Vale Of Health

Hampstead Heath (NW3) This curious little cluster of buildings, situated in a basin near to one of the Hampstead ponds, has always attracted considerable attention. Here Leigh Hunt came to live in 1816 ; his house was on the site of the "Vale of Health" Hotel. There are very few even tolerably old houses left here. The place is now dedicated to the sweeping tide of merry-makers which flows over it every recurring Bank Holiday. (Hampstead, G. E. Mitton, p. 8)