History of Kilburn and West Hampstead

While West Hampstead had far fewer public houses than Kilburn and they were generally well run, there was always the potential for alcohol to cause trouble. The Railway Hotel on the corner of Broadhurst Gardens and West End Lane was owned and opened in 1881 by Richard Pincham. It was a large and popular venue offering accommodation as well as food and drink.  Around 10.30pm on 8 September 1897, James William Woledge and Henry Hiscocks were in the pub. It appeared the two men knew each other and began to argue, which prompted the barman to leap over the bar and eject them. Outside a fight erupted and Woledge fell to the ground, hitting his head hard on the pavement. Descriptions of what led up to the fight outside the Railway Hotel differ between witnesses. 33-year-old plumber James Woledge had lived with his wife Mary near Camden Town, before moving to 73 Broomsleigh Street off Mill Lane. At the inquest, his friend John Cook said he’d gone to the pub with James and no sooner had th...

What began as a prank in the run up to Guy Fawkes Night, ended in tragedy a few minutes before midnight on 4 th November in 1961.   Alpha House, 1961 Thirty-seven year old Fred Burtenshaw had been the caretaker at Alpha House in Canterbury Road, South Kilburn, for over ten years. He had spent much of that evening trying to prevent youngsters from causing damage and setting off fireworks. Fred was relaxing in his armchair and watching television when suddenly there was a loud explosion and the window behind him shattered. A bomb inside an old car dynamo had been placed outside on the window sill and a piece of the casing hit Fred on the back of the head. His wife, who had been putting their son to bed, heard a terrifically loud bang and ran downstairs to see what had happened. She said: I found the lounge in darkness. Clouds of smoke and dust filled the whole room.  At first I couldn’t see, but then I found Fred sitting still on the settee. I shouted to him,...