"There is honestly so much history and so many wonderful buildings, it was really difficult to choose," says Lucy McMurdo, author of a new book Hampstead & Highgate in 50 Buildings.
Her biggest challenge was to narrow down her selection to just 50 landmarks, illustrated with photographs by her partner.
"We walked the streets so many times. I don't think any other area has so many listed buildings, including many of them Grade I listed."
"I would much preferred to have done either Hampstead or Highgate," said Lucy, who has penned similar books on Bloomsbury, Clerkenwell, and Chiswick.
"The most difficult thing was to pick but I realised I needed a good mix of different types of buildings, from architectural periods – religious to modern."
A history graduate and Blue Badge tour guide, she said "stories are really important" in selecting entries. And while loathe to single out favourites, she cited The Logs - owned by singer Boy George - and Highgate's Holly Village as unique" to the area.
"Holly Village is so unusual, you come across it with lots of Gothic twists and turns on the buildings and you are not expecting it. I love buildings that have a history, and The Logs which is owned by Boy George and was also lived in by toilet pioneer Thomas Crapper has an unusual story to tell."
Located on the main route north from London, and linked by the green lung of Hampstead Heath and the Kenwood estate, many shops and homes in Hampstead and Highgate date back to the 1600s and 1700s.
The area's atmospheric, narrow streets, clean air and waters, views over the capital, and stunning architecture have long been a magnet to the famous and wealthy.
The book includes pubs such as The Flask, The Holly Bush and The Spaniards; Lauderdale, Fenton and Burgh houses; churches such as St John's Downshire Hill and St Michael's Highgate; and the former homes of John Keats, John Constable, Sigmund Freud, Agatha Christie and Daphne Du Maurier get a mention. But what would you choose or leave out?
Hampstead and Highgate in 50 Buildings is published by Amberley Books. Visit www.amberley-books.com/hampstead--highgate-in-50-buildings.html
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