History of Kilburn and West Hampstead

In the late 1920s and early 30s there were a large number of suspicious fires in business premises and claims for insurance. This is the extraordinary story of how one man solved the fraud cases and brought the gang of fire starters to trial. Like all good stories we have a hero William Charles Crocker, and a villain Leopold Harris.    William Charles Crocker     Leopold Harris In April 1926 there was a meeting between Louis Jarvis and Italian-born Camillo ‘Cappa’ Capsoni, who was an agent for Continental Silks. One of his customers, Jarvis who lived in Deerhurst Road off Willesden Lane, told him he had just had a fire at his premises in 14 Margaret Street Marylebone. Cappa who had flat in the same street, said he was very sorry to hear it, but Jarvis did not seem at all put out, and with a broad grin, said he had received £21,500 (today worth about £1.7M) from the insurance claim. Cappa saw that with the right backers he could make money. The following year, he...

In the 1950s and 60s I read articles by the highly regarded jazz writer, Leonard Feather in Down Beat and Melody Maker. From his detailed knowledge of numerous New York musicians, I always assumed he was American, but in fact he was born in 1914 at No.93 Teignmouth Road, just off Walm Lane in Willesden.    In his autobiography he said his father Nathaniel Feather owned a chain of clothing stores and he was brought up in a strictly conformist upper middle class Jewish family. When he was eleven the family moved to No.18 Bracknell Gardens Hampstead. While business was good, they had servants, and a Daimler car driven by a chauffeur.  Leonard studied classical piano and clarinet from an early age while secretly loving popular music. About the age of fifteen he came across Louis Armstrong’s recording of ‘West End Blues’. He said: ‘I was hooked. Though I was not to realize it for many years, this episode in the listening room of the record shop, not long before I turned fiftee...

Lizzie was born as Eliza Catherine Smith on 12 June 1870 in Marylebone, probably at 14 Charles Street which was re-named and numbered in 1880 as 22 Mortimer Street. Several Internet sites wrongly claim she was born in Dalston Hackney, or Abbey Road Mansions St John’s Wood.  Her father was W.A. (William Augustine) Smith (1827 to 1909). He was an important picture frame maker for leading artists such as George Frederic Watts and John Singer Sargent. On 13 July 1847 William married Hester Heath at St Andrew, Holborn. They had three daughters and five sons between 1849 and 1870. Eliza (Lizzie) was the youngest child.  The Smith family moved several times: 1871 census, 14 Charles Street (later renamed as Mortimer Street). 1881 census, 10 Grove Terrace, Kentish Town. 1901 census, 7 Regent’s Park Terrace, St Pancras. Eliza is shown as a harpist in this census. Her father William Augustus Smith died on 28 Nov 1909 at 5 Fleet Road, Hampstead.   William Augustine Smith 1895, by Joh...

This is a long forgotten Edwardian crime, but the astonishing story is worth recalling. We found it while researching Harlesden but the scam concerns banks around south London.   The Scam On the morning of 23 September 1908, a smartly dressed young man with a top hat and gold rimmed glasses hired a motorised taxi at Victoria Station and asked the driver, Albert Pendrith, to take him to a branch of the London and South-Western Bank and wait outside. In all they visited eight branches around South London: Vauxhall, Clapham, Balham, Streatham, Tulse Hill, Dulwich, Forest Hill and Catford. The fare was 22 shillings, and he gave the driver a sixpence tip. Each bank manager had received an advice note from Edwin Leopold Cox who had been manager of the Harlesden branch for about six years. The note said Mr Davitt S. Windell of 93 Craven Park Harlesden was transferring his account from the Harlesden branch to the other bank. The notes were on headed paper, stamped with the Harlesden branch...