Hampstead is an area in London, which lies 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough of Camden, a borough in Inner London which for the purposes of the London Plan is designated as part of Central London. Even in the year 1900, when this book was published, the area has already been well-known for its associations with the intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical, and literary greats.