The Hill

★ 4.8 (2,603)Free

Officially the Hill Garden and Pergola, this raised colonnaded walkway was built in the early 1900s to connect Lord Leverhulme's estate to its gardens, and it now offers a genuinely unusual perspective — strolling at tree height along stone columns and ivy-draped arches. It sits just off Hampstead Heath and rewards visitors who seek it out with a sense of faded grandeur and real quiet, especially on weekday mornings. Its high hidden-gem and aesthetic scores reflect how often it surprises people who stumble on it rather than plan for it.

✨ Reasons to go

1The elevated pergola walkway was designed from 1905 by celebrated landscape architect Thomas Mawson for soap magnate Lord Leverhulme.
2Builders raised the walkway using excavated spoil from the nearby Northern Line tunnelling works, saving the cost of importing material.
3The colonnaded pergola stretches over 230 metres, leading to a hidden lily pond and triangular garden overlooking Hampstead Heath.

💡 Good to know

1Visit on a weekday morning for maximum quiet
2it's free and unstaffed, so opening times can be informal
3combine with a longer walk on adjoining Hampstead Heath.

⏱️ Typical visit

30 min

🕰️ Best time

early morning, morning, lunchtime, afternoon, early evening or evening

🚶 Walking intensity

Easy pace

📍

Address

Inverforth Cl, London NW3 7EX, UKGoogle Apple

🎫

Booking

Walk-in

What people say

"This place makes me feel really at peace! It’s very quiet on a weekday morning and all you can hear is the wind and rustling plants. I absolutely love the columns and the spring vibes here! There are two ways to get in. A side gate that was difficult to locate, and an entrance from the dome like structure which might take a bit of time to locate too."

— Guan Zhao Ting

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