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About Hampstead Creations
The Story so far...
The idea of creating an illustration of Hampstead had been percolating for several years but it was during long Covid family walks when that inspiration really started to take shape. At its heart, the idea behind the illustration is to draw the viewer in to discover and learn what makes Hampstead such a special place and why it's been a magnet for artists and writers for hundreds of years.
Plaques and history
Being somewhat of an amateur artist and pseudo-historian (armed with little more than curiosity, a camera and a pencil), I initially started researching the stories that lay behind the staggering number of plaques commemorating famous people scattered throughout Hampstead. Scratching beneath the surface I discovered an abundance of remarkable and intriguing stories and anecdotes, many abandoned to the mist of time.
More than bricks and branches
The village and heath are often represented in maps, literature, art and film. I resolved to find a fun way of capturing imagery not only of famous people and places, but also of literary references moving beyond traditional cityscapes. In addition, I have sought, in some modest way, to reference some of the historical events that are particular to the area.
Pencil to paper
So many extremely impressive individuals have traversed the village over the years leaving an indelible mark on its history and beyond. To capture them all in the illustrations would undoubtedly result in a sea of faces with the odd spire peeking out. I have sought to balance these choices with the aesthetic feel carefully, thus many roads and buildings simply do not feature in addition to the many individuals whom others may well have elevated.
Paper and colour
Adding colour using digital painting was, in theory, an easy undertaking. This theory proved somewhat misleading, over a year later I've finally completed the project started in 2021. Phew...
ink to paper
It's fair to say a considerable amount of research went into finding the optimal format for making the illustration available at the highest possible quality while offering a range of pricing options. The different formats use high quality ink printing on sturdy paper. The signed, limited edition version is made using gallery quality Giclee archival inkjet printing on Hahnemühle fine art paper.
Acknowledgements
As part of my research I've dipped into numerous books, I would like to single out and recommend the following sources:
Hampstead One Thousand by John Richardson
Hampstead Heath by Alan Farmer
The Streets of Hampstead by Christopher Wade
The Story of Hampstead by J. H. Preston
Sweet Hampstead by Caroline White
Hampstead at War, Borough Council Report
Vale of Health by Helen Bentwich
Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Hampstead Holborn & St. Pancras by Mark Aston
Ordnance Survey Maps Hampstead 1866 and 1915
The Annals of Hampstead by Thomas Barratt
The Book of Hampstead edited by Mavis & Ian Norrie
I would also like to acknowledge the following websites which have been extremely helpful:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-environs/vol2/pp527-551
It's all in the Detail
Frognal
Centre of the village
Centre of the village
I have sought to capture the main historical thruways and located caricatures broadly near to the area where they lived or featured. So for example, here we can see Kate Greenaway (1846 to 1901) the well-known author and illustrator of children’s books. Greenaway’s vivid and idealised illustrations of children’s clothing were particularly
I have sought to capture the main historical thruways and located caricatures broadly near to the area where they lived or featured. So for example, here we can see Kate Greenaway (1846 to 1901) the well-known author and illustrator of children’s books. Greenaway’s vivid and idealised illustrations of children’s clothing were particularly influential shaping clothing designs at the time. Greenaway Gardens is named after her.
Centre of the village
Centre of the village
Centre of the village
The area represented broadly in the Illustration covers North End at the top then down to South End Green, including Belsize Lane. On the left hand side is Finchley Road moving through to the middle of the heath.
The Standard Illustration covers the main village, from St John's on the left to Campden Public Bath House and also ranges from North End at the top down to Belsize Lane.
South End Green
Centre of the village
South End Green
There are over 100 different points of interest to explore including caricatures of famous people, animals that live in the heath, references to famous literary characters along with various historical events and monuments that once featured in the landscape.