HAMPSTEAD, a suburb of London, is situated in the county of Middlesex, on the slope of Hampstead Hill, 4 miles N.W. of the city. The village is irregularly built, and the streets are narrow and tortuous, but it has preserved more than any other London suburb its sylvan appearance, and is etill noted for its fine groves and avenues. From the side of the hill there issue chalybeate springs, whose virtue was first discovered in the 17th century, and which at the beginning of last century rivalled those of Tunbridge Wells and Epsom in popularity. Their reputation, however, gradually declined after the middle of the century, and now the supply of mineral water has been greatly diminished by the cutting of deep drains and of railway tunnels. Hampstead Heath, an irregular sandy tract occupying the summit and northern slope of the hill, and extending to 240 acres, is much frequented by excursionists and picnic parties. The hill is the highest in the vicinity of the metropolis, being 443 feet above the level of the Thames, or 36 feet higher than the cross of St Paul’s. At one time the village was a favourite resort of poets and other men of letters; and among the more famous of its old taverns was the Flask Inn, now converted into a private residence, the meeting place of the Kit-Cat club, of which the more celebrated members were Addison, Steele, Richardson, Marlborough, and Walpole. The parish church of St John, consecrated in 1747 and enlarged in 1844, is a plain brick structure in the Italian style with a picturesque tower. The graveyard contains a number of monuments of eminent persons, including those of Sir James Mackintosh, Joanna Baillie, and Constable the artist. Near the village a large militia barracks was erected in 1863, and there are a number of charitable ...