The Kenwood Estate
Located towards the North East edge of Hampstead Heath, the Kenwood Estate is managed by English Heritage. The Neoclassical villa Kenwood House is surrounded by spectacular scenery, ancient woodland and heritage gardens.
Kenwood is a designed landscape, where nature has been carefully moulded to aesthetic effect. The underlying geology, hilly terrain, and human activity (such as landscape design, quarrying, tree planting and pond creation) all help to create the unique landscape we see today.
The Estate’s picturesque heritage features and habitats would be lost without active conservation and responsible use coordinated by various organisations including Heath Hands.
For maps, opening hours, and visitor information, click here.
Some facts about Kenwood:
The estate is 45 hectares or 112 acres in size.
The first house on the site was built in 1616. Throughout the 17th century, large areas of woodland were cleared to make way for the formal gardens.
‘Ken Wood’, the patch of woodland to the south of the estate, is a remnant of the Forest of Middlesex, an ancient woodland that once stretched 20 miles north of the City of London.
During the 18th century, Kenwood was owned by prominent judge William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield.
Kenwood House is now an art gallery - home to the 1st Earl of Iveagh’s collection, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer, as well as the famous painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle.
Thanks to the Iveagh Bequest Act of 1929, it is one of the few English Heritage properties which is free to visit.
The landscape and gardens
The grounds were redesigned in the 1790s by landscape designer Humphrey Repton.
Features award-winning heritage gardens, with spring displays of blooming Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Magnolias.
Rare habitats on the estate include the ancient woodland of Ken Wood, acid grassland and a sphagnum bog. The bog and part of the wood are listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Find out more about the Heath’s habitats here.
Kenwood is home to many important species including kingfishers, sparrowhawks, bats, stag beetles and grass snakes (you can support some of these species here).
The estate is managed by the Kenwood Garden Team with support from Heath Hands Conservation Volunteers to preserve its heritage features, conserve wildlife and maintain public access. Our Wildlife Monitoring volunteers survey key species on the estate.
The Dairy
Situated on a small hill to the west of Kenwood, The Dairy forms a focal point in the landscape.
Built between 1794-6, designed for the 2nd Earl’s wife Louisa. In the 18th century, tending a dairy became a fashionable pastime for aristocratic women.
The Dairy was also part of a working, productive farm, supplying the house with butter, milk and cream from the estate’s herd of Longhorn cattle. Ice, collected from the ponds in the winter, was stored in the ice house below.
The building was restored in 2013 and is now the Head office for Heath Hands.
A new interpretation centre in the Dairy offers a place for visitors to learn about nature and wildlife on the Kenwood Estate and wider Heath.
Kenwood blog posts
Map of Kenwood
