History of Kilburn and West Hampstead

Kilburn derived its name from the ancient stream which passed through the village until the 1860s. The stream was part of the Westbourne, which started in Hampstead and flowed down the hill through the village of West End (now West Hampstead) to Kilburn.  In ancient documents, Kilburn is spelt in various ways such as, Kyllbourne, Kelebourne, Kilebourne, Kilbourne, Kulleburne. The meaning of the name has been the cause of much debate but is probably derived from the Anglo-Saxon Kyle (cold) and Bourne (water). The stream was never a large river, and the locals called it a brook or a bourne. It went through what is now the Grange Park and ran parallel to the High Road along what is today’s Kingsgate Road, before passing under the High Road (the Edgware Road) at Kilburn Bridge. In November 1860 a deputation from Kilburn presented a letter to the Metropolitan Board of Works which complained that the lives of the inhabitants were jeopardised and the value of the property was most serious...