Heath House, London
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Heath House is a historic mansion on Hampstead Heath. It is
Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
listed and located on Hampstead's North End Way in the
London Borough of Camden The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and ...
. It is located at the highest point upon leaving the capital, about four miles north of
Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson comm ...
. The
Hampstead War Memorial The Hampstead War Memorial is located in front of Heath House opposite Jack Straw's Castle, on the northern fringes of Hampstead Heath in London. The memorial marks the deaths of local individuals who died fighting in World War I and World War ...
stands in front of the house. From 1790 Heath House was the
family seat A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families ...
of banker and philanthropist Sir Samuel Hoare, who entertained many notable figures there, particularly writers and poets. The house remained in the Hoare family until it was badly damaged in the Second World War; it was then sold, passing through several families over the decades. As of January 2023, the house is once more empty and awaiting restoration.


Hoare history

Samuel Hoare was a banker from a Quaker background. A younger brother, Jonathan Hoare, made his family seat in a village about the same distance from the City as Hampstead, namely Stoke Newington; Paradise House, now known as Clissold House, and its surrounding parkland are now open 0to the public as Clissold Park. There are several branches of the Hoare family which have been involved in the City (for example those connected with the broking firm Hoare Govett, or those connected with the small
private bank Private banks are banks owned by either the individual or a general Partner (business rank), partner(s) with limited partner(s). Private banks are not incorporation (business), incorporated. In any such case, creditors can look to both the "enti ...
C. Hoare & Co, who are only most distantly related. The Quaker branch of the family (the residents of Heath House) is the one which played a significant part in philanthropy and public life, for example in the movement for abolition of slavery by co-founding The
Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, also known as the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and sometimes referred to as the Abolition Society or Anti-Slavery Society, was a British abolitionist group formed on ...
. Several members of the family became members of Parliament, including
Sir Samuel Hoare, 1st Baronet Sir Samuel Hoare, 1st Baronet (7 September 1841 – 20 January 1915), was an English Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1886 to 1906. Family Hoare was the eldest son of John Gurney Hoare (1810-1875) and Caroline ...
who held the Norwich seat, his son Sir Samuel Hoare, who was Foreign Secretary,
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...
and was created Viscount Templewood, and Edward Brodie Hoare, who held the Hampstead seat. In the banking world the family bank, Barnett Hoare & Co of Lombard Street was one of the City's most prestigious merchant banks which eventually merged with
Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a British retail and commercial bank with branches across England and Wales. It has traditionally been considered one of the " Big Four" clearing banks. Lloyds Bank is the largest retail bank in Britain, and has an exte ...
, with the combined bank retaining the Lloyds name and adopting the Barnett Hoare logo of the black horse (which is still in use as of 2023). Edward Hoare, the senior member of the bank at the time of the merger, then served as deputy chairman of Lloyds. Samuel Hoare entertained generously.
William Howitt William Howitt (18 December 1792 – 3 March 1879), was a prolific English writer on history and other subjects. Howitt Primary Community School in Heanor, Derbyshire, is named after him and his wife. Biography Howitt was born at Heanor, Derbysh ...
referred to Heath House as "Mr Hoare's hopitable mansion". According to
Edward Walford Edward Walford (1823–1897) was a British magazine editor and a compiler of educational, biographical, genealogical and touristic works, perhaps best known for his 6 Volumes of ''Old and New London'' (the first two of which were written by Walt ...
(1878): :The poet Crabbe was a frequent visitor at the hospitable residence of Mr. Samuel Hoare, on the Heath.
Campbell Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...
writes: "The last time I saw Crabbe was when I dined with him at the house of Mr. Hoare, at Hampstead. He very kindly came to the coach to see me off, and I never pass that spot on the top of Hampstead Heath without thinking of him." The mansion is called "The Hill," and was the seat of Mr. Samuel Hoare, the banker. Here used to congregate the great poets of the age,
Rogers Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) * Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated communit ...
,
Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's '' ...
,
Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake ...
, Campbell,
Lucy Aikin Lucy Aikin (6 November 1781 – 29 January 1864) was an English historical writer, biographer and correspondent. She also published under pseudonyms such as Mary Godolphin. Her literary-minded family included her aunt Anna Laetitia Barbauld, a w ...
, Mrs. Marcet, and Agnes and
Joanna Baillie Joanna Baillie (11 September 1762 – 23 February 1851) was a Scottish poet and dramatist, known for such works as ''Plays on the Passions'' (three volumes, 1798–1812) and ''Fugitive Verses'' (1840). Her work shows an interest in moral philoso ...
; whilst the centre of the gathering was the poet Crabbe. In the "Life of the Rev. George Crabbe," by his son, we read: "During his first and second visits to London my father spent a good deal of his time beneath the hospitable roof of the late Samuel Hoare, Esq., on Hampstead Heath. He owed his introduction to this respectable family to his friend Mr. Bowles, and the author of the delightful 'Excursions in the West,' Mr. Warner; and though Mr. Hoare was an invalid, and little disposed to form new connections, he was so much gratified with Mr. Crabbe's manners and conversation, that their acquaintance grew into an affectionate and lasting intimacy. Mr. Crabbe, in subsequent years, made Hampstead his head-quarters on his spring visits, and only repaired thence occasionally to the brilliant circles of the metropolis."
Edward Walford Edward Walford (1823–1897) was a British magazine editor and a compiler of educational, biographical, genealogical and touristic works, perhaps best known for his 6 Volumes of ''Old and New London'' (the first two of which were written by Walt ...
, 'Hampstead: The Heath', in Old and New London: Volume 5 (London, 1878), pp. 449-462.
British History Online ''British History Online'' is a digital library of primary and secondary sources on medieval and modern history of Great Britain and Ireland. It was created and is managed as a cooperative venture by the Institute of Historical Research, Univer ...
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol5/pp449-462 ccessed 16 January 2023
The poet
Joanna Baillie Joanna Baillie (11 September 1762 – 23 February 1851) was a Scottish poet and dramatist, known for such works as ''Plays on the Passions'' (three volumes, 1798–1812) and ''Fugitive Verses'' (1840). Her work shows an interest in moral philoso ...
wrote of her visits there: :It is a goodly sight through the clear air,' :From Hampstead's healthy height, to see at once :England's vast capital in fair expanse— :Towers, belfries, lengthen'd streets, and structures fair. :St. Paul's high dome amidst the vassal bands :Of neighbouring spires a regal chieftain stands; :And over fields of ridgy roofs appear, :With distance softly tinted, side by side :In kindred grace, like twain of sisters dear, :The Towers of Westminster, her Abbey's pride. Samuel Hoare had a son by his first marriage, of the same name, who in 1806 married Louisa Gurney, of the Norwich banking family. Her siblings included
Elizabeth Fry Elizabeth Fry (née Gurney; 21 May 1780 – 12 October 1845), sometimes referred to as Betsy Fry, was an English prison reformer, social reformer, philanthropist and Quaker. Fry was a major driving force behind new legislation to improve the tr ...
, the prison reformer,
Joseph John Gurney Joseph John Gurney (2 August 1788 – 4 January 1847) was a banker in Norwich, England and a member of the Gurney family of that city. He became an evangelical minister of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), whose views and actions led, ...
(1788–1847) and Samuel Gurney (1786–1856), philanthropists, and
Daniel Gurney Daniel Gurney (1791–1880), was an English banker and antiquary from the Gurney family of Norwich. Life Gurney was born at Earlham Hall, near Norwich, on 9 March 1791, as the youngest son of John Gurney (1749–1809) of Earlham, Norfolk, an ...
(1791–1880), banker and antiquary. The Hoares worked with
William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 175929 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becom ...
in the fight for abolition of slavery.


Recent history and current status

After the war, the house remained largely unoccupied and deteriorated since it left the Hoare family's ownership. It was bought by Donald Forrester, who undertook a major renovation on the building and the grounds. It then became a Forrester family home for several years. From 1971 to 1977 Heath House was the home of Peter King, owner of '' Screen International'' (King Publications). It was sold in 1977 to property owner John Sunley and then acquired in 1979 by a prominent Saudi Arabian family. Over the last few decades, with changes of ownership, Heath House has fallen into a state of disrepair. Planning applications to convert the derelict building into flats were rejected in 2019. Heath House remains clad in scaffolding to preserve its exterior until a decision is made about its future.


References

{{coord, 51.5631, -0.1796, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Houses completed in the 18th century Houses in Hampstead Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Camden Grade II* listed houses in London