Belsize Park

A little background info on the neighbourhood I'll be living in, when I arrive in London:

Belsize Park is a suburb of North London in the London Borough of Camden, located 3.4 miles (5.5 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It borders on Hampstead to the north and west, Kentish Town to the east, and Primrose Hill to the south.

Although not specifically named on the Geographers' London Atlas, the area has many thoroughfares bearing the name: Belsize Avenue, Belsize Court, Belsize Crescent, Belsize Gardens, Belsize Grove, Belsize Lane, Belsize Mews, Belsize Park (the road itself), Belsize Park Gardens, Belsize Place, and Belsize Terrace. The name comes from the original 17th century manor house and parkland (built by Daniel O'Neill for his wife, the Countess of Chesterfield) which once stood on the site. The estate built up between 1852 and 1878, by which time it extended to Haverstock Hill. After World War I, the construction of blocks of flats began, and now a great many of the larger houses are also converted as such.

In World War II, one of the large underground air-raid shelters was located here.

It is an elegant area and property is in high-demand and hence very expensive (single-bedroom-flats cost from £275,000, and four-bedroom houses from £1,200,000, as of early 2006). There are many restaurants, pubs and cafés along Haverstock Hill and also England's Lane. It is more spacious than Hampstead Village, with wider roads. Hampstead Heath is a 10-12 minutes' walk. Primrose Hill Park is 2 minutes from England's Lane and provides some of the best views of London.

The area is a haunt for celebrities, including the actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, Chris Martin, radio presenter Chris Moyles, and actor Sean Bean, who all live there.

Belsize Park is in the Hampstead and Highgate constituency for which the present MP is Glenda Jackson.