Since its transformation from a village to an 18th-century spa town and then a Victorian suburb, Hampstead has retained its unspoiled Georgian charm, with many listed townhouses and terraces.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, this made Hampstead extremely popular with artists, intellectuals, and creatives of all kinds. There are many stories of influential figures who are former residents who left their mark on the area.
This includes several generations of architects, such as Norman Shaw, Ewan Christian, and Erno Goldfinger, many of whom built their own homes there, adding to the area's architectural variety.
Furthermore, in the 20th century, Hampstead gained a reputation as the location of several modernist architects' experimental housing projects for wealthy clients, including Hopkins House and Maxwell Fry's Sun House.