Photography: Andy Sewell's extraordinary photos of Hampstead Heath

Which Londoner hasn’t spent a glorious, woozy day lying about on the urban safari park of The Heath? From the historic ladies-only swimming ponds to the expanse of grass long enough to do naughty things in, no one can deny that it holds a certain kind of magic. So how do you go about taking a portrait of a 790 acre piece of land in one of the world’s busiest cities? Andy Sewell took on that very task and has surfaced with The Heath, a beautiful hardback book which attempts to give outsiders a slice of what this piece of land can offer.

Speaking as someone who has spent a fair bit of time up there, I can say that this is the most candid and telling series of photos I could have hoped for. Andy obviously didn’t just go there one day and do a quick run-around to get the shots he needed, this is a long-term love affair in which he managed to capture the regulars, the romantics, and most importantly, the nature.