Zone 3 homes near Hampstead Heath: Dick Whittington pub in Highgate reborn as flats with spectacular views

It was on Highgate Hill that the disillusioned young Dick Whittington heard the sound of Bow Bells and was persuaded to “turn again” to resume his progress towards becoming “thrice Lord Mayor of London”.

A statue still marks the spot, but the hill’s Whittington and Cat pub, which once celebrated the folklore, has gone — to be reborn as Whittington Apartments, right. Some of the 12 flats front the main road, others are tucked away in a rear courtyard.

Prices from £395,000 for a studio. Call Paul Belchak & Co on 020 7375 3444.

Living here is all about spectacular views, the hilltop village, smart shops, “country” pubs, the famous Highgate School and Highgate Cemetery, plus marvellous Pond Square, a pocket of mainly Georgian properties.

The west side of the village is amazingly rural as Highgate shares with Hampstead the 800 acres of bfields, woods and ponds of the Heath — owned and managed by City of London Corporation — plus the grounds of Kenwood House, where wonderful open-air concerts are held in the summer.

You can’t have everything, and transport is the weak point. Highgate Tube station is well north of the village, though here a former police station has made way for Highgate Court, a development of 85 flats from £600,000 to £1.75 million. Call Bellway on 0333 202 141.