I love the name Willoughby, since it reminds me of the scoundrel in Sense and Sensibility.
Outfit: vintage 70s H&M dress, 70s tooled leather belt (10 cents from an Australian charity shop, BARGAIN), 80s vintage Charles Jourdan bag, el cheapo Primark sunglasses, Italian leather sandals
Let me be clear: I adore where I live. I have been in London for five years, and during that time have lived in suburbs I hated, in houses I hated, with people I hated. This can be a hard city. Over time, my finances have slowly improved, and with a bit of savvy flat-hunting I now live in a suburb I love, in a flat I love, with a perfectly Dreadful man.
The problem of enjoying my home so much is that I am often reluctant to leave it, and don’t take full advantage of the surrounding area. Last Saturday we levered ourselves out of the flat and went for a leisurely amble through Hampstead. The suburb used to be a hamlet outside London, and still has a villagey atmosphere with rows of elegant Georgian buildings lining narrow streets and alleys.
Some pictures from our wander:
A lovely row of cottages along Willow Road
Teensy basement window
Corner building on my favourite street in London
Secret alleyway for exploring
Higgledy piggledy garden path
Secret garden
Old postbox built into the wall
Another wee basement window
Inventor of the Christmas card!
Brilliant old trespassers sign bricked into the wall
Fenton House, a 17th-century merchants residence and one of the oldest houses in Hampstead. It is now a museum run by the National Trust.
Doing my best Diana impression in Fenton House garden
The potting shed
A Peter Rabbit setting
The gardener’s cottage
The walled orchard
A pleasant seated nook in the garden
View over rooftops, with a threatening sky
1960s polka dot mod dress by Berketex
1970s green and red tartan knit jumper dress
1960s black and white check blanket dress
1970s floral print hippy smock dress by Emanuelle
>dreamy! i almost dont need to go back to the shire… youre so lucky to live there. one day i will Cle xx
>The Christmas card plaque is a good find!
>Ooooh, I wish I lived around there. Have you ever seen 'les bicyclettes de belsize'?
>You're right, your neighborhood is lovely!
xoxo ~ Courtney
http://sartorialsidelines.blogspot.com
>I just adore the overgrown and overwelming gardens! My hands itch ;) But I know the feeling of finally living in a place I reluctantly want to leave <3
>Oh my goodness, these pictures were a treat to look at! The "higgledy piggledy garden path" was beautiful–I wanted to jump right in the picture! And the "Peter Rabbit watering can" was so cool. Not to mention I realyreally liked your dress & shoes!
>On an related note, I've given you a blog award (visit http://sartorialsidelines.blogspot.com) — your style is style is great and I love reading all the posts you've done so far!
>Oooh I aim to send more Christmas cards this year…lovely photos, I wanto go exploring!
>Your photos are great.
>Hi there- I so love your dress, you look really great my dear and gorgeous pics too, you live in a lovely part of London x
>Gorgeous pictures! I want to visit London now :)
>That does look lovely – my favorite is the Diana pose :)
>I miss those cute old post boxes! Love the dress I really want something similar for winter in a maxi x
>Beautiful photos! I wish I lived in a pretty city!
>That made me so wistful – I used to live on Kidderpore Avenue, and loved being so near to The Heath. Stockport cannot compare… *sniffles*
>Thank you possums, I'm glad you liked my 'burb as much as I do :)
Cle – but the shire has chickens! Hampstead can't compete with that
Miss Peelpants – Oooh, I had never heard of this before – it has gone STRAIGHT onto our Amazon wish list
Courtney – Eeeee! How exciting, thank you!
>No way Mrs Bossa! We have done a swap – when I first came over here I was in Stockport for a few weeks (with the exes family). Don't forget you have Bramall Hall, which is SUPER pretty.
>Beautiful photos.
>Great post. Loved the text and the photos. Makes me want to be an Englishman. I like bricks and gardener houses and watering cans poising with walls. LOVELY.
>It's so lovely. My favourites are the basement windows with all the knick-knackery. Great stories can come from that.
Thanks for posting. I'm putting this in my London folder for my visit next summer! Was it a long walk though? Or manageable as a morning trip with Fenton House included?
A from A + B in the Sea
>What a sweet dress and a fun adventure!
>love this pictorial tour. . and your lovely dress too!
>Seeing these sites through your camera's lens has been delightful. Just enough explanations to tantalize the imagination. I love the basement windows and winding paths…the blue/green door. What wonderful sights!
>Hi Arnique – it was a totally easy walk, and there are lots more things to see around Hampstead that you could include in. Plenty of nice places to stop and have lunch too!