London West Hampstead

West Hampstead is an area in northwest London, England, situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to the east, and Kilburn to the south. Until the late 19th century, the area was a small village called West End. Modern West Hampstead emerged with the arrival of the railways, and the transformation of the area from farm land to housing estates. In 1879, the Metropolitan Railway adopted the name West Hampstead for their station on West End Lane, the main road through the area. Their motivation seemed to be to avoid confusion with the main retail area in central London, also known as the West End. A few hundred yards south, toward central London, West End Lane joins Abbey Road, of Beatles fame. The road leads to St John's Wood. West Hampstead's proximity to the Metropolitan line at Finchley Road and its own Jubilee line stop (West Hampstead), together with a high concentration of fashionable bars and restaurants, means that the area is a popular destination for a night out for people who live in the northwestern suburbs of London. West End Lane itself is home to a number of cafes, bakeries and small shops, a regular haunt for the local population, which adds to the area a distinct village atmosphere during the day. Both the West Hampstead Thameslink and West Hampstead Overground have stations on West End Lane making the area one of the best served by public transport in London.