Camden New Journal - Letters: An ode to Hampstead

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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 04 October 2007

An ode to Hampstead

• REGARDING your piece about the closure of Toast and how its director has stated that Hampstead is dead, he is not far from the truth.
When I came to Hampstead in 1954, it was a delighftul village all to itself, a great place to shop in its many varied shops. The erosion of this began with the ever increasing closures and replacement by expensive and useless “boutiques”, followed by trendy and also generally uselss shops, numerous mobile phone stores, and seemingly endless rashes of estate Agents selling proerties at ludicrous astronomical prices.
The result of the latter is that its mixed character has mostly gone. Once well supplied with good pubs, most of them have closed or been replaced with something akin to “gastro pubs” (ghastly pubs?) their interior decor destroyed, their character lost (the Bull and Bush, Three Horseshoes, Wells Tavern etc.).
The reason has been very largely the impossible rents charged, often by Camden Council, which has claimed that rents must reflect the market, no concern having been shown for the environment or needs of the residents.
Hampstead remains delightful as a place to reside: virtually useless as a place to shop.
Roger Payne
New End, NW3

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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