Gospel Oak

for the EP by Sinéad O'Connor, see Gospel Oak EP

Gospel Oak
OS grid reference	TQ285855
London borough	Camden
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	NW5 (central) NW3 (north) NW1 (south)
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
London Assembly	Barnet and Camden

Gospel Oak is an inner urban area of north London in the London Borough of Camden below Hampstead Heath. It is bordered by the more affluent areas of Belsize Park to the west, Kentish Town to the south, Eastern Hampstead to the North and Dartmouth Park and Tufnell Park to the east. It is also known for fairly cheap housing (at least compared to surrounding areas such as Hampstead and Chalk Farm), due to an extremely large number of high-rise and tower block estates in the south of the area.

The name derives from an oak tree, under which parishioners gathered to hear an annual gospel reading when the area was still rural. Lords Mansfield, Southampton and Lisburne were the local landowners when development began in the mid-19th century. Plans were drawn up for elegant streets radiating from Lismore Circus but after two railway lines were extended across the area the first buildings were two- and three-storey cottages for "navvies and quarrelsome shoemakers." Later the neighbourhood became more respectable and solidly residential - although in 1909 when John Betjeman's family moved to West Hill, Highgate they obviously felt that they were a cut above Gospel Oak:

Here from my eyrie, as the sun went down,
I heard the old North London puff and shunt,
Glad that I did not live in Gospel Oak.

All Hallows Church by James Brooks is a notable late Victorian church. After World War II much of the original housing around Lismore Circus was demolished and a series of estates built for Camden Council. Today Gospel Oak is a socially mixed area with a sizeabale Jamaican community. The Gospel Oak area of NW5 has long been notorious for drugs and gangs, and is one of the most deprived areas in london, especially around Queen's Crescent. Famous residents include Tony Blair’s former head of communications Alastair Campbell and his partner journalist Fiona Millar, Python Michael Palin, Britain's top networker Carole Stone and her husband broadcaster Richard Lindley, and The Fleischer Family.

Gospel Oak railway station is served by London Overground (formerly Silverlink) services on the North London Line and the Gospel Oak to Barking line. (The twin railway bridges this gives rise to were featured on the cover of Irish pop singer and song writer Sinéad O'Connor's Gospel Oak EP.)

Location in context

Neighbouring areas of London.