A hidden gem on Hampstead Heath has been brought back to itsformer glory, thanks to a £44,000 renovation by the City of LondonCorporation.

The Shelter nestles in one of the most undiscovered parts of theHeath " the Hill Garden. The garden was designed by Thomas HaytonMawson, described as "arguably the leading landscape architect ofhis time" and was built in two stages " the first between 1905/06and then after the war from 1918 to 1925, when the shelter itselfwas constructed.

The garden and shelter came under the City Corporation"sstewardship in 1989 when it took over the running of HampsteadHeath from the London Residuary Body.

Originally designed as a pavilion to serve the adjacent tenniscourt, the shelter was adapted during works done to the garden bythe London County Council (LCC) in 1963. These included hackingback the brick façade of the shelter to clad it in render andinstalling a canopy.

However, over the years the shelter had gradually fallen intodisrepair. Much of its 1960s render had fallen off, exposingbrickwork in poor condition. The structure of the canopy had becomeunstable and had to be propped up and the inner part of the shelterwas boarded up. (See attached "before" image).

Plans to do the restoration had to be put on ice several timesdue to lack of funding but the programme was finally given thegreen light after successfully achieving a one-off grant. Renovation works by the City Corporation began in January of thisyear. One option had been to restore the shelter to the conditionin which it was originally built, however no photographs orevidence of its whole appearance before the works were done in the1960s remain. Also, its original purpose as a tennis pavilion hadchanged as the LCC replaced the tennis courts with an ornamentalpond.

So the shelter was restored to its 1960s appearance. Badlyaffected by damp, the entire structure was damp proofed, remnantsof all the old render were taken off and replaced as new. Theboarding was removed, revealing the original bench which was rottenso replica benches were built from sustainable hardwood. A newcanopy was also installed. (See attached "after" image). The Shelter was finally completed in May after four months ofworks, which were carried out by Linbrook Services Ltd and managedby the City of London Corporation.

Michael Welbank, Chairman of Hampstead Heath ManagementCommittee at the City Corporation, said:"We"re delighted to have been able to restore the shelter, whichwas looking very unloved, back to its former glory. The Hill Gardenis one of London"s secret spots " a tranquil oasis in our busy city" and is one of the Heath"s real hidden gems."