The Heath: A Year in the Life of Hampstead Heath

by Hunter Davies

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

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. You can spend three hours walking round it - and only ever cross one road.

Hunter Davies has lived within a stone's throw of Hampstead Heath for nearly sixty years and has walked on it nearly every day of his London life. In The Heath, he records his walks over one year, season by season. Visiting all parts of the Heath, from Kenwood House to its four public swimming places, Davies talks to the diverse array of individuals who frequent it: regulars, visitors, dog walkers; top athletes on the racetrack; famous faces having their morning stroll. This is an affectionate portrait of one of London's - and the world's - iconic urban green spaces.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Environment, Travel

Hardcover

Published November 11, 2021

About the author

Edward Hunter Davies OBE is an author, journalist and broadcaster, and a former editor for the Sunday Times of London. He is the author of numerous books, including The Glory Game and the only authorised biography of the Beatles. He was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, to Scottish parents. For four years his family lived in Dumfries until Davies was aged 11.

His family moved to Carlisle in northern England when Davies was 11 and he attended the Creighton School in the city. Davies lived in Carlisle until he moved to study at university. During this time his father, who was a former Royal Air Force pay clerk, developed multiple sclerosis and had to retire on medical grounds from a civil service career.

Davies joined the sixth form at Carlisle Grammar School and was awarded a place at University College, Durham to read for an honours degree in History, but after his first year he switched to a general arts course. He gained his first writing experience as a student, contributing to the university newspaper, Palatinate, where one of his fellow student journalists was the future fashion writer Colin McDowell. After completing his degree course he stayed on at Durham for another year to gain a teaching diploma and avoid National Service.

He lives in London.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I have read bits and pieces about Hampstead Heath, a couple of books on the people that head to the ponds on a regular or daily basis to take a dip and it has come up in books on spies, both fictional and real-life examples. My mum and dad are both Londoners and I have been there many many times. But I have never been there.

Located four miles from the centre of London it is eight hundred acres of green space. It is not manicured by legions of gardeners, rather it is a place that most Londoners can get to on a tube that feels like the countryside. There are hills and lakes, rolling grasslands and wild parts (well for London anyway).

It is a place that Hunter Davies has known for a very long time. He was born in Scotland, but his home for the past six decades has been within walking distance of the Heath. This book, set over a year of life on the Heath and during the pandemic, is both a love letter and a eulogy to the place that he loves deeply.

Each chapter takes us to a specific place beginning of course with the swimming ponds. We meet some of the characters on the heath from the dog walkers to the rich and famous and the hippies that are using the space for their own particular ends. There are several visits to the pubs, he wanders along the pergola, a generally unknown spot as well as visits to the sheep that are making an appearance now.

I must admit I did think that this would be more natural history focused than it is, but that said I found this as informative as I did entertaining. Quite a pleasant surprise. It is a part of London that I know very little about so every page had some anecdote or snippet of information that I had not come across before. I liked the way that he explored different parts of the heath rather than just his regular haunts, but it is the places that he visits every day that you come to understand why he loves the place so much. If I had one minor gripe, I thought that the name-dropping did get a little tiresome.

[Sarah Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet little book with lots of great info about one of my favorite places. It dragged at times but was a lovely read.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely ode to Hampstead Heath! Takes you there and reminds you just how special a place it is 😊

[Michaela Zadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5: if you live in London, want to live in London or just want to mentally escape to London (Hampstead Heath specifically)… read this. Thank you for this gift Harriet x

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

London is a fantastic place, stimulating and exciting, but it can also get too much: the noise is constant. After three days on the Clerkenwell Design Days with customers (and switching from French to English to Dutch constantly) I felt emotionally drained and overexposed. And so I decided to look for peace and silence and nature, but in London, and preferably easily reachable by the Tube.
Hampsted and the Hampstead heath is a unique part of town. Hampstead itself is very genteel and very British but also felt like a place for the rich and the rich only (though certainly beautiful). The Heath however proved to be very different. It is the largest park of London, or as Hunter Davies quotes more correctly, the largest part of common land in London, and often feels more like a forest than a park. It is big, there are no signposts, so you can get easily lost, and it is not for tourists, but for locals, and I loved it. It is quite something to take the subway from the heart of London and to descent in what seems like a somewhat sleepy little Kentish town, walk 10 minutes and disappear into nature. And it is for everybody…
Hunter Davies wrote a very interesting book about it, in his very readable style, and I loved it, almost as much as I liked walking there.

[Nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hampstead Heath will always have a place in my heart, I discovered it quite soon after moving to London and by the end of my journey as a Londoner it was a place I visited at least one per week.
When I saw this book advertised on amazon I add it to my list and during a very stressful moment of this year it brought me lots of smiles, peace and also some tears of melancholy.
I moved away from London a year ago and beside friends, Hampstead is what I miss the most, on any day, with rain or sun it was bringing me joy, calm and excitement. Sorry if this review is so far mainly about me and my time in Hampstead but it was impossible not to mention this before reviewing the book.
I never heard of the author before since I don't read biographies very often, but I liked his writing and I was super fond of his witty character, his curiosity, that brought him to meet many people in the park and learn about all his secrets. Many times I googled corners of Hampstead to see how they were when Davies moved there or even before when it wasn't even a public park.
Farewell London, farewell to the most beautiful and healing park in the world.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a lovely little book, charming in its writing and not boring for a second. However I found it quite out of touch. A lot of moaning about the common people (the heath is too busy now, the roads rammed, people with dogs). The Hampstead heath society however are very welcoming and ‘saving hard’ for 2 years as a journalist and teaching assistant can buy you a 3 story house while you are renting in the vale of heath. Perhaps I am just bitter but he meets a current vale resident who worked as a banker and retired at 42 to travel less - the craziness of this is not commented on and in fact they are reported as ‘not rich’ - yes you are.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful read for those who are fond of Hampstead. Reading My Year on Hampstead Heath feels like chatting to a chum over a cup of tea (or a pint of craft beer) on a spring afternoon. Full of funny anecdotes, interesting facts about the organisations which help maintain the Heath, its flora and fauna, and the perfect amount of name dropping to keep those who are not Heath-locals adequately entertained.

[Victor Churchill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally fell for the cover last weekend when I stumbled upon this book in a second-hand shop on Primrose Hill.

It was such a feel-good read! It had the cozy intimacy of a diary while capturing the heath with an almost documentary-like precision.

Even-though the book aimed to follow a chronological timeline, I loved how Hunter Davies chose to group themes separately.

Highly recommended ! If not just to look at the cover.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like his amusing, anecdotal style of writing, and this is full of facts as well. Now well into his 80s and having lived near and walked on Hampstead Heath most of his life, he talks about how it has changed, what people do there and who he meets. The last few chapters are about the Covid lockdowns and how they affected everyone, including himself as one of those vulnerable people to be selected to be amongst the first to be vaccinated.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought whilst in London and wanted something light to read. I love Hampstead Heath and the surrounding neighborhoods and Davies has lived in Hampstead since the 1960s, so has many anecdotes and history to detail. His 1970s football team which contained Melvyn Bragg and Martin Amis must have been something to see.

[Anand · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant read - I learned a lot about Hampstead even after living here for three years. It rambles at times, but is a pretty quick read, with some great stories about the people, businesses, and institutions that make up Hampstead Heath.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book - could not put it down. He is a great writer. Fantastic book about London and I learnt a lot about an area of London I’ve not been to for many years & not worked in since the mid 90s. Really interesting perspective as written during the pandemic.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant read, as per his other books.
The map could have been better, especially for a non-Londoner. It needed a scale and more details E.g. show the pergola, where’s Frognal etc.? And not so much name dropping of living celebrities

[Steve Ripley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inoffensive and enjoyable, though possibly more about Mr Davies than the Heath. I have grown up with his writing, and this book is very consistent with his oeuvre. Lightweight, a bit of a stocking filler for someone who likes the Heath.

[Lesley Tapper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I particularly enjoyed this book because I walk on the Heath myself so a lot of the places talked about I was familiar with and Hunter's observations made me smile. It was a very easy read and also written in a very light style. For fans only I would think.

[Ruth-Anne Sahin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read North London is so lucky to have such a gorgeous place to visit and Hunter Davies descriptions of it makes me want to pack my bags and move to be near the Heath every day

[James Junke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very personal and quirky take on The Heath by a 60 year admirer. Insightful, funny, readable.

[James Vogl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming history of the Heath and Hunter’s 60 years of living around Hampstead. I learned a lot about the area I’ve lived in for most of my life.

[Eefje Hovelynck - van der Maat · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my love of Hampstead (Heath)

[David Le Bas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

[Laurie Ridsdill · Rating 4 out of 5]

These gentle ramblings have armed me with a number of facts and anecdotes to impress any visitors to my new abode. Was not as much nature as would maybe have liked , but Davies seems like a fun dude

[Milli]

so very pleasant i love you hampstead heath

[Alfe Azad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely look into the history of the heath told by someone who lived and loves it. I thought the narrative was really nicely woven between personal experience and historical background.

[Julie Gs · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read, including a snapshot of an unusual period of time (COVID).

[Molly Fleet · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it loved it loved it

[Lavanya Mane]

Ughhh loved this book. Made me want to be rich and live in Hampstead as a writer, although that really wasn’t the point of the book :)

[Ya-Chi Chang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone who loves Hampstead Heath. Combination of personal experiences and well-researched written history of the area, from lifestyles on the heath, including partying, swimming, farmer's market, to history around the heath like of Kenwood House, the Pergola, Keat's House... Also people's lives around the heath, the perfessional dog-walkers, the pub owners, local residents... The heath is thus unfolded through various perspectives, while the storyline is still well-connected and cohesive. In additional to being a well-written nice casual read, it really prompted me to think about the signficance of having the heath within such accessible distance from city centre.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know Hampstead Heath fairly well, but this book taught me a few things I didn't know about the Heath. The back-stories to the various swimming (and non-swimming) ponds was new to me for instance. Hunter Davies, as always, writes well in a chatty sort of way. It's a book I enjoyed reading for some light-hearted relief in a time when life around me was not going especially well.