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Royal Albert Hall, Kensington
South Kensington-Chelsea is a district of
central London.
Understand
This district is defined as the southern part part of the Royal
Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBK & C). It
includes the area south of the Royal Parks commonly known as
High Street Kensington and South
Kensington west to Earl's Court and
Olympia and south to Sloane
Square and Chelsea. Hyde
Park and Kensington Gardens combine to
form the largest green space in metropolitan London and provide a
real oasis in the heart of this vast city.
South Kensington hosts four of London's largest
and finest museums and is also home to the venerable Imperial
College. High Street Kensington leads to a long
line of shops and department stores, offering a less hectic version
of Oxford Street as well very upmarket stores in
Knightsbridge. Sloane Street connects
Knightsbridge to Chelsea via Sloane Square and is lined with luxury
brand boutiques.
Chelsea is a extensive riverside area of London
that extends broadly from Sloane Square in the east to the World's
End pub in the west and down to the River Thames. The
King's Road marks the main thoroughfare of
Chelsea.
The whole of the district contains some of the most expensive
residential property in the world but is a little more downmarket
towards its western edges.
History of Chelsea
Chelsea's modern reputation as a centre of innovation and
influence originated in a period during the 19th century when the
area became a veritable Victorian artists' colony: artists such as
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, J.M.W. Turner, James McNeill Whistler,
William Holman Hunt and John Singer Sargent, as well as writers
such as George Meredith, Algernon Swinburne, Leigh Hunt and Thomas
Carlyle all lived and worked here. A particularly large
concentration of artists existed in the area around Cheyne Walk
(pronounced Chey-nee) and Cheyne Row, where the
pre-Raphaelite movement had its heart.
Following the Second World War, Chelsea, like many other
formerly prosperous areas became rather run down and poor. It
became prominent once again as an artistic centre, Bohemian
district and hot spots for young professionals in the 1960s. The
Americans called this period "Swinging London" and the King's Road
became the definition of style and fashion and both the Beatles and
the Rolling Stones lived in the neighbourhood.
In the 1970s, the "World's End" area of the King's Road was home
to Vivienne Westwood's shop ("Sex"), and witnessed the genesis of
punk music and style with many Mohawks to be seen on the road
against the background of the closed down shops. Thereafter,
working class youth culture was priced out of the area nd
gravitated to Camden, Islington, Ladbroke Grove, Brixton and Brick
Lane.
The 1980s saw the rise of the Sloane (archetypally Princess
Diana) and the Mohawks gave way to twin set pearls, pink Polo
shirts and what an American would call a "preppy". Chelsea seems to
have settled into stylish affluence and aspiration and although the
'Hooray Henries' do not try to stand out, their loud braying
voices, youth and wealth are hard to hide. They can be seen here in
their natural habitat particularly on school holidays when they
return from their boarding schools and all stay at a friends house,
on the "King's Road, mate".
Get in
By tube
This is a large district and it is served by a similarly large
number of tube stations:
- South Kensington (District, Circle and Piccadilly lines). For
the museums.
- Knightsbridge (Piccadilly line). For Harrods, Harvey Nicholls
and other upmark stores.
- High Street Kensington (District and Circle lines). For general
shopping and Kensington Gardens.
- Hyde Park Corner [Piccadilly line). For Hyde Park.
- Sloane Square (District and Circle lines) For King's Road.
- Earls Court (District and Piccadilly lines).
- Kensington Olympia (District line).
- West Brompton (District line).
By bus
Route 94 from Piccadilly Circus and along Piccadilly makes the
run to Knightsbridge
See
Museums
Exhibition Road and Cromwell Road in South Kensington are home
to several world class museums and all have free entry, only
charging for special temporary exhibitions. They do accept (and
encourage) donations if you feel you have enjoyed your visit.
- Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), Cromwell Rd, ☎ +44 20 7942 2000 (vanda@vam.ac.uk),
[1]. 10AM-5:45PM, F until 10PM. Named in honour of Queen Victoria and her
consort Prince Albert, this museum has existed for over 150 years.
It contains a huge collection of decorative arts from all over the
world and far back in time, trying to see everything in one day
would be exhausting. There are regular exhibitions concentrating on
a particular theme from Chinese art to fashion designers.
Frequently they put on children's activities and late DJ
nights. Free/donation. edit
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Rd,
☎ +44 20 7942 5000 (info@nhm.ac.uk), [2]. 10AM-5:30PM. Probably the most popular of all the museums
here and a must see for many visitors to London. Home to no less
than 70 million specimens from across all the life sciences.
Especially popular are the dinosaur exhibits, the Darwin Centre and
the studio dedicated to BBC wildlife personality extraordinairre,
David Attenborough. In the 1980s, the Geological Museum was
absorbed but is still in a separate building with a separate
entrance. Free/donation. edit
- Science Museum, Exhibition Road, ☎ +44 870 870 4868 (feedback@nmsi.ac.uk), [3]. 10AM-6PM. Dedicated
to scientific exhibitions and collections bar those related to the
life sciences. A number of famous historical machines and
inventions are housed here including Stephenson's Rocket. The space
exhibits are especially popular. Exhibitions tend to concentrate on
explaining scientific principles with working models and there is a
strong emphasis on education and attracting children. This includes
their very popular Science Nights whereby children spend an evening
learning principles and participating in experiments before
spending the night sleeping in the museum with the exhibits. Also
houses a vast library of scientific and medical books and
journals. Free/donation. edit
- The Geological Museum (The Red Zone), Cromwell Rd,
[4]. 10AM-5:30PM. This venerable old institution was absorbed by
the neighbouring Natural History Museum in 1985 but still has
something of a separate identity. Unsurprisingly, devoted to all
things geological with especially popular exhibits on vulcanology
and earthquakes and fossils of all types. Very popular with kids
and often under-rated. Free/donation. edit
- National Army Museum, Royal Hosp Rd, [5]. edit
Lawn chair in Kensington Gardens.
- Bram Stoker's House. edit
- Carlyle's House, 24 Cheyne Row SW3 5HL, ☎ +44 20 7352 7087, [6].
W-Su 2PM-5PM. Now preserved by the National Trust, this 18th
century house was the home of the historian Thomas Carlyle from
1834 and now houses a museum dedicated to his life and work.
£2.50-4.90. edit
- Chelsea Old Church, 64 Cheyne Walk SW3 5LT, [7]. edit
- Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road SW3
4HS Telephone:, ☎ +44 20 7352
5646, [8]. Garden founded by apothecaries in the 17th
century to the medicinal properties of plants. £5-8. edit
- Hyde
Park, [9]. Nice big green park. The Serpentine is
a small lake within Hyde Park, wildlife including a variety of
birds, fountains. Rowing boats and pedalos are available for hire.
As commonly used, the term also embraces the adjacent Kensington
Gardens. edit
- Roper's Garden, Cheyne Walk. edit
- Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, ☎ +44 20 7589 8212, [10]. Since opening in 1871 it has become one of the
most famous venues in the UK. It still mainly caters for a
classical audience, but it also hosts many other varied events
including the odd contemporary rock/pop acts. edit
- Royal Hospital, Royal Hospital Road, [11]. edit
- The Serpentine Gallery, [12]. A nice free art gallery, near to the lake. Each
summer a pavilion next to the gallery is designed by a different
architect, which then houses various cultural events.
edit
- Speakers Corner. By
law, in this far northeastern corner of the park (by the Marble
Arch Tube stop near Mayfair), people are free to
say whatever they like about who and whatever they like. Worth
checking out to see the lunatics and exhibitionists spouting
off. edit
- Cine
Lumiere, Institut Francais du Royaume Unis, 17
Queensberry Pl SW7 2DT (tube: South Kensington), ☎ +44 20 7838 2144 (box.office@ambafrance.org.uk),
[13]. French language movies. edit
- Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Sq, SW1W 8AS (tube: Sloane Square), ☎ +44 20 7565 5000, [14]. Britain's leading national theatre company
dedicated to new work by innovative writers from the UK and around
the world. edit
- Troubadour Club, 263-267 Old Brompton Rd (tube: Earls Court or West Brompton),
☎ +44 20 7370 1434, [15]. 8PM-2AM. This well
known music venue has been programming acoustic music since the
1950s when Bob Dylan et al took to the stage. It's bigger now and
has gone electric but is still one of the best venues in London for
up and coming talent. The musical spectrum is broad. On any night
you might catch solo singer-songwriters or full bands. No heavy
rock or covers bands though. There is a good menu too but arrive
early to get a table. It can get very busy. Well worth a
visit. From £6. edit
- Harrods, 87–135 Brompton Road SW1X 7XL
(tube: Knightsbridge), ☎ +44 20 7730 1234, [16]. M-Sa
10AM-8PM. The most famous store in
London, favoured by the British establishment and owned by Mohamed
Al-Fayed. Fairly strict dress code so do not turn up looking like a
backpacker and expect to gain entrance. edit
- Harvey Nicholls, 109-125 Knightsbridge SW1X 7RJ
(tube: Knightsbridge), ☎ +44 20 7235 5000, [17]. M-Sa 10AM-8PM. Large
department store full of designer goods and an excellent
cafe. edit
- The Duke of York Square Shopping Complex.
Has a range of spacious branches of
popular fashion chains, but lacks some of the road's character,
however the small adjoining public space of Duke of York square is
a welcome place for a rest between shopping, and a popular place to
hang out. edit
- The Hummingbird Bakery, 47 Old Brompton Rd, South
Kensington (Opposite of
the South Kensington tube station), ☎ +44
20 7584 0055, [18]. A nice little bakery with wonderful cupcakes.
Try their red velvet cupcake that is incredibly popular with the
locals. A regular size cupcake ranges
from £1.55-1.85. edit
- King's
Road. One of London's smartest
fashion streets, having evolved from the cutting-edge of bohemia
and innovative fashion in the 60s to a more genteel place to
indulge in retail therapy, albeit with a notable presence of trendy
young Londoners (including many so called Sloane Rangers). It is a
very attractive street that retains the atmosphere of a small town
whilst being in the heart of a huge city. There is a huge range of
fashion stores from upmarket chains to one-off boutiques, as well
as variety of other shops, complimented by cafés, restaurants,
bars, pubs and clubs. There is an obvious affluence to the road
without any bling or snobbiness. King's Road stretches south-west
from here for miles, though the best of the shopping is in the
first mile. edit
- Sloane Street. Lined with high-end designer label
stores. edit
Eat
Budget
Gastropubs
All these pubs charge about the same and the quality is more or
less the same too.
- Admiral Codrington, Mossop St. edit
- Builders Arms, Britten St. edit
- Coopers Arms, Flood St. edit
- Pigs
Ear, Old
Church St. edit
Other
- La Nuova Delizia, 63-65 Chelsea Manor St. Noon-midnight. Quaint Italian bistro offers 18 different
pizzas, three risottos, various pasta dishes, gnocchi and other
traditional Italian entrees. It’s top-notch food at a great
value. edit
- The
Pig's Ear, 35
Old Church St, [19]. Lively, old-world style pub/restaurant on Old
Church Street. Acclaimed bistro fare and a wide selection of wines
by the glass. edit
- The Troubadour Cafe, 263-267 Old Brompton Rd, [20]. 9AM-midnight. Famous
bohemian cafe with a pleasing menu of hearty dishes such as
fishcakes, burgers and delicious filling salads. Good wine list too
and lovely leafy garden out the back. There is a great little music
venue downstairs and even accommodation on the top floor.
edit
- Fifth Floor Café, 109-125 Knightsbridge, [21].
edit
- Kensington Creperie (Cafe Creperie), 2 Exhibition Rd, ☎ +44 20 7589 8947, [22]. Tu-Su 11AM-11:30PM, M noon-11:30PM. A small, cute, often crowded cafe and authentic
French creperie, popular with the local French and various other
South Ken expats. Given its location near the tube, it is a fine
place to sit outside and watch the fashionable young people pass
by. £3-8.50. edit
- Aubergine, 11 Park Walk, ☎ +44 20 7352 3449, [23]. Dinner: M-Sa 7M-11PM, lunch: M-F noon-2:30PM.
Chef William Drabble creates a menu of
modern French cuisine. edit
- Tom's Kitchen. Populist spot for Tom Aikens's aptly named
restaurant, albeit certainly in the "Splurge" category, the fish
and chips make it certainly worth the difficulty getting
reservations and the rather high cost. edit
- Chelsea Potter, 119 Kings Rd (First pub when walking away from Sloane
Square Tube Stop). Traditional pub
fare, but when warm outside, best people watching spot around.
Also, Aussie and Kiwi barmen solidify the awesome environment
here. edit
- Coopers Arms, 87 Flood St. Great pints, including Peroni on tap. Best
Sunday Roast around, and more of a gastropub than a traditional
pub. edit
- Henry J Beans, 195-197 Kings Road, ☎ +44 20 7352 9255. The biggest and best beer garden in London.
Burger and Rib shack menu, showing American sports. edit
- The Hour Glass, 279 Brompton Rd, SW3 2DY,
☎ +44 020 7581 2840. This small, triangular, very easy-going pub
just a little away from the main street bustle is a favorite among
the locals, above all because the seating inside is designed to
prevent overcrowding, but also for its pavement seating and upscale
gastropub fare. edit
- The
Phoenix, 23
Smith St. Great pints,
tremendous place for a pint on a sunny day. be sure to grab one of
the outdoor tables and enjoy a cool pint on a hot day here (when
not raining in London). edit
- Townhouse, Beauchamp. edit
- Troubadour Wines, 267 Old Brompton Rd (Right next door to its famous sister, The
Troubadour Cafe). This cozy wine
bar is a quieter alternative to the buzz next door. With a great
selection of wines from around the world, many of which are not
available anywhere else in London, this is a peaceful oasis where
you can discover delicious and good value wines. Drink in or take
home. edit
- Ambassadors Hotel, [24]. Popular three star hotel situated on Collingham
Road between Earls Court and Kensington. The hotel offers 140
en-suite rooms, all with modern amenities. Book direct for best
rates and low prices. edit
- Avonmore Hotel, 66 Avonmore Rd, W14 8RS, ☎ +44 (0) 20 7603 4296 (, fax: +44 (0)20 7603 4035), [25]. Close to the West End. edit
- Chelsea House Hotel, 96 Redcliffe Garden (5 min from Earl Court Underground, go to
right on Earls Court Rd, the hotel's 50 m after crossing Crompton
Rd). checkin: 2PM; checkout:
10AM. The
staff is very gentle and helpful. It is clean, and the rooms are
all right, they are a bit small, have fridge, a small TV, but no
table. The hotel is not nice, but OK. The breakfast is
uninteresting, except the coffee, which is awful! But, the tea and
the juice are good. It is close to many pubs, cafés and shops. Good
place to stay, but lots of traffic. edit
- easyHotel Earl's Court, 42-48 West Cromwell
Rd (5 min from Earls
Court tube station), (enquiries@earlscourt.easyHotel.com),
[26].
Guests can only book an easyHotel on the
website and rooms are priced on the basis of the earlier you book,
the less you pay. edit
- The Lord Jim Hotel, 23-25 Penywern Rd Earls Court,
☎ +44 20 7370 6071 (LJH@lgh-hotels.com, fax: +44 20 7373 8919), [27]. One of the best hotels on Penywern Rd, they
have 45 rooms ranging from singles to quads. Breakfast is included,
some rooms en suite. There is a TV lounge, a 24-hour concierge, and
the staff is friendly and helpful. It is clean and the shared
bathrooms are not bad at all. Online
booking £37 for the booking itself, between £17-33 per person
single. edit
- Merlyn Court Hotel, 2 Barkston Gardens, Earls
Court, ☎ +44 20 7370
1640 (london@merlyncourthotel.com,
fax: +44 20 7370 4986), [28]. Lovely and friendly family run bed and
breakfast hotel. Totally no smoking. Located in a quiet Edwardian
Garden Square. Bright and clean rooms. Family rooms are
available. From £35. edit
- St. Mark Hotel, Barkston Gardens, Earls Court,
☎ +44 20 7373 0060, [29]. This popular budget hotel offers 25 guest rooms
all with private in-suite facilities. Book online for best
deals. edit
- Kensington House Hotel, 15/16 Prince of Wales
Terrace W8 5PQ, [30]. Boutique townhouse rooms and accommodation just
off High Street. Attractions are a short walk away and include
Kensington Gardens, art galleries, museums and cafés.
edit
- Montana Hotel, 16-17 Gloucester Rd (2 minutes walk from Gloucester Road Tube
Station). Good standard tourist
class accommodation in an excellent area. edit
- NH Harrington Hall Hotel, 5-25 Harrington Gardens
SW7 4JB, ☎ +44 20
73969696,
[31]. Beautiful old building and
useful location- staff were friendly and welcoming edit
- The Beaufort Hotel, 33 Beaufort Gardens, [32]. A privately owned small boutique hotel close to
Harrods and Harvey Nichols offering first class service and
contemporary style. edit
- The
Berkeley, Wilton Pl, Knightsbridge,
☎ +44 20 7235 6000, [33]. Five star luxury hotel. Individually designed
suites and rooms. Features Marcus Wareing's restaurant and fine
afternoon tea in London at the caramel room. edit
- Blakes Hotel, 33 Roland Gardens, [34]. A fashionable small couture luxury
hotel respected for client privacy. edit
- Cadogan Hotel, 75 Sloane St, ☎ +44 20 7235 7141 (info@cadogan.com,
fax: +44 20 7245 0994), [36]. Cadogan is a classic Edwardian townhouse hotel,
provides comfortable elegant five star hotel accommodation and
service. edit
- K+K Hotel George, 1-15 Templeton Pl (tube: Earls Court), ☎ +44 20 7598 8700 (hotelgeorge@kkhotels.co.uk,
fax: +44 20 7370 2285),
[37]. 154 rooms and free wireless
(and wired) internet access. The hotel is also right next door to
Earl's Court exhibition center. edit
- La Reserve Hotel Chelsea, 422-428 Fulham
Road, [38]. Spacious hotel offering 43 en-suite bedrooms.
The hotel overlooks Chelsea Football Club. edit
- myhotel Chelsea, 35 Ixworth Pl. On a quiet residential street on the doorstep
of fashionable shops and minutes from South Kensington and King's
Rd. edit
- No. 11 Cadogan, 11 Cadogan Gardens,
Knightsbridge (Knightsbridge), ☎ +44 20 7730 7000, [39]. This designer hotel and private club is
London's finest couture space with its beautiful facilities and
impeccable service. edit
- Astons Apartments, 31 Rosary Gardens, South
Kensington (tube:
Gloucester Rd), ☎ +44 20 7590
6000 (sales@astons-apartments.com,
fax: +44 20 7590 6060), [40]. They have 54 self contained apartments of both
standard and executive style set within three Victorian town
houses. All apartments are en-suite and have either kitchenette or
kitchen facilities. Wireless internet access available at
cost. Single studio apartments £65, twin
studio £95, four person executive £165. edit
- Troubadour Garret, 267 Old Brompton Rd (tube: Earls Court), ☎ +44 20 7370 1434, [41].
checkin: Noon; checkout: Noon. A luxury
one bedroom apartment nestled at the top of the Troubadour Cafe and
Club in Earls Court. Despite the close proximity to all the action
and buzz of the cafe downstairs, the accommodation is quiet and
tranquil. The most important feature of The Garret is a very large
and comfortable Philippe Starck double bed (2.5m square). Antique
furniture, a double sofa bed, high powered shower and free WiFi
internet connection. There is a small kitchenette if you would like
to cook, and breakfast items can be stocked in the fridge. More
likely you will want to go downstairs to the cafe for a properly
filling breakfast or brunch. Room service also available.
£150. edit
- York House Luxury Studio Apartments London,
Philbeach Gardens,
Earl's Court (Close to
Earls Court Exhibition Centre and Earl's Court Tube
Station), ☎ +44 20 7370
6648, [42]. Offers tastefully designed studio apartments
with private shower and kitchenette facilities. edit
| This is a usable article. It has
information for getting in as well as some complete entries for
restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this
article, but please plunge forward and help it grow! |
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