Historic Hampstead...

This weekend Sue and I decided to explore some of historic Hampstead. We rarely venture to North London, as it can be quite an ordeal. I don't drive through London if I can help it (especially with the congestion-charging zone in effect) and it would take forever to drive around. As it happens the places we wanted to visit were close to the Northern Line of the so we used the Tube. The Underground is not the most pleasant way to travel, especially if it is warm, but it is convenient.

We first visited the National Trust's Fenton House a Handsome 17th-century merchant’s house with walled garden. Set in the winding streets of Hampstead village, this late 17th-century house contains an outstanding collection of porcelain, 17th-century needlework pictures and Georgian furniture, and the Benton Fletcher collection of early keyboard instruments, most of which are in working order. The delightful walled garden includes fine displays of roses, an orchard and a working kitchen garden.

Fenton House

The gardens were great, though Sue was slightly disappointed that we were not allowed to pick the apples.

The house itself was less interesting as antique instruments and collectable ceramics are not really our thing.

We walked on through the lovely back streets of Hampstead down beside the Heath towards number 2 Willow Road a 1930s Modernist house designed by Goldfinger, and also managed by the National Trust.

The architect Ernö Goldfinger designed and built the house as his family home in 1939. The central house of a terrace of three, it is one of Britain’s most important examples of Modernist architecture and is filled with furniture also designed by Goldfinger. The art collection includes a number of significant British and European 20th-century works by Bridget Riley, Max Ernst and Henry Moore amongst others.

2 Willow Road

This house was much more to our liking. It retained a great feel of the people who lived there and had loads of character. There was a very watchable documentary video about the history of Goldfinger and the house.

It is reputed that Ian Fleming decided to use Goldfinger's name for his notorious Bond villain after playing a round of golf with a mutual friend.

We decided to take the bus some of the way back home, as we didn't fancy the stuffy Tube. Also they journey afforded as a view of the surroundings in a part of town we both are unfamiliar with.