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Hampstead Heath

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

   Hampstead Heath (locally known as "The Heath") is a public open space
   in the north of London.

   • "Gherkin"
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   Kenwood House
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   Kenwood House

   The Heath covers 791 acres (320 ha; 3.2 km²). It has 25 main ponds and
   areas of ancient woodland, bog, hedgerows, and grassland. A part of the
   Heath has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by
   English Nature, the smallest one in London.

   Part of the land was originally the common lands of the Manor of
   Hampstead, while much of the rest was the parkland and farmland of
   Kenwood House.

   It is owned by the Corporation of London, which also maintains most of
   it. The Kenwood area, 112 acres (50 ha; 0.5 km²), is maintained by
   English Heritage. Most of the Heath, 681 acres (280 ha; 2.8 km²), lies
   in the London Borough of Camden. The remaining 110 acres (40 ha; 0.4
   km²) is the Hampstead Heath Extension lying in the London Borough of
   Barnet. The Heath is policed by its own small police force, the
   Hampstead Heath Constabulary.

   Hampstead Heath was featured on the television programme Seven Natural
   Wonders as one of the wonders of the London area, with a focus on
   Parliament Hill. The episode was presented by Bill Oddie, who lives
   nearby and watches birds there regularly.

   Public transport near the Heath include National Rail and the London
   Underground with National Rail stations at Gospel Oak and Hampstead
   Heath and London Underground "Tube" stations at Hampstead and Belsize
   Park to the west; Golders Green to the north; Highgate and Archway to
   the east.
   Swimming Ponds near Parliament Hill
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   Swimming Ponds near Parliament Hill

   There are no signposts to, or on, Hampstead Heath. Tourist handbooks
   usually advise visitors to bring a map with them. At the southern tip
   of the park is the Lido open air swimming pool. Farther north, near the
   Highgate side, are two ponds in which swimming is allowed, both
   single-sex (i.e., one is for males only, while the other one is for
   females only). To the west of these is the 'mixed pond', where members
   of either sex (male or female) may swim. These ponds are fed by the
   Fleet River, which starts on the Heath and flows down to the River
   Thames at Blackfriars. Other ponds are variously used for fishing,
   model boats, and reserved for wildlife.

   Part of the area (the West Heath) has long been well-known for its use
   by gay men as a cruising ground at night. There have been incidental
   attacks carried out on people cruising, and indecency prosecutions,
   perhaps the most famous being R v Thompson (1918), 13 Cr App R 80,
   known to law students throughout the common law world for its
   description of the accused "carrying powder puffs" deemed sufficiently
   inculpating to be admissible in evidence under the similar facts rule.
   Adjoining the West Heath, not part of Hampstead Heath proper but still
   run by the Corporation of London, is Golders Hill Park.
   The Writer
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   The Writer

   In 2005, Giancarlo Neri's sculpture The Writer, a 9 metre tall table
   and chair, was exhibited on Hampstead Heath. John Atkinson Grimshaw,
   Victorian era painter, painted an elaborate nighttime scene of
   Hampstead Hill in oils. Hampstead Heath also provided the backdrop for
   the opening scene in Victorian writer Wilkie Collins' novel The Woman
   in White.

   Parliament Hill, one of the highest points in London, offers great
   views over the city.

   From 1808 to 1814 Hampstead Heath hosted a station in the shutter
   telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty in London to its naval
   ships in the port of Great Yarmouth.

   Whilst living in London Karl Marx and his family would take regular
   Sunday picnics on the heath.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampstead_Heath"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
