Living in Belsize Park

Belsize Park sits on the slope between Hampstead and Primrose Hill, and it is defined by its architecture. Wide streets of large white stucco villas from the mid-nineteenth century, almost all now divided into flats, give way to red-brick mansion blocks towards Swiss Cottage. It is orderly, green and quiet in a way that reflects both money and design.

Life centres on two small hubs. Haverstock Hill, around the tube station, has cafés, restaurants, a cinema and the kind of shops that serve a well-off residential population. Belsize Village, a short walk west, is a tiny cluster of shops and restaurants around a junction, surprisingly peaceful for somewhere two miles from Oxford Street.

The location makes the area. Primrose Hill, with its view over Regent's Park to the city skyline, is a ten-minute walk south, Hampstead Heath is a similar distance north, and Camden's markets and music are downhill without being on the doorstep. The Royal Free Hospital at the top of Haverstock Hill is a major employer, and many medical staff rent locally.

Belsize Park station is on the Northern line's Edgware branch and is one of the deep stations served only by lifts, which can mean a short wait at busy times; trains reach the West End in about fifteen minutes and the City via Camden. For the Jubilee line, residents walk to Swiss Cottage or Finchley Road. The rental market suits couples and professionals rather than sharers, and prices are high for the size of flat. People choose Belsize Park for calm, handsome streets and access to two of London's best open spaces, not for nightlife.