Whitestone Pond is the source of one of London’s lost rivers, the River Westbourne.
Whitestone Pond lies 135 metres above the London Basin, and at the summit of Hampstead Heath marks the highest point in London.
The pond takes its name from the old milestone located at the top of Hampstead Grove, it can be seen just to the south and bears the inscription "IV miles from St Giles, 41/2 miles 29 yards from Holborn Bars".
Originally known as Horse Pond, fed solely by rain and dew, ramps were later added to allow horses to access the pond to drink and wash their hooves. Later it became affectionately known as Hampstead-on-Sea when the pond was used for paddling, floating model boats and skating in winter.
A water fountain, once located at the top of West Heath Road, became a local speaker’s corner and was the scene of angry fights between fascist groups and antagonists in the 1930s. Later it became a popular spot for donkey rides.
The adjacent flagstaff behind Whitestone Walk marks the historic location of the Hampstead Beacon, lit to warn of the impending invasion by the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Spaniards Road, once a notorious haunt of highwaymen in the eighteenth century, became a popular place to be seen promenading in the nineteenth century.
As the twentieth century drew to a close this area increasingly lost its appeal but thanks to restoration works, conceived and instigated by the Heath & Hampstead Society, extensive renovation was carried out over a two year period and completed in 2010 in collaboration with the City of London Corporation, Camden Council, English Heritage and Transport for London.
| If you are signed up as a paid Substack subscriber, you can request unlimited old maps or satellite maps of your favourite London locations (centred on your house for instance) |
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence
Whitestone Pond is the source of one of London’s lost rivers, the River Westbourne.
