Parliament Hill is an area of open parkland in the south-east corner of

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London Clay. The heath is rambling ...

in north-west

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The hill, which is high, is notable for its views of the capital's skyline. The

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

, which are south of Parliament Hill in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a London borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large par ...

, can be seen from the summit, although construction in the intermediate parts of London has partly obscured them.

History

A mound on the hill may have been a Bronze Age burial barrow. In 1133, the hill was part of a manor that Henry I gave to a

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

called Richard de Balta. During

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

's reign it was passed to Alexander de Barentyn, the king's

butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

. The area that was known as Traitors' Hill may have acquired its current name during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

in the 17th century, when it was occupied by troops loyal to the

English Parliament The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised th ...

. A legend states that this was the site from where

Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes (; 13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was born and educate ...

and

Robert Catesby Robert Catesby ( – 8 November 1605) was the leader of a group of English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Warwickshire, Catesby was educated at Oxford University. His family were prominent recusant Catholics, a ...

, of the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was an unsuccessful attempted regicide against James VI and I, King James VI of Scotland and I of England by a group of English ...

on November the 5th 1605, planned to watch the destruction of Parliament. Over time, plots of land in the manor were sold off for building, particularly in the early 19th century, though the hill remained mainly

common land Common land is collective land (sometimes only open to those whose nation governs the land) in which all persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...

. In 1875

was acquired for the people by the

Metropolitan Board of Works The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the upper tier of local government for London between 1856 and 1889, primarily responsible for upgrading infrastructure. It also had a parks and open spaces committee which set aside and opened up severa ...

. Thirteen years later Parliament Hill was purchased for the public for £300,000 and added to Hampstead Heath. Nevertheless, manorial rights to the land remained in private hands until the mid 20th century when they lapsed under Sir Spencer Pocklington Maryon-Wilson, who died in 1944, when the titular estate was passed on to his grandson Shane Gough, 5th Viscount Gough.Hampstead - Manor and Other Estates , British History Online
/ref> Until the 1940s, livestock was still reared on the hill to be sold through Smithfields, the London meat market. The

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's f ...

has managed Parliament Hill since 1989. Before that it was managed by the GLC and then Camden Council.

Local area

It is administered by the City of London Corporation together with the rest of Hampstead Heath. The Eastern (

Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...

) side, including

Parliament Hill Lido Parliament Hill Lido, located in Hampstead Heath, north London, is next to Gospel Oak railway station. The Lido (swimming pool), lido, also known as Hampstead Heath Lido, is a public unheated open air swimming pool, open for 12 months a year. It ...

, is known as Parliament Hill Fields, and a local girls' school,

Parliament Hill School Parliament Hill School is a secondary school for girls with a mixed sixth form located in the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden in City of London, London, England. In 2013, there were 1,250 students on roll, between the ages of 11 and ...

, is named after it.

Activities

Cross-country running

Parliament Hill is renowned as a cross-country running venue and hosted the 1957, 1961, 1965, 1969, 1973, 1977, 1981, 1993 and 2003 men's English National Cross Country Championships and the 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022 and 2025 men's and women's English National Cross Country Championships.

Hampstead Rugby Club

The Hill is also used by Hampstead Rugby Club. The senior men's and women's teams train in the middle of the running track and on parts of the hill. The men's section is one of the oldest in the world.

In film, literature, art and the media

Scenes in films: *'' The Wedding Date'' – 2005 *'' Notes On A Scandal'' – 2006 *'' Run Fatboy Run'' – 2007 *'' Before I Go to Sleep'' – 2014 *'' Absolutely Anything'' – 2015 *'' Allied'' – 2016 *'' Eternals'' – 2021 *''

Kraven the Hunter Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Николаевич Кравинов) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, th ...

'' – 2024 *'' Picture This'' – 2025 Scenes in television: *'' Turn Up Charlie'' – 2019 Scenes in literature: * Adamson, E.V. ''Five Strangers'' – 2021

References

;Notes ;References

External links

BBC websiteA Map of Hampstead Heath showing the location of Parliament Hill
* {{Parks and open spaces in London Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Camden Hills of London