London is largely a number of villages that grew together, joining up especially when the railway lines went in and provided access to the city. Belsize Park existed before the underground railway was constructed but it was countryside in the early days.
The name itself comes from the French Bel Assis, or well situated, and earliest references go back to the fourteenth century. There was once a manor house, rebuilt at various points and eventually torn down. Located at an intersection we pass through on our way down to Finchley Road. Nothing at all remaining of its rural origins, which would have been early seventeenth century, when it played host to aristocratic hunting parties. “ Rebuilt in 1663, it was sublet by 1721, when the parklands opened as pleasure gardens for those looking to escape the dirt and grime of the City of London, with concerts, singing, dancing and country sports such as fishing and racing. In 1722 magistrates were instructed to act to stop riotous behaviour, although the parkland remained open until 1745.” [Wikipedia].
Hunter’s Lodge in Belsize Park survived much longer though and was at one time the home of Spencer Percival, the only British prime minister to have been assassinated (1812, in the House of Commons). This house still exists and, in fact, went up for sale two years ago, with an asking price of £7.5 million. Although it’s fair to say there had been « improvements » - a basement lap swimming pool and spa and a champagne tasting room.
The twentieth century saw Belsize Park developing into an affluent suburb with many of the original houses being divided into flats and new houses built including those on our street, where a blue plaque confirms that one of the houses was once the home of Ramsay MacDonald, the first Labour prime minister.
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| 2021 - photo Joas Souza, Daily Mail |