Swiss Cottage

infobox UK place
country = England
region= London
population=
official_name= Swiss Cottage
latitude= 51.5424
longitude= -0.1734
os_grid_reference= TQ266842
london_borough= Camden
post_town= LONDON
postcode_area= NW
postcode_district= NW3, NW6, NW8
dial_code= 020
constituency_westminster= Hampstead and Highgate

Swiss Cottage is a landmark of north-west London in the London Borough of Camden. The vicinity is commonly referred to after a Swiss Cottage which in the mid-20th Century was a restaurant called the Cottage Grill. It was originally the dairy of a farmhouse when the area was countryside, but was demolished in mid-1960s. Today the name is associated with a Public House built between 1803 and 1804. This opened as "The Swiss Tavern" and is now called "Ye Olde Swiss Cottage" (a pub). However, the pub may have been named after a contemporary opera. The building was reconstructed in 1965 in the style of a Swiss chalet or cottage. The road to Finchley in Barnet is north of here and the area is usually referred to as "Finchley Road" and has also given that name to the nearby tube station, about 500 metres north of 'Swiss Cottage'.

Local amenities include an Odeon Cinema, Swiss Cottage Central Library, The Hampstead Theatre and assorted shops the length of the Finchley Road. The large Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre reopened in early 2006; after complete redevelopment; and now houses 2 swimming pools, a gym and a climbing wall.

As far as properties in the vicinity are concerned, Swiss Cottage is not a locality; it is a former road junction. Properties are regarded mostly as either Hampstead or St. John's Wood. Many people incorrectly refer to the area as Swiss Cottage. It is common for properties west of the Finchley Road to be regarded as West Hampstead, and those east of the Finchley Road, but west of Merton Rise and south of Eton Avenue as St. John's Wood. Properties between Haverstock Hill, Eton Avenue and Prince Albert Road are technically in Primrose Hill. South of Adelaide Road might be called South Hampstead or St. John's Wood interchangeably as far as Queens Grove, but certainly St. John's Wood after that.

St. John's Wood, Belsize Park, South Hampstead, Kilburn, West Hampstead, Swiss Cottage, Hampstead Village, Hampstead Garden Suburb. Child's Hill, Church End, Highgate West, and Fortune Green are commonly regarded as parts of "Greater Hampstead".

Adjoining neighbourhoods include Hampstead Village to the North East, Chalk Farm and Camden Town to the South East, Belsize Park to the East, St John's Wood to the South and West Hampstead to the West. Regent's Park is within walking distance of Swiss Cottage (about 1.4 km). Local major Hotels include a Marriott Regents Park, Danubius Regents Park and Hampstead Britannia Hotel. There are many smaller hotels in the area. Notable restaurants include Globe (European), Singapore Garden (Singaporean) and Benihana (Japanese). Swiss Cottage is also the location of the Central School of Speech and Drama, performing in the Embassy Theatre.

Swiss Cottage is in the Hampstead and Highgate constituency for which the MP is Glenda Jackson, as of 2006.

Transport

Nearest tube stations

*Swiss Cottage tube station (Jubilee line)
*Finchley Road tube station (Jubilee and Metropolitan lines)
*St. John's Wood tube station (Jubilee line)
*Warwick Avenue tube station (Bakerloo line)
*Chalk Farm tube station (Northern line)

Nearest railway stations

*South Hampstead railway station (London Overground Watford DC Line)
*Finchley Road & Frognal railway station (London Overground North London Line)

Buses

13 - Golders Green Station to Aldwych via Finchley Road and Oxford Street

113 - Edgware to Oxford Circus via Finchley Road

82 - North Finchley to Victoria Station via Marble Arch, Park Lane, and Finchley Road

46 - Farringdon Street to Lancaster Gate via King's Cross, Hampstead Village, Maida Vale, and Paddington

31 - Shepherd's Bush Green to Camden Town via Holland Park, Notting Hill Gate, Kilburn and Primrose Hill

C11 - Brent Cross Shopping Centre to Archway via West Hampstead, Belsize Park, and Parliament Hill

268 - Golders Green to Finchley Road via Hampstead Village and Belsize Park

608 - Muswell Hill to terminate at Swiss Cottage via Hampstead Heath

187 - Finchley Road to Central Middlesex Hospital via Maida Vale, Queen's Park, Harlesden, and Park Royal

External links

* [http://www.camden.gov.uk/ Camden Council Website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/webcams/548955.shtml View from a Swiss Cottage CCTV camera (BBC)]