Maurier, Joseph Butler, author of the Analogy, Sir Richard Steele, John Keats, the sisters Joanna and Agnes Baillie, Leigh Hunt and many others. Chatham's residence was at North End; here also Wilkie Collins was born. Three old-established inns are the Bull and Bush, the Spaniards, and Jack Straw's Castle ; the Upper Flask inn, now a private house, was the meet ing-place of the Kit-Cat club. Chalybeate springs were discovered at Hampstead in the 17th century, and early in the 18th rivalled those of Tunbridge Wells and Epsom, but their fame is lost.
In the south-east Hampstead includes the greater part of Primrose hill. The borough has in all about 35o acres of open spaces. The parliamentary borough of Hampstead returns one member.