West Hampstead Library
Introduction
The photograph on this page of West Hampstead Library by Richard Rogerson as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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West Hampstead Library
Image: © Richard Rogerson Taken: 20 Aug 2025
There is a sad story behind this building. It stands on the corner of West End Lane and Dennington Park Road where there was originally a row of terraced houses dating from the 1880s, with shops on the ground floor. On February 25 1944, in one of the flats above a butcher's shop a family and their friends had gathered to celebrate the marriage of one of the sons. Despite an air raid warning everyone stayed put in the flat, so that when a bomb struck at ten past one in the morning they stood little chance. Tragically, ten of the eleven individuals at the party were killed, including the bride and groom, and two toddlers. As part of reconstruction of the area after the war a new library, with flats above – Dennington Park Mansions – commenced in 1954 http://www.fowhl.org/history-of-the-library.html.
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Image Location
Latitude
51.550126
Longitude
-0.191656