HILLTOP HAVENS
In the late 17th century, London was a dangerous place to be. The Great Fire of 1666, hot on the heels of the Great Plague of 1665, were the last straw for many of the city’s noble families, who opted to flee the stench, dirt and disease in favour of the tranquility and clean air of the nearby hilltop villages to the north.
The highwaymen that once preyed on carriages heading to the hills are long gone, but the fresh air and open spaces remain. Hampstead Heath, an old, rambling park, covers some 800 acres of north London with grassy meadows, shady glades and swathes of
