Blue Plaques of Hampstead: A Tour
London’s blue plaques are both famous and numerous, it is no surprise that so many of the world’s most famous and accomplished individuals have chosen the best city in the world as their hometown. Hampstead itself has had many extraordinary residents, as is expected of such a beautiful neighbourhood. This post is all about showcasing our 3 favourites.
1. Anna & Sigmund Freud
Any discussion of the blue plaques has to, of course, start with arguably Hampstead’s most famous resident, Sigmund Freud, and his equally-accomplished daughter, Anna Freud. The founder of psychoanalysis lived here from 1938, when he fled Nazi Germany, until his death in 1939. You can, and should, visit the Freud museum, which is one of London’s finest house museums. Surprisingly, and luckily, the house museum in Hampstead is better than the one in Vienna (where Freud lived for significantly longer), because it’s all of his genuine furniture and library, rather than replicas.
2. Richard Burton
Our second favourite (ex) resident of Hampstead, is the famous Shakespearean actor Richard Burton. When he wasn’t stealing and breaking hearts, he was living in this quaint little house. He moved in with his first wife Sybil Williams in 1949 and moved out in 1956.
3. The Huxley Family, and specifically Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley, perhaps the most famous member of the prominent Huxley family, lived here in Hampstead. Aldous Huxley is perhaps best known as the author of Brave New World, one of the finest pieces of literature ever created. While the house has clearly seen some modernization since he last lived there, it still feels historically significant.
That’s it from our little tour of Hampstead’s blue plaques. Have we missed any? Tell us in the comments below.
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Originally published at KOMPAS Blog.
