The Belsize Society | The Belsize Society is a charity of over 500 household members who seek to preserve the character of the area, by keeping a close eye on planning and environment issues.

Welcome to The Belsize Society website

Eton Avenue – credit: Luke Collins

The Belsize Society is a charity of over 500 household members who seek to preserve the character of the area, by keeping a close eye on planning and environment issues. We work with local public bodies to improve the quality of local services and we promote a greater sense of community by providing information about local issues and holding social events. We publish a quarterly Newsletter and an annual booklet of recommendations for Tradesmen You Can Trust

Find out more About Us, About Belsize and join The Belsize Society here.

News & Issues

See all current news and issues, or read a post below:

Belsize Society Newsletter May 2022 - The May BelSoc Newsletter is online here as a pdf. We were able to hold an AGM in March that was face-to-face, and this issue describes some of the discussion. We also returned to Belsize Square Synagogue in May to listen to candidates for the local elections at our hustings… Read more
Community Unity Drinks - NOTE THE DATE: IT'S WEDNESDAY, 11th MAY. Kire Estate Agents, recent-comers to Belsize, believe there are many benefits from meeting neighbours to make friends for adults and children alike. This isn’t always easy so Kire have joined forces with Calici Restaurant in Belsize Village to have monthly get-togethers. This will… Read more
HUSTINGS - for the forthcoming Local Council Elections. Sunday 1st May 2022 at 15.00, Belsize Synagogue, Belsize Square, NW3 4HX Everybody Welcome. BelSoc members may submit questions in advance to info@belsize.org.uk Read more

Features & Comments

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A NEST OF GENTLE ARTISTS - Local history expert Averil Nottage writes: Tucked away between Parkhill Road and St Dominic’s Priory are the Mall Studios. It was here in the 1930s that a “nest of gentle artists” pioneered the British Modernist movement. In 1927 the sculptor Barbara Hepworth and her husband moved into studio no 7. Barbara had studied at Leeds School of Art and the Royal College with Henry Moore, so in 1929 when Henry, and his new wife Irina, were looking for somewhere to live, Barbara suggested that they rent a studio and… Read more
Howitt Close – a hidden history in Belsize Park - Committee member Barbara Abraham has been researching the history of a Belsize building too often taken for granted: Howitt Close is a mansion block, in Art Deco style, that has nestled comfortably and rather unassumingly at the curved southern end of Howitt Road for almost a century. Last autumn a most unwelcome planning application to add a fourth storey and mansard roof brought it into the limelight. The Belsize Conservation Area Statement of 2003 mentions Howitt Close as a building making a positive contribution to the special character and… Read more
Plant a Tree for the Queen’s Jubilee - Barbara Abraham, our Committee’s tree expert, writes: We announced in last August’s Newsletter that the Belsize Society was hoping to participate in the tree planting initiative marking Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 and plant some extra trees in public areas in Belsize. We drew up a shortlist of four possible locations and put the proposals to Camden tree department and to our three Belsize Councillors. Our Councillors are enthusiastic and supportive of the project and have suggested that we apply for Local CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) funding for… Read more