Hampstead Hill Garden and Pergola

One of Hampstead Heath's secret gems is the Pergola. It was the vision of Thomas Mawson, a renowned landscape architect, and William H. Lever, afterwards Lord Leverhulme, a wealthy idealist and benefactor of the arts, architecture, and landscape gardening. It looks out over West Heath.

This formal Arts and Crafts garden, a favorite of nearby artists, was built between 1910 and 1925 for soap tycoon Lord Leverhulme and renovated in the 1990s. It is a little-known area of Hampstead Heath. The raised, covered pergola, which is as tall as Canary Wharf, is draped in wisteria in late spring, but spectacular views of London can be experienced year-round. If you go in the early evening, you might witness long-eared bats sleeping.

Every year, thousands of people meander across the vast and undulating parkland of Hampstead Heath, but very few find this mysterious and elegant corner of fading grandeur on the West Heath. The spectacular gardens and dramatic elevated walkway, where overhanging plants create a lush canopy and tangled roots wrap around smooth stone columns, were built by Lord Leverhulme at the beginning of the 20th century as the location for his opulent banquets. A tiny insight into the opulent life of the Edwardian era.

Address: The Pergola, Inverforth Cl, London NW3 7EX, United Kingdom

Phone: +44 20 7332 3322

Opening hours: 8:30AM - 8PM

Rating: 4.8/5.0, 1,566 Google reviews

Website: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/