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discovering Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath

Posted in Fun Stuff, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged hampstead heath, kenwood house, things to do in london on May 25, 2011| 2 Comments »

I have been living in the UK for almost 10 years now and of those, in London for the last 2 years, as well as approx 3 years on and off between 2002 and 2007! I have explored the city and the parks, the churches and museums and the more I discover the more I realise that I haven’t touched sides yet!

so huge....takes a lot to touch sides, and that's just the Heath 🙂

For the last year I have been living in Highgate, quite near to the Heath which I have explored extensively……but it would seem, not extensively enough! Yesterday I discovered Kenwood House! 🙂 and what a discovery it was! I recently wrote a blog for GotSaga about the 5 Great London Parks for a Summer Picnic and one of those was Kenwood House. So I thought I had better visit!

Wow!!! What a fabulous place! Firstly let me explain that when you look at the map of the Heath, Kenwood House looks miles away and I imagined that it would take ages to get there…..as it turns out it took less than 35 minutes and that included time for photos. And as you can imagine, with my propensity for photographing everything I see… that takes up a considerable amount of time on the best of adventures!

I had planned to meet up with a friend at Kenwood House for tea and cake at 3pm, so at just after 1.45pm I set off for the Heath. My route took me past the Highgate ponds and needless to say I stopped off to take photos! (I can’t tell you how many photos I have of the ponds now and yet they remain fantastically photographable!!) I studied the map and set sail. Along the way I met some interesting folks that I stopped to chat to, one of whom, a gentleman asked what I was photographing………..”everything said I”. 🙂

Hampstead Heath

Suddenly, to my amazement and in no time at all, I reached the gates of the estate! What an delightful surprise it turned out to be. Firstly the estate is way bigger than I imagined and had some amazing treasures and areas to explore and discover: Thousand Pound Pond, Sham Bridge, Wood Pond, a Henry Moore sculpture, Stable Field, a Bath Hoouse and of course the main house. This was going to require more than one visit for sure!

a map of Kenwood House estates showing the different areas to visit

The woods are delightful and I felt like I had been drawn into a symphony of green and birdsong. A thick canopy of leaves towered above my head and on all sides thick green tangled undergrowth hid trilling birds and all manner of creatures. The sandy paths are fabulously clean, meandering this way and that, taking you on journeys of discovery. I approached the house from the south-east gate and on the way saw what looked like a bridge that on closer inspection turned out to be just the facade of a bridge. weird! I took some photos and thought I would like to visit the body of water I could see beneath the structure.

As I walked the temptation to meander off and just follow the paths was strong, but I had to keep in mind the meeting for tea….most important! So instead I carried on and as the path lead on up the hill I noticed a marvellous green lawn…..well a bit more than a lawn really, more like a very large field….but beautifully manicured and kept. There on the left of this green sloping jewel was the pond, that turned out to be Thousand Pound pond!! Across the south-east corner of this lake is the Sham Bridge (about 1767-1768, Listed Grade II*), attributed to Robert Adam, which consists of a timber three-span facade with a balustrade.

Sham Bridge on Thousand Pound Pond

The pond is gorgeous and the bridge across the corner creates a glorious romantic image, offset by the wonderful greenery, reed and trees on the perimeter. Spring is in the air and I noticed two sets of babies; 5 duckings and 2 goslings. All happily pecking away looking for snacks in the grass. I took loads of photos as you can imagine! Following the perimeter of the pond I noticed a derelict rowing boat beneath the trees, thick reed beds bright with yellow irises and onto the smaller pond; Wood Pond where I noticed a tiny stone bridge.

I got my first glimpse of the magnificent house on the crest of the hill, a massive cream structure, imposing and grand it looked out across the green wooded landscape, as I rounded the lake.

my first view of Kenwood House from the ponds

The lawns of the area known as Pasture Ground are beautifully manicured and lend a sweeping vista flowing down the slopes of the ground to the ponds. After stopping on the Stone Bridge and takes loads of photos of the pond, I headed off uphill to see the Henry Moore sculpture. The view from there was phenomenal.

Henry Moore sculpture at Kenwood House - 2 piece reclining figures 1963-64

By now it was close to 3pm so I headed for the house and to my surprise as I neared the house I noticed an air of unkempt faded elegance; paint peeling and shutters dusty. Nonetheless it was grand and imposing. My first stop was the Bath House; built in the early 18th century when cold plunge bathing was fashionable. Over the years it fell into disrepair, filling up with silt, but has since been cleaned up a restored. Fascinating.

inside the Bath House at Kenwood House

Next I explored the kitchen, in the corner of which is a fabulous old fashioned oven, the gardens and then met up with Charmaine for tea and cake…yummy! I chose a slice of the best tasting chocolate cake I have had for ages.

delicious cakes to eat!!!

a fab afternoon, a fab place and now on my list of favourite places to go! and since it is so close, and in the words of Arnie……..

“I will be back”.

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All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey; I went for a walk on an autumn day……

Posted in It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged all the leaves are brown and the sky is grey, hampstead heath on October 30, 2010| 4 Comments »

Today (29th) was just about the most perfect day for taking photographs, lightly overcast!

an overcast autumn day in London

I love this kind of weather coz then the colours appear more vibrant and not bleached out by the sun. Add to that; autumn! My favourite season of the year by a whisker…. just ahead of spring which in the UK is just fabulous.
I usually get 5 hours off on a Friday so I made the most of the time and headed off round the neighbourhood to get some photos for my autumn collage;

autumn colours

trespassing on a neighbours property to get my shot 🙂

I am trying to create a movie on my computer! (unsuccessfully so far 😦 )
The colours at this time of year are fabulous; reds,

autumn colours

yellows,

vibrant yellow

orange

fiery orange

and of course brown. But not just brown – dark and moody, pale and creamy, yellowy brown, greeny brown, reddish brown; an amazing mix that shows off the red, yellow, and orange to perfection. Add a backdrop of evergreens, and how can you go wrong – a veritable pallette of warm, cozy and vibrant colours.

autumn leaves

First I meandered and trespassed 🙂 round the neighbourhood capturing the most amazing shapes and colours.

fabulous shapes

Then I headed to the ponds on Hampstead Heath, one of my favourite places to go for a walk.
Hampstead Heath is one of London’s famous parks and covers an area of 320 hectares (790 acres). Protected as an area of outstanding natural beauty it is bordered by Highgate, Hampstead, Golders Green and Primrose Hill.

Hampstead Heath near the duck ponds

A massive area of shady woods, wide open spaces, ponds, parks both natural and landscaped, winding paths, hills and vales, ponds that are home to amazing variety of wildlife, especially birds

ducks on the pond

and thousands of trees…..these being the object of my interest today.

autumn trees

The ponds in spring are a hive of activity; the geese fly in with a cacophony of sound that carries far and wide. Swans abound and harrass the other birds, bearing down on them with fierce intention seeing off the Egyptian geese with no mercy spared.
Autumn is more sedate and frequented by the year-round residents; ducks, gulls, pigeons, egret and dozens of coot. The ducks ponds are a marvellous area of sloping greens lawns dotted about with benches,

sloping lawns, trees, benches and the pond

some of which are placed as a memorial to a loved one now long gone, shady trees, bushy hollows and winding paths to meander along.

open fields and winding paths

An area to be enjoyed no matter the weather or season; cyclists,

cyclists enjoying the heath

walkers, lovers,

lovers walk along shady paths

mothers pushing toddlers in prams

mothers stroll by pushing babies in their prams

and fishermen

fishermen take their chances at the duck pond

all co-habit; enjoying this wonderful open space – certainly one of my favourite places to hang out.

duck pond on Hampstead Heath

a bit of history, courtesy of wikipedia

Hampstead Heath (locally known as “the Heath”) is a large, ancient London park, covering 320 hectares (790 acres). This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay. The Heath is rambling and hilly, embracing ponds, recent and ancient woodlands, a lido, playgrounds, and a training track, and it adjoins the stately home of Kenwood House and its grounds. South of the Heath is Parliament Hill, whose view over London is protected by law.

The Heath has long been a popular place for Londoners to walk and take the air. Running along its eastern perimeter are a chain of ponds – including three open-air public swimming pools – which were originally reservoirs for drinking water from the River Fleet. Kenwood is the location of a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the smallest such site in London; lakeside concerts are held in summer. The Heath is managed by the City of London Corporation, and lies mostly within the London Borough of Camden with the adjoining Hampstead Heath Extension and Golders Hill Park in the London Borough of Barnet.

and coz I tend to think in song titles, this is the song that inspired my post…..except I’m in London and it’s autumn 🙂 (poetic license)

California Dreaming

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….a walk in the park

Posted in It's my life, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged egyptian geese, hampstead heath, London, photography, swan, Travel on April 10, 2010| 5 Comments »

By all appearances spring has definitely arrived. We have been blessed with three wonderful sunshiney days; days to be treasured as they are so rare. Everywhere you look are blossoms galore, red, pink, white and yellow, the bushes are a blaze of colour.

spring colours

I took a stroll down to Hampstead Heath this afternoon to make the most of the sun and get some fresh air (been cooped up in the house since yesterday at 11:30)

sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy....

It is amazing how the sunny weather brings out the multitudes. The grassy lawns of the park near the ponds were sprinkled with sunbathers, solitary snoozers, groups chatting, moms and dads pushing prams or yelling at kids on bikes, kites swooping gaily in the breeze, dogs running after balls, splashing in the ponds, ducks flapping and squawking, and overall an air of contentment and enjoyment; the ice-cream man doing a roaring trade.

sunbathers, groups chatting, a day in the park

I meandered along the paths, peering through my lens, snapping here and there, capturing the sun and the mood. Some very hardy (or mad) folk were swimming in the men’s pond (??) mad dogs and englishmen!!

spring blossom at the ponds

I eventually reached one of the lower ponds and stopped to watch the waterfowl. A similar multitude of birdfowl were out feeding, flapping, diving and scooting across the water; a splash of water in their wake.

eqyptian geese

a menage-a-trois

Across the pond a swan set out; a mission on his mind. Wings set in battle formation his breast cleaving the water before him, like a scooner at sea he plowed his way across the pond, with a beady eye on the egyptian geese. A game (?) of tag soon ensued. The geese flapping and running across the water, attempting to outswim the swan, to no avail. He was not deterred when with a flourish of wings the geese lifted into the air and swooped down on the far side of the pond.

a swan harrasing the egyptian geese

With sails set and determined strokes the swan was not giving up. Soon it reached the geese who had just settled and once again he bore down with murder in mind! The geese flew up into the air, voices raised in angry protest. To no avail No sooner were they settled than once again the swan bore down.

Eventually after about 10minutes of to and froing the geese gave up and with an anguished cry, spread their wings and flew off to safer waters.