But the Georgian property, which was once described as ‘The Hill,’ has been shrouded in scaffolding for many years.
Today, the Grade II* listed mansion, built in 1762 by goldsmith and banker Christopher Arnold, stands abandoned and crumbling.
Listed for its Georgian features such as the pillared portico, it is on English Heritage’s at risk register of historic properties in desperate need of repair.
But in its heyday the house was full of writers, poets and notable figures invited there by second owner, the banker philanthropist and abolitionist Sir Samuel Hoare.
He was from a Quaker background and co-founder of The Society for the Abolition of The Slave Trade.
He was also known as a generous host whose guests included the poets Rev George Crabbe, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
The writer William Howitt referred to Heath House as “Mr Hoare’s hospitable mansion,” and poet Joanna Baillie wrote of her visits there: “It is a goodly sight through the clear air,
“From Hampstead’s healthy height, to see at once
“England’s vast capital in fair expanse—
“Towers, belfries, lengthen’d streets, and structures fair.”
Although at one point leased to Edward Cecil Guinness, the house remained in the Hoare family from 1790 until 1911, with family members donating generously to local churches, good causes, and the campaign to save Hampstead Heath.
Along with Jack Straw’s Castle, it was badly damaged during air raids in 1941 which left it uninhabitable. But a buyer undertook its renovation and turned it back into a family home.
Jenny King, whose father – Screen International publisher Peter King – bought the house in 1971 for £140,000 recalls spending her teenage years there.
She especially enjoyed the gardens, roof terrace, cinema room and basement which had a games room she used for parties.
“It was billed as the ‘highest house in London, and the grandest house in London’,” she told the Ham&High.
“The thing we really loved were the views from the roof terrace. You could see six counties on a good, clear day.”
Peter King sold Heath House in 1977 to developer John Sunley, who then sold it in 1979 to a member of the Saudi Royal Family, who in turn put it back on the market for £2 million.
It stood empty for some time, and was bought for £20 million in 2007 by Hawksford Trustees Jersey LTD.
Over the years there have been various plans to bring it back to life, either as a single dwelling or divided into six flats – a plan opposed by conservation group The Heath and Hampstead Society.
But its listed status and the need to balance commercial viability with protecting its heritage have led to a stalemate, with the building now swathed in scaffolding to protect its facade.
By the 21st century, English Heritage said the mansion’s condition had worsened to “poor,” with vulnerability “high” and “declining” due to slow decay and put it on the at risk register.
There it remains amid hope that some day the historic house will be restored to its former glory.
