Primrose Hill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Primrose Hill is also a song by Loudon Wainwright III
| Primrose Hill | |
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  Primrose Hill shown within Greater London |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| London borough | Camden |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | NW1, NW3, NW8 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| European Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Holborn and St. Pancras |
| London Assembly | Barnet and Camden |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Primrose Hill is a hill of 256 feet (78 m)[1] located on the north side of Regent's Park in North London, England, and also the name for the surrounding district. The hill has a clear view of Central London to the south-east, as well as Belsize Park and Hampstead to the north. Like Regent's Park the area was once part of a great chase appropriated by Henry VIII and became Crown property in 1841. In 1842 an Act of Parliament secured the land as public open space. The built up part of Primrose Hill consists mainly of Victorian terraces. It has always been one of the more fashionable districts in the urban belt that lies between the core of London and the outer suburbs, and remains expensive and prosperous. In October 1678 Primrose Hill (then known as Greenberry Hill) was the scene of the mysterious murder of Edmund Berry Godfrey.
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[edit] Transport
[edit] Nearest places
[edit] Nearest tube stations
- Chalk Farm tube station
- Belsize Park tube station
- Swiss Cottage tube station
- St John's Wood tube station
[edit] Primrose Hill in fiction
- Primrose Hill is a novel by Helen Falconer. Faber and Faber, London, 1999.
- In H.G. Wells' book The War of the Worlds, Primrose Hill was the site of the final Martian encampment.
- In Dodie Smith'sThe Hundred and One Dalmatians, the Dearly family live near the district, on Regent's Park's Outer Circle, with Primrose Hill itself forming an excellent location for Pongo to engage in the 'twilight barking'.
- Primrose Hill is referred to in the Blur song For Tomorrow. The lyrics "and the view's so nice", from the song, have been painted on a path leading to the top of Primrose Hill.
- Primrose Hill is mentioned in the Appleton single "Everything Eventually", with the line "Let's go fly a kite on Primrose Hill". The video for the song was shot there too.
- Oasis took the black and white photo for the cover of the single "Wonderwall" here where a girl is shown through a frame. The original photo is coloured and shows Liam Gallagher, with the hand of an unseen person holding up a picture frame around him, however the young girl was chosen to be on the cover by Liam's brother and Oasis guitartist/songwriter Noel Gallagher, at the last moment.
- Primrose Hill is referred to in "Emit Remmus" ('summer time' backwards), a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which is off of their 1999 album Californication.
- Primrose Hill is referred to by Herman Melville in his "Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!" short story. It refers to "all London, from Mile End (which is no end) to Primrose Hill (where there ain't any primroses..."
- It is referred to in a poem by William Blake: "...The fields from Islington to Marylebone/To Primrose Hill and Saint John's Wood/Were builded over with pillars of gold/And there Jerusalem's pillars stood..." It was upon Primrose Hill which the poet-illustrator supposedly climbed and had conversations with the Spirit of the Sun. He also believed that this area would eventually be the foundation for one of the pillars of the biblical New Jerusalem.
- In "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul," by Douglas Adams, Kate Schecter lives in a flat on Primrose Hill.
- Primrose Hill is referred by Beverley Martyn in her song "Primrose Hill" on the 1970 John & Beverley Martyn album Road to Ruin, later sampled in "North West Three", a tune by Fatboy Slim, on his 2004 album "Palookaville".
- The English pop group Madness released a song named "Primrose Hill" on their album The Rise & Fall. It starts with the line "A man opened his window and stared up Primrose Hill...". The album cover was also photographed on the hill itself.
- Primrose Hill is an underground station on the North London System in the novel The Horn of Mortal Danger (1980).
- A murder is committed in Primrose Hill by "The Avenger" in Marie Belloc Lowndes's 1913 mystery, The Lodger.
- Top of Primrose Hill shown in opening scene of "Bridget Jones Edge of Reason".
- Musician Billy bragg mentions seeing Angels up on primrose hill in his song Upfield "I dreamed I saw a tree full of angels, up on Primrose Hill". Bragg says he was inspired to write this song from William Blake.
- The Emilíana Torrini song "Unemployed in Summertime" begins with the lyrics "Let's get drunk on Saturday, Walk on Primrose Hill until we lose our way".
- Parts of the British romance comedy Imagine Me & You was filmed on Primrose Hill, featuring Lena Headey and Piper Perabo
- In George MacDonald's fantasy novel At the Back of the North Wind, North Wind and Diamond briefly halt at the top of Primrose Hill during their first nightly voyage.
- American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III lived nearby for a time and wrote a song called "Primrose Hill" about the area.
- Rupert Grint's character, Ben, walks down Primrose Hill at the end of "Driving Lessons."
- The band Marillion's song "Interior Lulu" from the album "dot com" mentions looking down on the city from Primrose Hill.
- One of the scenes of 2006 movie Breaking and Entering takes place at the top of Primrose Hill. Later, background song was put on the film's soundtrack.
- Two main characters from Bookends, by Jane Green, Cath and Si often visit Primrose Hill to walk a friend's dog, Mouse.
- The song "Golden Earth Girl", from Paul McCartney's album Off The Ground, contains the line "Natures lover climbs the Primrose Hill".
[edit] Notable residents
Famous Primrose Hill residents past and present include:
- Adam Ant, singer-songwriter and actor
- Joan Bakewell, journalist and broadcaster
- Alan Bennett, author
- Charles Brasch, notable New Zealand poet, editor, and cultural critic
- Simon Callow, actor
- Helena Bonham Carter, actress
- Neneh Cherry, Singer and songwriter
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor, singer and songwriter [1]
- Friedrich Engels, Political Philosopher and co-author of The Communist Manifesto
- Sadie Frost, actress and co-owner of fashion label Frost French
- Eva Green, actress
- Jude Law, actor
- Cameron McVey, Producer (Massive Attack, Sugababes, All Saints)
- Sean Pertwee, actor
- John McCririck, horse racing pundit
- Ewan McGregor, actor
- David Miliband, Foreign Secretary
- Enrique Iglesias, Latin Singer
- Sienna Miller, actress
- Kate Moss, fashion model
- Jamie and 'Jools' Oliver, celebrity chef and wife
- Jason Orange, singer
- Finley Quaye singer-songwriter
- Gavin Rossdale musician, husband of Gwen Stefani
- Gwen Stefani, musician, wife of Gavin Rossdale
- Jonny Lee Miller, actor
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Mills, A., Dictionary of London Place Names, (2001)
[edit] External links
- Article on Primrose Hill Farmers' markets
- Primrose Hill Local Website
- Primrose Hill and Regent's Park in Literature and Music, a bibliography
- The story behind the Blur lyrics on Primrose Hill
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