WHEN STROLLING ON Hampstead Heath, you might come across a series of ponds. These are known as the Hampstead Ponds. An elegant brick viaduct crosses one of these ponds quite picturesquely. It seems to be a connection between two points of no special significance. In my book “Beneath a Wide Sky: Hampstead and its Environs”, I mention the history of the viaduct as follows:

“The Hampstead Ponds, now three in number, are fed by streams that rise near the Vale of Health, which is northwest of the uppermost pond, the Mixed Bathing Pond. The latter flows into the second pond and then down into the first, the lowest. These streams, along with those that flow into the Highgate Ponds, are sources of the water that flows in the now subterranean River Fleet, which empties into the Thames under Blackfriars Bridge.  Northeast of the upper pond, that which is used by swimmers, is Viaduct Pond. This is so named because it is traversed by a brick viaduct, built between 1844 and 1847. This structure was to have been the grand entrance to an estate of residential villas that Sir Thomas Maryon-Wilson had hoped to build on the Heath but was prevented by local opposition.”

Luckily, Sir Thomas was prevented from constructing homes on Hampstead Heath, because if he had done so, a valuable outdoor amenity, part of the Heath, would have disappeared. Equally luckily, his viaduct has remained, making it a surprisingly beautiful feature within a largely wooded area.

If you wish to know more about Hampstead past and present, please see: https://www.amazon.co.uk/BENEATH-WIDE-SKY-HAMPSTEAD-ENVIRONS/dp/B09R2WRK92/