Geograph - photograph every grid square

The North Star

This imposing pub, with its embossed gold stars, was purpose built in 1850 and was one of the earlier buildings on Finchley Road which was opened in 1835 to replace the steep haul up Hampstead Hill on the way north out of London. The pub originally had a roofline balustrade and an arch which were removed when they became unsafe - it looks a little incomplete without them. It still boasts a cast-iron balcony although one cannot imagine wanting to spend much time above the noise and fumes of the Finchley Road traffic.