Kenwood, Hampstead, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest:  

A mid 18th century landscape park, lakes and woodland, further developed in the late 18th century by Humphry Repton, William Marshall, William Emes and others. Now a public park.

DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Kenwood, occupying about 45 hectares, is located to the west of Highgate and north-east of Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. Kenwood is bounded by Hampstead Lane to the north and north-west, Hampstead Heath to the south and east, and Mount Tyndale and The Elms to the west. The ground at Kenwood slopes generally from the north-west and north towards the south-east. There are good views from the higher ground, especially the terrace in front of the house, southwards towards central London and the City. The boundaries of the park are marked by a mixture of walls (along the north boundary) and fences (along the west, south and east boundaries).

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES

The main approach to the mansion at Kenwood is from Hampstead Lane to the north. A drive from West Lodge, a white-brick, single-storey octagonal lodge (George Saunders about 1795, Listed Grade II with gate piers), 300 metres to the west-north-west, winds through the trees and shrubberies in North Wood to a wide forecourt before the north front of the house. The drive continues to the north-east and returns to Hampstead Lane through the East Lodge (a white-brick, single-storey octagonal building), 200 metres north-east of house. There are further entrances from Hampstead Heath on the east and south sides, and at the south- east corner. The internal gate piers to the south-east of the West Lodge were brought from James Stuart's Montagu House in Portman Square.

PRINCIPAL BUILDING

Kenwood House (Listed Grade I) was built in about 1616. It was renovated in about 1749 for John, third Earl of Bute, and extensively remodelled 1767-1773 by Robert Adam (1728-1792) for the first Earl of Mansfield. The three-storey stuccoed Palladian house has an entrance portico and wings to the north, a verandah to the west, the orangery to the south-west, the library wing to the south-east, and the service wing to the east. The two-storey brick service wing and outbuildings (Listed Grade II*) were added to the north-east in 1793-1796 by George Saunders for the second Earl of Mansfield.

GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS

From the northern approach to Kenwood, serpentine paths and the drives wind southwards through dense woodland, which stretches from the west boundary around to the brick, two-storey stable courtyard, about 200 metres north-east of the house. The wood opens to the north of the house, where a lawn slopes down to the gravelled forecourt. A path leads around the west side of the house, through a looped ivy passage, and onto the gravelled macadam terrace which runs along the south front of the house. From the terrace there are fine views over the wide lawn with scattered trees which sweeps down to the two lakes. The view is framed by Ken Wood to the south and by belts of trees and shrubs to the west and east. The extensive views over London described in the 18th and 19th centuries are now mostly limited by the height of the trees in Ken Wood.

The terrace narrows to either side of the house but continues on to the west and east. To the west the path leads through the lime avenue, the trees of which are clones of the 18th century original avenue trees, which were felled in 1960. To the north of the avenue and west of the house is the west lawn. This is on the site of the 18th century kitchen garden, replaced in the 1790s by a flower garden. The flower garden was removed in 1964-1965 and replaced by the present lawn, which has an herbaceous border backed by a flowering shrubbery to the north, raised on a bank, and early 19th century rhododendron clumps to the west. A sculpture by Barbara Hepworth (Monolith (Empyrean), 1959), stands at the west end of the lawn. 'Dr Johnson's Summerhouse' at Streatham was moved to this part of the gardens in 1968 but was burned down in the late 20th century. The site is marked by the remaining concrete platform.

The path continues west and then divides, one path leading south around the inner circuit through Ken Wood and to the lakes, and the other path continuing west into the West Meadow, formerly part of the ferme ornée. The main path leads north/south though the meadow, along the parish boundary between Hampstead and St Pancras parishes, marked with 19th century boundary stones (which replaced the ancient hedge and ditch boundary in 1845). The park has rougher grass than the lawn and there are groves of trees, with further scattered specimens and clumps, including oak, beech, copper beech and birch. Near the north-west boundary of the park are the Dairy Buildings (George Saunders about 1795, Listed Grade II), which consist of a two-storey central cottage linked by curved walls to one-storey buildings. The three brick buildings are set around a forecourt and are all that remains of the farm, which was demolished in the early 20th century. There is an icehouse under the northern building. At the southern end of the park, the path leads to Hampstead Heath or returns back to Kenwood House.

Returning to the west end of the terrace path, a gate leads through the fence which divides the lawn from the house and terrace. In the north-west corner of the lawn is a large bronze sculpture by Henry Moore (Two Piece Reclining Figure, 1963-1964), from which there are good views to the south-east and east over the lawn and lakes. The terrace path leads south and then south-east, where it enters Ken Wood. Paths meander through the Wood to the south of the lawn and West Meadow. The northernmost path leads east, circuiting the western lake (Wood Pond) and then joins another path, which runs south to the Hampstead Heath entrance in the south-east corner of Ken Wood, or north around the east side of the eastern lake (Thousand Pound Pond). Across the south-east corner of this lake is the Sham Bridge (about 1767-1768, Listed Grade II*), attributed to Robert Adam, which consists of a timber three-span facade with a balustrade. When viewed from the terrace or lawn in front of the house, it gives the illusion that the water continues beyond it.

The path continues northwards with the lawn to the west and a narrow belt along the boundary to the east. As the path approaches the house, it turns to the north-west and then west and widens to form the broad terrace in front of the house. Before approaching the house the path leads past a two-storey, double-fronted brick lodge, Mansion Lodge, about 1795, and then past the service wing and outbuildings, which are at a lower level to the terrace and approached down a flight of steps from the south or a sloping approach road from the east. The eastern part of these buildings now houses a cafe and restaurant and the walled garden to the east is used for outdoor seating, with chairs and tables on paving, with herbaceous planting around the walls. To the east of the Mansion Lodge is a gate leading onto Hampstead Heath and towards the former stables on Hampstead Lane.

KITCHEN GARDEN

The kitchen garden is located to the east of the stables and adjoins Hampstead Lane on the north side. The south-facing flued wall along the north boundary and the walls along the west and east boundaries remain but the 18th century glasshouses were demolished in the 20th century. The area is now a nursery.

REFERENCES used by English Heritage:

J C Loudon, Suburban Gardener (1838)

LCC, Survey of London XVII, (1936), pp 114-132

Country Life, 107 (26 May 1950), pp 1550-1553

B Jones, Follies and Grottoes (1974), p 330

G Carter et al, Humphry Repton (1982), p 157

J Bryant, Finest Prospects (1986), pp 92-138

J Bryant and C Colson, The Landscape of Kenwood (English Heritage 1990)

M Stokes, A Walk Along Ancient Boundaries in Kenwood, (Hornsey Historical Society 1995)

B Cherry and N Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London 4: North (1998), pp 368-372

S Daniels, Humphry Repton (1999), pp 219-226

Maps

Cruchley's New Plan of London and its Environs, 1835

John Rocque, Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster ..., 1744-1746

OS 25" to 1 mile: 1st edition surveyed 1873

2nd edition published 1894

3rd edition published 1913

Description written: November 1998

Amended: March 2000

Edited: May 2000