Hampstead is part of London that inspires much of my writing. So I set off to take a few photos of this beautiful area, armed only with an iPhone and the belief that I’d discover more through a plastic lens than I usually see just with my own eyes.

Oh, and a pair of comfortable shoes. Parking is scarce. Besides, there are some places only legs can reach.

1 The street signs are rather special.

Like this one, many road signs in NW3 are made of individual ceramic tiles in shiny white on black, often chased into the wall. They’ve been there since Victorian times, and owe a lot to the Arts and Crafts movement. The tiles aren’t just letters and numbers. Some are nifty symbols like a pointing finger leading to places of interest.

2 If in doubt, zoom in. You may catch detail that’s often missed.

3 People tend to get in the way. Hampstead is crowded, especially outside certain shops and eateries.

4 You may spot celebs such as Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton, Tom Conti and Liam Gallagher.

5 Some of the celebrities are canine.

6 Even the prettiest parts of Hampstead can turn ugly with overspilling bins, fly-tipping, and uncollected rubbish. Sadly this is set to get worse with Camden Council’s new bin collection schedules.

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Other posts you may like:

• Visions of Hampstead.
• Over on Tripfiction, Talking Location with Author Carol Cooper has some suggestions for things to see and do in Hampstead.
• Why Hampstead is Literally an Inspiration, from Hampstead Life, explains how I came to use the area as a setting. 

If you want to know more about Hampstead, see my novel Hampstead Fever.