Belsize Park

Belsize Park
OS grid reference	TQ273845
London borough	Camden
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	NW3
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Hampstead and Kilburn
London Assembly	Barnet and Camden

Belsize Park is an area of north-west London, England, in the London Borough of Camden.

It is located 3.4 miles (5.5 km) north-west of Charing Cross and situated on the Northern Line. It borders Hampstead to the north and west, Kentish Town and Gospel Oak to the east, Camden Town to the south east and Primrose Hill to the south.

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

Although not specifically named on the Geographers' London Atlas, the area has many thoroughfares bearing the name: Belsize Avenue, Belsize Court, Belsize Crescent, Belsize Gardens, Belsize Grove, Belsize Lane, Belsize Mews, Belsize Park (the road itself), Belsize Park Gardens, Belsize Place, Belsize Square, and Belsize Terrace. The name comes from the original 17th century manor house and parkland (built by Daniel O'Neill for his wife, the Countess of Chesterfield) which once stood on the site. The estate built up 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 as such. The full history of the estate may be seen referred to below.

In World War II, one of the large underground air-raid shelters was built here and can 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. When the area was re-built, the opportunity was taken to widen the pavement and re-build further back from the road.

It is a lively area and there are many restaurants, pubs and cafés along Haverstock Hill and also England's Lane. It is more spacious than Hampstead Village, with wider roads. Hampstead Heath is a 10–12 minutes' walk. Primrose Hill Park is 5 minutes' walk from England's Lane and provides some of the best views of Central London.

The area is a haunt for celebrities. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Chris Martin of Coldplay, Actor Simon Pegg, model Kate Moss, TV presenter/newsreader Fiona Bruce, actress Helena Bonham Carter and her domestic partner director Tim Burton, actors Don Warrington, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Edwards, Sean Bean, Sadie Frost, and Jude Law, plus Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher from Oasis, all live there. Singer Siobhan Fahey also lived there from the 1980s until 2008.

Belsize Park is in the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency for which the present MP is Glenda Jackson.

There is limited parking in Belsize Park; a residents' permit zone (CAB) operates weekdays 8am-6pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm. Some pay and display for visitors is available.

There is a youth hostel located in Belsize Park Gardens.

The park plays a central role in the song Kayleigh from the British rock band Marillion

Nearest stations:

• Belsize Park tube station (Northern Line)
• Camden Town tube station (Northern Line)
• Chalk Farm tube station (Northern Line)
• Swiss Cottage tube station (Jubilee Line)
• Hampstead Heath (North London Line)

Cultural references

Belsize Park is mentioned in Marillion song Kayleigh, in the line "loving on the floor in Belsize Park" and in the short film "Les Bicyclettes de Belsize" of which the title song became a hit for Engelbert Humperdinck. Belsize Park is also referenced on Sleeper's 1995 debut album "Smart" in the song "Lady Love Your Countryside" with the lyrics "And we could spend our lives puking in Belsize Park". The Camden Town Group artist Robert Polhill Bevan and his wife Stanislawa de Karlowska lived at 14 Adamson Road from 1900-1925. Kirsty MacColl's song "England 2 Columbia 0" features the line, "we went to a pub in Belsize Park and cheered on England as the skies grew dark..." It is also the place of residence for the Jewish community targeted by Hitler during the Second World War in the novel The Morning Gift. Novelist Peter Straub entitled his 1983 poetry collection "Leeson Square and Belsize Park" in part after his time in residence in the Belsize Park region of London. Belsize Park and the surrounding quarters were the setting for a long-running radio drama, Waggoners Walk. This daily serial ran from April 1969 to May 1980 each weekday on Radio 2.

Sport

There are records of a Belsize Park Rugby Club in North-West London since the 1860s. In 1871, Belsize were one of the clubs at the inaugural meeting of the Rugby Football Union, and therefore pioneers of the game of Rugby Union. In 1878, Belsize moved to form Rosslyn Park RFC, becoming one of England's leading clubs. In 1971, Belsize Park RFC was re-established by a group of local players. By the late 1970s, the special spirit had evolved, enticing friends from all over the world, including a number of established internationals, who relished the concept of good, free spirit rugby blended with partying and excess. The club is now one of the most central of all London Rugby Clubs, playing and training in Regent's Park. There are 3 regular teams playing every Saturday during the season as well as a Touch Rugby squad in the summer.

External links

• History of the Belsize estate
• Belsize Park World War II deep shelter
• Belsize Residents Association
• Belsize Park Rugby Club
• [1]
• Live and Do The Guide to Living in England