Two connected streets each with their own character. also part of one of London's most famous walks all starting and ending at the Flask pub. The “Flask to Flask” walk is a scenic 2.6-mile route connecting two historic pubs named “The Flask” in Hampstead and Highgate, passing through Hampstead Heath. Starting at The Flask in Hampstead, the walk traverses wooded paths, ponds, and landmarks like Kenwood House and Parliament Hill, with fantastic panoramic views of London. But before you reach the Heath you are treated to a slice of early Hampstead’s history all starting at Flask Walk.
Flask Walk a street named after the flasks of water harvested from the nearby wells. Hampstead was a spa town during the Regency era, and Flask Walk became an important route; a railway station was even planned for this street which seems impossible to imagine. Today, the route is lined with small shops and the Grade II listed Flask Pub. Surprisingly, Sid Vicious was once a resident of this charming angel gentile Walk. The Flask pub sits on the site of the original flask business, which operated from the 1700s. The pub later replaced this and was known as the Lower Flask until the Upper Flask, located on Hampstead Hill, closed in 1750. The pub has an impressive literary history. Poets Byron, Shelley, and Keats were known to visit when spending time with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who lived opposite. William Hogarth was a regular patron, reportedly once sketching a fight between two customers. Fights are not the only grizzly events that happen here. The Committee Room upstairs is reputedly the site of one of Britain’s first post-mortems, performed on a body stolen from Highgate Cemetery during the era of grave robbery. Today much more charming than its rough past although Liam Gallagher can sometimes be spotted sipping a pint.
Well walk connects seemlessly to Flask Walk although more residentional in character. One clue to its past it the old washouse, now homes but the signage is still visible. Unsurprisingly Well Walk takes its name from the historic wells that were once the main attraction of the town. Buildings along this route celebrate the wells and their influence on the town. Once, an assembly and a pump room stood here but were demolished in the 19th century and replaced by a memorial fountain, as above
One of two blue plaques along the route commemorates John Constable. John Constable, the renowned English Romantic landscape painter, lived and worked in Hampstead from 1819 to 1837. Hampstead Heath was a central subject in Constable’s art, inspiring works like Hampstead Heath with the House Called ‘The Salt Box’ and Hampstead Heath with a Rainbow. He was deeply influenced by Hampstead’s landscapes and skies, i’s skies appear endless as It is the highest point in London.
He and his wife, Maria, initially rented homes in the area, including Albion Cottage and 2 Lower Terrace, seeking Hampstead’s clean air to alleviate Maria’s tuberculosis. They settled permanently at 40 Well Walk in 1827. Although sadly Constable was not financially successful throughout his lifetime he could only rent this house. Sadly, his wife passed away the following year, leaving John to care for his seven children until he passed away ten years later. His family grave can be found in the churchyard on Church Row, in a dark and shaded corner with dabbled light, a romantic spot which seems so appropriate
Burgh House, a Queen Anne period home that has changed hands several times. It benefitted from Hampstead’s reputation as a spa town, becoming home to Dr. William Gibbons, the spa physician, in 1720. Gibbons enlarged the building, adding the gates that bear his initials. Later, it was home to Rudyard Kipling’s daughter, Else, and was the scene of Kipling’s last outing in 1936. Threatened to be turned to commercial use by Camden Council in the 1970s, locals formed a charitable trust to save the building. It is now run as the Hampstead Museum and tea room. It’s well worth a visit but closed on Sundays!
The Wells Tavern, a handsome building positioned to act as a local landmark. It dates from around 1850, replacing an older tavern. Originally linked to the Hampstead Wells chalybeate springs, the tavern evolved from earlier establishments, including The Green Man and The Whitestone, before being rebuilt. It served as a social hub during Hampstead’s spa era, offering facilities for drinking mineral waters, dancing, and even clandestine marriages. Although they no longer offer marriages It’s well worth stopping for a drink before heading in to the Heath…
Comments