Haverstock
Coordinates: 51°32′42″N 0°09′48″W / 51.5449°N 0.1632°W
Haverstock is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Camden. It is centred on Haverstock Hill and Chalk Farm, with Gospel Oak to the north; Kentish Town to the east; Camden Town to the south, and Swiss Cottage to the west.
History
There has been settlement in the area for hundreds of years, with Haverstock Hill being one of the main roads out of London to Hampstead and the north of England.
Geography
The area to the west of the hill, with the NW3 Belsize Park/Hampstead post code, is very wealthy, while the Queen's Crescent NW5 area to the east of the hill is home to Queen's Crescent Market. There is a high density of council housing, with Talacre Gardens[1] the only real open space, although Primrose Hill and Hampstead Heath are both close by. The area still remains a desirable compromise to fashionable areas such as Camden Town and expensive inner suburbs Belsize Park and Hampstead. The area is ethnically and socially diverse, and the marketplace and surrounding area is well known for its African, Jamaican, South American and Eastern European culture, well reflected in the ethnic food stalls and clothes shops in the area.
Haverstock Hill, Rosslyn Hill, and Heath Street, Hampstead together constitute one long hill 2.8 km long, rising 99 m, with an average gradient of 3.5% (maximum 8.5%).[2]
Transport
Stations in the area are Kentish Town West railway station, and Chalk Farm and Belsize Park tube stations.
The area was formerly served by Haverstock Hill railway station, which closed in 1916.
Culture
There are many restaurants, bars and cultural venues in Haverstock. The Barfly club, which launched many artists of the Britpop era, and the Roundhouse venue are in Chalk Farm.
Queen's Crescent Street Market has served the area around Gospel Oak for over 100 years and now frequently hosts farmers' markets and guest traders from across the UK.[3] The marketplace and surrounding area is well known for its African, Jamaican, South American and Eastern European culture, and this is well reflected to the ethnic food stalls and clothes shops in the area.
Famous residents
- Lindsay Duncan, actress
- Baroness Helena Kennedy, barrister and broadcaster
- Denis Lawson, actor
- Dame Ann Leslie, Daily Mail journalist and writer
- Hilton McRae, actor
- Billie Piper, actress and singer
- Leonard Whiting, actor
- Zeinab Badawi, BBC News Presenter has a home in the Haverstock Hill area.
Haverstock School includes cabinet ministers David Miliband and Ed Miliband, and former MP Oona King, amongst its alumni.
Politics
Haverstock is represented by three councillors on the London Borough of Camden, and forms part of the Holborn and St. Pancras constituency. The constituency had previously been a staunch Labour seat, but by 2010 had become marginal between Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
As of 2013 Frank Dobson of the Labour Party was the MP for Holborn and St. Pancras, and the local councillors were Liberal Democrats Rahel Bokth, Jill Fraser and Matt Sanders.[4]
References
- ↑ Protect Talacre Gardens
- ↑ "Haverstock Hill + Rosslyn Hill + Heath St". VeloViewer. 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ↑ Queen's Crescent Market, Camden Council
- ↑ Haverstock Ward Councillors, London Borough of Camden
