HAMPSTEAD HEATH. 57 
£150,000 from the Metropolitan Board, and £50,000 
from the two parishes. Of the remaining £100,000, 
one-half was obtained through the Charity Com- 
missioners from the funds of the City of London 
Charities, which had recently been under the review 
of Parliament, for the diversion of their income, from 
the useless and mischievous charities within the City, 
to the more manifold needs of the whole of London. 
The other half was raised by public subscription ; and 
with this addition, the Metropolitan Board finally gave 
their assent to the scheme, and contributed out of 
their funds one-half of the purchase money. 
Many minor difficulties were encountered and over- 
come, and finally, on March 6th, 1889, after rather more 
than five years of complicated negotiations, the contracts 
between the Metropolitan Board and the two landowners 
were signed. ‘he 260 acres of Parliament Hill have since 
been thrown open and added to Hampstead Heath, and 
form the most important addition which has been made 
to the open spaces of London during the last forty 
years. It will remain at some future time to supple- 
ment this by the purchase of the remaining portion of 
Lord Mansfield’s property, whenever he or his successors 
may be willing to part with it—-for Ken Wood is al- 
most indispensable to the full enjoyment of Hampstead 
Heath and Parliament Hill. With this addition, the 
whole will be the most beautiful and valuable of all the 
Parks or open spaces round London. 
