Primrose Hill is a hill of 78.1 metres (256Â ft) located on the northern side of Regent's Park in London, and also the name given to the surrounding district. The hill has a clear view of central London, as well as Hampstead and Belsize Park to the north. It is one of the most exclusive and expensive residential areas in London and is home to many prominent residents.
History
Like Regent's Park, Primrose Hill was once part of a great chase appropriated by Henry VIII. Later, in 1841, it became Crown property and in 1842 an Act of Parliament secured the land as public open space. The built up part of Primrose Hill consists mainly of Victorian terraces. It has always been one of the more fashionable districts in the urban belt that lies between the core of London and the outer suburbs, and remains expensive and prosperous. Primrose Hill is an archetypal example of a successful London urban village, due to the location and the quality of its socio-historical development. In October 1678 Primrose Hill was the scene of the mysterious murder of Edmund Berry Godfrey. In 1792 the radical Unitarian poet and antiquarian Iolo Morganwg (Edward Williams) founded the Gorsedd, a community of Welsh bards, at a ceremony on 21 June at Primrose Hill.
Blue plaques
There are seven English Heritage blue plaques in Primrose Hill commemorating the historic personalities that have lived there. The plaques mark the residences of poet Sir Arthur Hugh Clough, historian and broadcaster A. J. P. Taylor and painter William Roberts at 11, 13, and 14 St Mark's Crescent respectively, revolutionary socialist and philosopher Friedrich Engels at 122 Regent's Park Road, photographer Roger Fenton at 2 Albert Terrace, poet and novelist Sylvia Plath at 3 Chalcot Square, and poet William Butler Yeats at 23 Fitzroy Road.
See also
- Primrose Hill railway station
- Primrose Hill set
References
External links
- Primrose Hill â€" An Urban Village Examined by Alistair Barr, Architect & Resident (Barr Gazetas)
- Article on Primrose Hill Farmers' markets
- Primrose Hill Local Website
- Primrose Hill and Regent's Park in Literature and Music, a bibliography