History of Kilburn and West Hampstead

This is the story of Arthur Andrews, a career burglar who was responsible for numerous burglaries in our area. In the summer of 1896 he broke into 35 Christchurch Avenue in Brondesbury, 186 Willesden Lane, and 27 Anson Road in Cricklewood. He met Ada Insull while she was in service in West Hampstead and gave her presents including a clock, jewellery and flowers. Arthur promised to marry her and she gave up her job, but the next time she saw him he had been arrested and was in court. Fanny Nisbett, a laundress in Church Street Edgware Road, also became acquainted with Andrews that summer. They went to the Earls Court Exhibition with Fanny’s friend Kate Baker and her boyfriend Harry Bucking who was a sailor. On the way Andrews offered Harry a silver box with a spirit lamp for heating curlers as a present. The sailor declined saying he did not curl his hair. This caused considerable laughter in court as his hair was only the naval regulation length of an eighth of an inch. One evening at ...