Hampstead

Hampstead has been where Londoners go for space and air since the eighteenth century, and the village has kept much of its shape: narrow lanes, steep steps, and a high street that still has a bookshop and an ironmonger.

The best houses sit on the wide roads of the Redington and Frognal conservation area, where Arts and Crafts and Queen Anne revival houses come with long gardens and off-street parking. Belsize Park, to the south, offers Victorian stucco houses and some of London's best mansion flats.

Life revolves around the Heath. Mornings start with a swim in the ponds or a walk up Parliament Hill, and weekends end at Kenwood. The schools are a big draw, and many families buy here once and stay for decades.