The first campaign to save Hampstead Heath was at the centre of the great 19th century conservation movement that saw the creation of the National Trust, the Commons Preservation Society (now the Open Spaces Society) and the Hampstead Heath Protection Society (now the Heath and Hampstead Society). Extensive research has uncovered fresh information about this story of Britain’s conservation movement and the remarkable people who played a part in the battle to save London’s commons. This book reveals the political and social upheavals, the rise of town planning and the cultural developments that led to a new understanding of the value of open space.