A VIRTUAL TOUR OF HAMPSTEAD
Illustrated with paintings
The Art Gallery Home Guest Book
Part 3 - East Heath
In 1845, the then Lord of the Manor of Hampstead, Sir Thomas Maryon Wilson, planned to build 28 villas on a wide strip of land east of the Vale of Health and the Hampstead ponds. He built a viaduct to carry the road over a swampy valley. Fortunately, he was thwarted in his attempts to develop these plans, although the viaduct remains and the swampy valley was later drained to form an ornamental pond.
In the 1890s you could see Hampstead Village from the viaduct, but now you can't see a thing except trees.
Walking to the southwest corner of East Heath brings you to the quaintly named vale of Health, a small and pretty enclave of mostly Victorian houses and the Vale of Health Pond. This particular pond (other ones were built in Tudor times) was built as a reservoir. At that time, the area was known as Hatch's Bottom, and it was apparently felt that people would be more likely to want water from "The Vale of Health", rather than "Hatch's Bottom".
