Image credit: Jim Osley / Geograph Britain and Ireland · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 2018-06-08 ↗
Admiral's House quarterdeck
Hampstead · Hampstead · Expansion route discovery
Story
Admiral's House is one of those buildings whose eccentric appearance has a historical explanation. Although the house began in the early eighteenth century, its most distinctive feature, the upper deck, was added when former naval captain Fountain North lived here, from about 1775 to 1811. North commissioned a 'lower deck' and a 'quarterdeck' on the roof, and tradition records that he fired cannon from there to celebrate Britain's naval victories. This unusual addition is what gives the house its name and its distinctive character. The building has accumulated an extraordinary cultural history. The painter John Constable, who lived nearby, depicted it several times, exhibiting one version in 1832 as *A Romantic House at Hampstead*. Later, the architect George Gilbert Scott also resided here. In the twentieth century, its silhouette and theatrical naval character helped inspire the house of the eccentric Admiral Boom in P. L. Travers’s famous *Mary Poppins*. The key is to look up: the decisive feature is not the doorway or main façade, but the improbable ship-like deck perched on top of a Hampstead house.
What to look for
Look on the roofline for a raised structure surrounded by white railings. This is the 'quarterdeck' that gives the house its name and makes it resemble a ship on dry land.
Secret detail
The house's quarterdeck was added by a retired naval captain. This feature not only makes it look like a ship, but it was also, according to tradition, the spot from which cannons were fired to celebrate victories.
Where exactly
Admiral's House stands on Admiral's Walk beside Hampstead Grove. It is a private residence.
Orientation
From Admiral's Walk, step back far enough to observe the entire roofline.
Why it matters
With its ship's deck on the roof, Admiral's House is a peculiar example of architectural eccentricity, reflecting the personalities of its former occupants and the imagination of London's artists and writers.
Access & opening
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Accessibility
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