Fortune Green, seen from the Fortune Green Road entrance

Image: © Marathon Taken: 18 Feb 2015

The first recorded mention of Fortune Green was in 1646 and it was first shown on a map in 1746. It lay to the north of the village of West End, and hence Fortune Green was sometimes known as 'West End Green'. Indeed for many years until recent years, buses which terminated here had 'West Hampstead, West End Green' on their destination boards. Fortune Green was originally four acres, which is twice its current size and was manorial 'waste' where local residents had the right to graze animals, dig turf and play sports. In 1820 one third of the land in the north-east corner was enclosed and nine cottages were built for labourers and laundresses who were allowed to keep drying poles on the Green for four pence a year. As late as 1870, the Green was still surrounded by open fields. By the 1880s, a residential building boom was underway hereabouts, following the opening of West Hampstead underground station in 1879 and West Hampstead overground station in 1888. In 1891, the Green was put up for sale for development. This spurred local residents to form the Fortune Green Preservation Society to prevent it being sold and to maintain the residents' rights of recreation. The Friends challenged the sale in court but a judge allowed the sale to proceed. The Fortune Green Acquisition Society was then set up and persuaded the Vestry and the London County Council to pay the bulk of the cost of acquiring the Green. By 1896, they had raised the asking price of £7,000 and Fortune Green was purchased. Paths were laid out in January and February 1898 at a cost of £555 and the Green was turfed over. In 1971, ownership of the Green was transferred to the London Borough of Camden, and in 2007 the Friends of Fortune Green was formed.

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