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Swiss Cottage

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This article is about the district of London. For the building in County Tipperary, see Swiss cottage, Cahir.
Swiss Cottage
The current Ye Olde Swiss Cottage public house
OS grid referenceTQ266842
• Charing Cross3.25 mi (5.2 km) SSE
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDON
Postcode districtNW3, NW6, NW8
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London

Swiss Cottage is a district of the London Borough of Camden in London. It is located 3.25 miles (5.23 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross. It is centred on the junction of Avenue Road and Finchley Road and is the location of Swiss Cottage tube station. Swiss Cottage forms part of Hampstead and sits at the triumvirate of postcodes of Hampstead NW3, St Johns Wood NW8 and Kilburn/West Hampstead NW6. It is the proposed site for the tallest residential tower in Camden.[1]

History

Toponymy

The district is named after an inn called The Swiss Tavern that was built in 1804 in the style of a Swiss chalet and on the site of a former tollgate keeper's cottage. The inn was later renamed Swiss Cottage.[2]

Urban development

The district formed part of the ancient parish of Hampstead. It developed following the Finchley Road Act 1826, which authorised construction of Finchley New Road and Avenue Road, with The Swiss Tavern built at the junction of the new roads.[3] The neighbourhood around Finchley Road and Avenue Road was redeveloped in 1937 and 1938 with the opening of an Odeon cinema and the Regency Lodge flats. After World War II, local authority housing was constructed by the London County Council in the area.[3] On 20 March 2014, a planning application was submitted for a 24-storey tower to be built next to Swiss Cottage tube station.[4] The application was rejected by Camden Council on 11 September 2014 following mass local protests. [5]

Government

Swiss Cottage is in the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency; formed at the 2010 general election. It was formerly in the Hampstead and Highgate constituency, for which the MP was Glenda Jackson. It forms part of the Barnet and Camden London Assembly constituency. There is a Swiss Cottage electoral ward, electing councillors to Camden London Borough Council.

Geography

Swiss Cottage is located 3.25 miles (5.23 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross. Adjoining neighbourhoods include Hampstead Village to the North East, Chalk Farm and Camden Town to the South East, Belsize Park to the East, St John's Wood to the South and West Hampstead to the West. Regent's Park is within walking distance of Swiss Cottage (about 1.4 km).

It is bounded by five conservation areas; Belsize,[6] Elsworthy,[7] Fitzjohns-Netherhall,[8] South Hampstead,[9] St. John's Wood (Camden)[10] and St. John's Wood (Westminster).[11]

Economy

Swiss Cottage/Finchley Road is identified as a district centre in the London Plan and there are assorted shops the length of the Finchley Road.[12] Local major hotels include Marriott Regents Park, Danubius Regents Park and Hampstead Britannia Hotel. There are many smaller hotels in the area. Notable restaurants that include European, South-East Asian and Japanese cuisine.

Transport

The area is served by Swiss Cottage and Finchley Road tube stations on the Jubilee line of the London Underground and is a local hub for London Buses.[13] Swiss Cottage station was opened by the Metropolitan Railway in 1868; the current station dates from 1939.[14] South Hampstead railway station and Finchley Road & Frognal railway station on London Overground are also nearby.

Local bus routes are:

  • 13 - Golders Green Station to Aldwych via Finchley Road and Oxford Street
  • 113 - Edgware to Marble Arch via Finchley Road
  • 82 - North Finchley to Victoria Station via Marble Arch, Park Lane, and Finchley Road
  • 46 - St Bartholomew's Hospital to Lancaster Gate via King's Cross, Hampstead Village, Maida Vale, and Paddington
  • 31 - White City to Camden Town via Holland Park, Notting Hill Gate, Kilburn and Primrose Hill
  • C11 - Brent Cross Shopping Centre to Archway via West Hampstead, Belsize Park, and Parliament Hill
  • 268 - Golders Green to Finchley Road via Hampstead Village and Belsize Park
  • 603 - Muswell Hill to terminate at Swiss Cottage via Hampstead Heath (school days only)
  • 187 - Finchley Road to Central Middlesex Hospital via Maida Vale, Queen's Park, Harlesden, and Park Royal

Night buses:

  • N13 - North Finchley to Aldwych via Finchley Road and Oxford Street.
  • N28 - Wandsworth to Camden Town via Kilburn, Notting Hill Gate, and Fulham.
  • N31 - Clapham Junction to Camden Town via Kilburn, Notting Hill Gate, and Chelsea.
  • N113 - Edgware to Trafalgar Square via Hendon Way, Finchley Road, and Oxford Street.

Culture

Swiss Cottage is a cultural centre within Camden and northwest London.[15] Local amenities include an Odeon Cinema, Sir Basil Spence's Grade II-listed Swiss Cottage Central Library and the Hampstead Theatre. Swiss Cottage is the location of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama that occasionally performs at the Embassy Theatre. Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre reopened in early 2006 after redevelopment; it now has two swimming pools, a gym and a climbing wall. Many of the area's cityscapes and London street scenes, particularly of Swiss Cottage, Adamson Rd, Eton Ave and Belsize Park were represented by the Camden Town Group painter Robert Bevan and his wife, the Polish painter Stanisława de Karłowska. They lived at 14 Adamson Road.

References

  1. ^ Paul Wright. "Anger over plans for 24-storey tower at Ham&High office site in Avenue Road, Swiss Cottage". Hampstead Highgate Express.
  2. ^ Mills, A.D. (2001). Dictionary of London Place Names. Oxford. pp. 222–223.
  3. ^ a b 'Hampstead: St. John’s Wood', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 9: Hampstead, Paddington (1989), pp. 60-63.
  4. ^ http://www.camdennewjournal.com/letters/2014/mar/letters-tower-block-views…
  5. ^ Paul Wright. "Councillors reject Swiss Cottage tower plan following huge opposition". Hampstead Highgate Express.
  6. ^ "Google". google.fr.
  7. ^ "Camden Council: Elsworthy conservation area appraisal and management strategy". camden.gov.uk.
  8. ^ "Camden Council: Fitzjohns and Netherhall conservation area statement". camden.gov.uk.
  9. ^ "Camden Council: South Hampstead Conservation Area character appraisal and management strategy". camden.gov.uk.
  10. ^ "Camden Council: St. John's Wood conservation area appraisal and management strategy". camden.gov.uk.
  11. ^ http://transact.westminster.gov.uk/docstores/publications_store/St%20Johns%20Wood%20CAA%20SPD.pdf
  12. ^ "The London Plan" (PDF). london.gov.uk.
  13. ^ Transport for London - Buses from Swiss Cottage
  14. ^ Rose, Douglas (1999). The London Underground. Douglas Rose.
  15. ^ Shaping Places in London through Culture
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