87-569: Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London , bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the sub-districts of South Kensington to the east, Chelsea to the south and Kensington to the northeast. It lent its name to the now defunct eponymous pleasure grounds opened in 1887 followed by
174-495: A Chelsea-Hackney line , with a station in the King's Road near Chelsea Town Hall , and possibly another at Sloane Square. As of June 2019, the plans for Crossrail 2 materialising show the proposed route tunnelling through Chelsea and featuring the planned King's Road Chelsea station on the site of Dovehouse Green. The future of this station, being the only fully new station on the proposed line, remains ambiguous; initial reports of
261-415: A British royal residence. The local authority is Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council . Its motto, adapted from the opening words of Psalm 133 , is Quam bonum in unum habitare , which translates roughly as 'How good it is to dwell in unity'. Chelsea and Kensington were both ancient parishes in the historic county of Middlesex . From 1856 the two parishes were in the area governed by
348-614: A beefed-up operation in the local area. Anna Stec who gave evidence as an expert witness to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry has urged the authorities to test rescue workers, nearby residents and survivors for carcinogenic chemicals following the fire. Religion in Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (2018) The following shows the religious identity of residents residing in Kensington and Chelsea according to
435-452: A commercial character along the southeastern boundary on Earl's Court Road. Mature street trees, verdant planting, and communal gardens contribute to the area's picturesque streetscape. The layout of much of the Earl's Court differed in some respects from earlier developments, such as ones to the south of Old Brompton Road. Unlike the grand spaces of The Boltons or the more modest Ifield Road,
522-452: A half of inhabitants born outside of the UK. The Earl's Court ward had a population of 9,104 according to the 2011 census. The recent change in the area's population is largely owed to rocketing property prices and the continued gentrification of the area. The scale of change is illustrated by the economic divide between the eastern and western areas of Earl's Court. Despite fighting fiercely for
609-541: A key objective. In every corner of the borough signs of its history can be seen: from Grade 1 listed buildings Kensington Palace and the Royal Hospital, Chelsea to others recalled in street names such as Pottery Lane and Hippodrome Mews." In 200 years the area has been transformed from a "rural idyll" to a thriving part of the modern metropolis. Chelsea had originally been countryside upon which Thomas More built Beaufort House . He came to Chelsea in 1520 and built
696-418: A limited palette of materials, including London stock brick and stucco, with vertically sliding timber sash windows. Street trees and verdant front and rear gardens contribute to the picturesque streetscape. Hidden in the middle of this area is London's smallest communal garden, "Providence Patch" built on the site of former stables serving the surrounding houses. A glimpse of the (private) gardens can be seen via
783-510: A live music venue, hosting events such as the farewell concert by the boy-band Take That . At the other end of the scale, it was also used for arena-style opera performances of Carmen and Aida . Archive Movietone newsreel footage (which can be seen on YouTube) captures a unique and powerful rehearsal of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Wilhelm Furtwängler playing the end of Brahms' Fourth Symphony during
870-537: A mix of mid-Victorian terraced houses, built mainly in the Italianate style . These homes feature pale gault brick frontages with stucco dressings, Roman Doric projecting porches, and sash windows. The area also includes St Cuthbert's Church, a Grade I listed building, and Philbeach Gardens . Nevern Square Conservation Area showcases the evolution of architectural styles in the late 19th century. The area includes mid-late Victorian terraced houses, mansion flats, and
957-654: A popular residential area. The Palace was regularly used by reigning monarchs until 1760 and since then by members of the Royal family. Kensington's royal borough status was inherited by the new borough. In the 19th century the last emperor of the Sikh Empire , Maharaja Duleep Singh who was brought to England as a child following the Second Anglo-Sikh War , along with the Koh-i-noor diamond, lived in
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#17327721783771044-491: A post-war reconciliation visit to London. The Prince of Teck is a Grade II listed pub at Earl's Court Road. An early 1940s and 50s Bohemian haunt in the Earl's Court Road was the café, el Cubano , which had piped music and an authentic Italian steam Gaggia coffee machine, a rarity in those days. It was few doors down from the bakery, Beaton's , whose only other outlet was on the King's Road , Chelsea . Also from that era
1131-425: A predominantly residential area, lies to the south, surrounded by busy thoroughfares on the east, west, and south. The residential streets consist of terraced housing, semi-detached houses, and mansion blocks, all built in the mid-late Victorian period. The buildings share a common palette of materials, including yellow or red stock brick, stucco, and stone, with timber sash windows or casement windows. The area also has
1218-527: A single retail outlet and bar, as Soho and Vauxhall established themselves as the new focus. The first public nightclub aimed at a gay clientele, the Copacabana, opened in Earl's Court Road in the late 1970s, but was re-themed as a general venue in the late 1990s. The bar upstairs, Harpoon Louie's (later Harpo's and later still Banana Max), was until the late 1980s among the most popular gay bars in London. It
1305-534: Is South Kensington. Further west, Kensington Mansions, Nevern Square and Philbeach Gardens are built around impressive formal garden settings (access limited to key holding residents). Collingham Road and Harrington Road, also have some unique buildings, many of them used as embassies. "West Earl's Court", lying to the west of Earl's Court Road, is notably different in architecture. White stucco fronted "boutique" hotels in Trebovir Road and Templeton Place, and
1392-431: Is a diverse and vibrant area that comprises several distinct neighborhoods, each with its own unique charm and architectural style. The primary neighborhoods in Earl's Court are Courtfield and Earl's Court Village to the east of Earl's Court Road, and Nevern Square, Earl's Court Square, and Philbeach to the west. Together, these areas form the character of Earl's Court, reflecting the diverse styles and development patterns of
1479-477: Is a major provider of social housing in the borough owning 9,459 properties. Of these over 73 percent are tenanted, with the remainder being leasehold . The management of this housing was devolved to the Kensington and Chelsea TMO (KCTMO), a tenant management organisation . Properties included Trellick Tower . The 2017 Grenfell Tower fire , in which one public-housing tower of the estate Grenfell Tower
1566-454: Is also an electoral ward of the local authority, Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council . Its population at the 2011 census was 9,104. Earl's Court was once a rural area, covered in orchards, green fields and market gardens. The Saxon Thegn Edwin held the lordship of the area prior to the Norman conquest . Subsequently, the land, part of the ancient manor of Kensington , was under
1653-606: Is also known for its picturesque streetscape, with numerous mature street trees and lushly planted garden squares. Traditional cast iron railings around some areas such as the Courtfield Gardens have been restored (the originals having been removed on the orders of the MoD (UK) in 1940 for munitions during the Second World War) creating a more authentic Victorian ambience. The Philbeach Conservation Area comprises
1740-584: Is an Inner London borough with royal status . It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England ; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the United Kingdom. It includes affluent areas such as Notting Hill , Kensington , South Kensington , Chelsea , and Knightsbridge . The borough is immediately west of the City of Westminster and east of
1827-816: Is based at Kensington Town Hall on Horton Street. Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly , the borough forms part of the West Central constituency. The borough is divided between two constituencies represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom : Kensington and Bayswater , held by Joe Powell for the Labour Party , and Chelsea and Fulham (partly in Hammersmith & Fulham ), held by Ben Coleman for
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#17327721783771914-574: Is now a Jollibee restaurant. The oldest pub on the site was the Lord Ranelagh pub (opposite the former Princess Beatrice Hospital) now demolished, that in 1964 spearheaded the local demand for live entertainment. A young, non-gay, male band, the Downtowners, attracted considerable attention. They persuaded many of the local cross-dressers to come into the pub and perform. Thus, the Queen of
2001-695: Is the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art founded in 1861. It was located on the corner of Cromwell Road and Earl's Court Road, until its move to the former Royal Ballet School in Talgarth Road . The next foundation dated 1892, was the London Electronics College (formerly the London School of Telegraphy), which was located at 20 Penywern Road and in its heyday did much to expand the use of Morse code throughout
2088-443: Is the least populated of the 32 London boroughs . Due to its high French population it has long held the unofficial title of the 21st arrondissement of Paris. In 2005, the borough had more of its land covered by domestic buildings than anywhere else in England at 19%, over half the national average. It also had the fifth highest proportion of land covered by non-domestic buildings at 12 percent. As of 2010 statistics released by
2175-522: Is the neighbourhood's local theatre. The area also has a police box of the type used for the TARDIS time machine in the BBC Television series Doctor Who . The blue police box located outside Earl's Court underground station in Earl's Court Road is actually a replica of the traditional GPO police telephone boxes that were once a common sight in the UK from the early 1920s. Earl's Court
2262-481: The Coleherne , dates from the 1880s and had a long history of attracting a bohemian clientele before becoming known as a gay pub. A lifelong resident of Earl's Court Square and social activist, Jennifer Ware, recollects as a child being taken there to Sunday lunch in the 1930s, when drag entertainers performed after lunch had finished. It also became infamous as the stalking ground for three separate serial killers from
2349-476: The Greater London Council . It was a merger of the old metropolitan boroughs of Chelsea and Kensington, and it inherited Kensington's royal borough status. The new borough was originally intended to be called only "Kensington", but after protests from thousands of Chelsea residents, the then Minister of Housing and Local Government, Sir Keith Joseph , announced on 2 January 1964 that the name of
2436-816: The Kensington Central Library , Chelsea Library, Kensal Library, Brompton Library, North Kensington Library and the Notting Hill Gate Library. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is formally twinned with: The following people and military units have received the Freedom of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. 51°30′N 0°11′W / 51.50°N 0.19°W / 51.50; -0.19 William Edwardes, 2nd Baron Kensington William Edwardes, 2nd Baron Kensington (24 April 1777 – 10 August 1852), styled The Honourable William Edwardes until 1801,
2523-684: The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham . It contains major museums and universities in Albertopolis , department stores such as Harrods , Peter Jones and Harvey Nichols , and embassies in Belgravia , Knightsbridge and Kensington Gardens . The borough is home to the Notting Hill Carnival , Europe's largest, and contains many of the most expensive residential properties in the world, as well as Kensington Palace ,
2610-603: The Metropolitan Board of Works , which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London . From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various parish vestries and district boards , with both Chelsea and Kensington being governed by their respective vestries . In 1900
2697-599: The Natural History , Science and Victoria and Albert Museums . The introduction of two Underground stations, and a mass network of railways trapped a triangle of land on the border of the original parishes of Kensington and Fulham. After an unsuccessful attempt to build a Catholic school on the site, the idea of expanding entertainment in the area was probably inspired by the existence of the Lillie Bridge Grounds popular sports facility, just inside
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2784-483: The Office for National Statistics showed that life expectancy at birth for females was 89.8 years in 2008–2010, the highest in the United Kingdom. Male life expectancy at birth for the same period was 85.1 years. The figures in 1991–1993 were significantly lower: 73.0 years for males (ranking 301st in the nation) and 80.0 for females (ranking 129th). Further investigation indicates a 12-year gap in life expectancy between
2871-723: The Piccadilly line in the 1860s, enabled the transformation of Earl's Court from farmland into a Victorian suburb. In the quarter century after 1867, Earl's Court was transformed into a loosely populated Middlesex suburb and in the 1890s a more dense parish with 1,200 houses and two churches. Eardley Crescent and Kempsford Gardens were built between 1867 and 1873, building began in Earl's Court Square and Longridge Road in 1873, in Nevern Place in 1874, in Trebovir Road and Philbeach Gardens in 1876 and Nevern Square in 1880. Gunter estate
2958-474: The Royal Hospital and Holland House . Areas in the borough include: Most parks and open spaces in this borough are quite small, the majority being squares built to service houses around them. The area does contain larger parks, containing Kensington Park and parts of Hyde Park , as well as parts of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries. The local authority is Kensington and Chelsea Council, which
3045-576: The Whig Party . In 1831, he was a prominent supporter of the Reform Bill. Lord Kensington married Dorothy Patricia Thomas, daughter of Richard Thomas, in 1797; they had six sons and two daughters. He died in August 1852, aged 75, and Edwardes Square , London W8 is named in his honour. He was succeeded in the barony by his son William . Another son, George Warren Edwardes (1802–1879), joined
3132-409: The 1840s. By 1852 when Lord Kensington died, development was still confined to the northern part of the estate above Pembroke Road. Meanwhile, the congestion apparent in London and Middlesex for burials at the start of the century was causing public concern not least on health grounds. Brompton Cemetery was duly established by Act of Parliament , laid out in 1839 and opened in 1840, originally as
3219-543: The 1970s to the 1990s: Dennis Nilsen , Michael Lupo and Colin Ireland . It sought to lighten its image with a makeover in the mid-1990s to attract a wider clientele; to no avail, as in December 2008 it underwent a major refurbishment and repositioned itself as a gastro pub with a new name. Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (often known by its acronym as RBKC )
3306-584: The 1990s. Evidently, after WWI, Earl's Court had already acquired a slightly louche reputation if George Bernard Shaw is to be believed, see his Pygmalion . Following the Second World War a number of Polish officers, part of the Polish Resettlement Corps , who had fought alongside Allied Forces, but were unable to return to their homeland under Soviet dominance (see Yalta Conference ), opened small businesses and settled in
3393-659: The 2001, 2011 and the 2021 censuses. The borough has a number of notable churches, including: It is home to a small Spanish and Portuguese synagogue , several mosques and the Sikh Central Gurudwara in Holland Park . There are two Armenian churches – Saint Sarkis Armenian Church and Church of Saint Yeghiche . Westminster Synagogue is also partially located in the borough. The borough's notable districts are home to numerous international diplomatic missions: High Commissions Embassies Within
3480-584: The Blitz much damage was caused by explosive and incendiary bombs, especially along Chelsea's riverside. But worse was to come in 1944 with the arrival of the V2 rockets , or flying bombs. Among the buildings either destroyed or seriously damaged, usually with terrible loss of life, were Chelsea Old Church , Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer , Our Lady of Victories , St Mary Abbots , St Stephens Hospital, St Mary Abbots Hospital , Sloane Square tube station , World's End ,
3567-632: The Earl's Court area leading to Earl's Court Road being dubbed the "Polish Corridor". During the late 1960s a large transient population of Australian, New Zealand and white South African travellers began to use Earl's Court as a UK hub and over time it gained the name "Kangaroo Valley". Immediately after development, Earl's Court was sought-after and had generally middle class population, apart from some poorer pockets. Multi-occupied homes and overcrowding existed in parts of Warwick Road and around Pembroke Place, inhabited mostly by laborers and working class families. Wealthier residents with many servants occupied
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3654-556: The Exhibition Centre was expanded by the construction of a second exhibition hall, Earl's Court 2, which was opened by Princess Diana, herself a former Earl's Court resident. In its heyday the Earls Court Exhibition Centre hosted many of the leading national trade fairs, including the annual British International Motor Show (1937-1976) and Royal Smithfield Show , as well as Crufts dog show and
3741-595: The Fulham boundary, next to West Brompton station. The person who was to bring it to fruition was John Robinson Whitley, an entrepreneur from Leeds who used the land as a show-ground for a number of years from 1887. Whitley did not meet with business success, but his aspirations for Earl's Court took hold for others to fulfil. In 1895 the Great Wheel , a Ferris wheel , was created for the international impresario, Imre Kiralfy 's Empire of India Exhibition . A plaque in
3828-593: The Grade II listed Earl's Court Underground Station . The main focus is Nevern Square, a private garden square surrounded by elegant homes. Development in the area began in the Italianate style, transitioning to the Domestic Revival style, and finally to the construction of mansion flats. Gardens and green corridors play an essential role in the area's character. Earl's Court Square Conservation Area,
3915-463: The Gunter estate was characterized by the typical Kensington "Gardens" – rows of houses backing directly onto private (but communal) ornamental grounds. Even though not every house backed directly onto a garden, the houses still fronted onto the streets in orthodox fashion, rather than presenting their "backs" to the streets. Besides Collingham Gardens designed by Ernest George and Harold Peto ,
4002-610: The Labour Party. At the 2005 General Election , the borough was divided differently: Rifkind held the Kensington seat until the 2015 General Election when he stood down after becoming embroiled in a scandal, uncovered by a television investigation, over accepting money in return for access to influential British diplomats and politicians. At the 2011 census, the borough had a population of 158,649 who were 71 percent White, 10 percent Asian, 5 percent of multiple ethnic groups, 4 percent Black African and 3 percent Black Caribbean. It
4089-582: The Month contest was born. Every Saturday night the pub was packed to capacity. The show ran from September 1964 until May 1965 when the News of the World ran an article entitled 'This show must not go on'. On that Sunday night the pub was so packed that every table and chair had to be removed. Crowds spilled out on to the pavement onto Old Brompton Road. The police closed the show. Many well-known celebrities were among
4176-597: The West of London and Westminster Cemetery. It was consecrated by Charles James Blomfield , Bishop of London , in June 1840, and is now one of Britain's oldest and most distinguished garden cemeteries, served by the adjacent West Brompton station . The construction of the Metropolitan District Railway in 1865–69, which eventually became London Underground 's District Line and was joined after 1907 by
4263-402: The affluent wards of Chelsea (Royal Hospital, Hans Town) and the most northerly wards of North Kensington (Golborne, Dalgarno), which have high levels of social housing and poverty. The borough has a higher proportion (16.6 percent) of high earners (over £60,000 per year) than any other local government district in the country. It has the highest proportion of workers in the financial sector and
4350-541: The area became known for its transient population. Groups settling briefly included Polish refugees, Commonwealth migrants, Arabs, Iranians and Filipinos. The influx led to overcrowded housing conditions and neglect of properties. Some stability returned from the 1970s with residents' associations forming and upgrades to the housing stock. But Earl's Court continued to be known for its rootless, shifting population compared to other more settled Kensington neighbourhoods. Thus, in 1991 it had 30% annual population turnover with almost
4437-525: The area. Paddington and Victoria are the nearest major railway termini; National Rail stations in the borough are Kensington (Olympia) and West Brompton (and partly Kensal Green ), both served by London Overground and Southern . Many London bus routes pass through the borough, most of them along King's Road , Fulham Road , Kensington High Street and Ladbroke Grove . Kensington and Chelsea council has been criticised for its lack of support for cycle lanes and active travel in general. In 2019
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#17327721783774524-455: The army and then the colonial service. London and Edinburgh Gazette entries record his early career: he joined the 17th Dragoons as a Cornet by purchase in 1824, transferred to be a Cornet and Sub-Lieutenant in 2nd Life Guards in the same year, and had risen to captain in 32nd Foot by 1828. In 1836 he went on half-pay in the 14th Foot until transferring to the 72nd Foot in 1840. He was appointed Colonial Auditor at St Helena in 1845 and
4611-582: The beginning of the century, the estate was generating modest rents from farmland and some building leases. There were unsuccessful speculative attempts at development in the 1820s, including failed housing development ventures. A two-mile conversion of the insanitary Counter's Creek into the Kensington Canal (1826 onwards) didn't attract substantial traffic and was followed by its eventual replacement by " Mr Punch's railway ", which ceased operations six months after opening. Building resumed slowly in
4698-480: The borough at 53 Holland Park, while his mother Maharani Jind Kaur (wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh ) lived at the nearby Abingdon House till her death in 1846. During the Second World War civilians suffered great hardship; there were some 800 deaths and 40,000 injuries. A huge army of civilian volunteers was raised, including Auxiliary Fire Service, Red Cross, Air Raid Wardens and Rescue Services. During
4785-478: The borough there are several of London's tourist attractions and landmarks: The council's education department finances state schools. London's Poverty Profile - a 2017 study by Trust for London and the New Policy Institute - found that 75% of 19-year-olds in Kensington and Chelsea have at least a C in their GCSE English and Maths. This is the highest success rate in London. Libraries include
4872-489: The clientele and the Lord Ranelagh, in its incarnations as Bromptons and finally, Infinity , is considered to have played a role in the history of gay liberation. In the 1970s it became a notorious leather bar, with blacked-out windows, attracting an international crowd including the likes of Freddie Mercury , Kenny Everett , and Rudolf Nureyev . The pub was demolished after its closure. The Pembroke pub, formerly
4959-599: The combined forces Royal Tournament , which gave its name to the public house (now demolished) on the corner of Eardley Crescent. The biggest trade fairs migrated to the National Exhibition Centre at Birmingham Airport when it opened in 1988. The longest-running annual show was the Ideal Home Show in April, which attracted tens of thousands of visitors. Otherwise, it was increasingly used as
5046-575: The council vetoed a flagship programme by Transport for London for safer walking and cycling in the borough. In 2020 it scrapped a cycle lane along Kensington High Street just seven weeks after it was installed. In March 2011 the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: underground, metro, light rail, tram, 23.6 percent of all residents aged 16–74; driving a car or van, 8.2 percent; on foot, 8.2 percent; bus, minibus or coach, 8.0 percent; work mainly at or from home, 7.0 percent; bicycle, 3.1 percent; train, 2.1 percent. The RBKC
5133-516: The estate was divided into two parts. The part now known as Holland Park was sold to Henry Fox in 1762. The Earl's Court portion was retained and descended to William Edwardes, 1st Baron Kensington . The original manor house was located on the site of the present-day Earl's Court, where the Old Manor Yard is now, just by Earl's Court tube station , eastern entrance. Earl's Court Farm is visible on Greenwood's map of London dated 1827. In
5220-564: The exhibition centre, according to Dave Hill in The Guardian , the area's economy has been destroyed by this imbalance and the destruction of the exhibition venue. The quality of the Earl's Court built environment attracted many eminent residents over the years. Earl's Court may be within walking distance of High Street Kensington , Holland Park , Kensington Gardens / Hyde Park , the Royal Albert Hall , Imperial College ,
5307-538: The former Earls Court venue commemorated some of these events and that the reclusive Queen Victoria was an occasional visitor to the many shows put on at the site. In 1897 Kiralfy had the Empress Hall built to seat 6,000 in neighbouring Fulham and he had the Earl's Court grounds converted into the style of the 1893 Chicago White City for the Columbian Exposition . More was to come. Not until 1937
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#17327721783775394-548: The greatest income inequality of any London Borough. Private rent for low earners was also found to be the least affordable in London. However, the borough's poverty rate of 28% is roughly in line with the London-wide average. The borough has 12 tube stations, on five of the 11 London Underground lines: the Central line , Circle line , District line , Hammersmith & City line and Piccadilly line . The borough contains
5481-493: The house, which in his day had two courtyards laid out between the house and the river, and in the north of the site acres of gardens and orchards were planted. It was from here in 1535 that More was taken to the Tower and beheaded later that year. This area of Cheyne Walk continued its historic significance; nearby Crosby Hall sits on the river near the Church of Thomas More, and what was once Thomas Carlyle 's residence remains on Cheyne Row . Kensington's royal borough status
5568-458: The impressive late-Victorian mansion flats and town houses of Earl's Court Square, Nevern Square and Kensington Mansions Earl's Court Village is a triangular-shaped conservation area situated behind the bustling Earl’s Court Road and Cromwell Road, comprising Childs Place, Kenway Road, Wallgrave Road and Redfield Lane. The neighborhood retains a village-like charm, with late Georgian and Victorian terraced houses and shops. The buildings are made from
5655-445: The larger houses on Cromwell Road and Lexham Gardens. Over time, the balance tipped from owner-occupiers to lodging houses and flats. By the 1890s, Booth's poverty maps showed the area still wealthy overall but with signs of decline setting in. The large houses built for single families were increasingly converted to flats or operated as boarding houses catering to visitors to nearby Earl's Court Exhibition Centre. After World War II,
5742-407: The late 18th century, the area began to transition from rural estates to suburban housing developments. The surgeon John Hunter had established a home and animal menagerie on the site of the former manor house in 1765. After his death in 1793, the property changed hands several times. For a period in the early 19th century it operated as a lodging house and asylum before being demolished in 1886. At
5829-411: The late 19th century in London. The area is home to many multimillion-pound flats and houses in smart garden squares and residential streets. The southern boundary of Earl's Court is Old Brompton Road, with the area to the west being West Brompton , and the area to the south east being the Beach area of Chelsea. The eastern boundary of Earl's Court is Collingham Gardens and Collingham Road, east of which
5916-456: The lordship of the de Vere family, the Earls of Oxford , descendants of Aubrey de Vere I , who held the manor of Geoffrey de Montbray , bishop of Coutances , according to the Domesday Book 1086. By circa 1095, his tenure had been converted, and he held Kensington directly from the crown. A church had been constructed there by 1104. For centuries, Earl's Court remained associated with the De Vere family, who likely lent their comital title to
6003-406: The lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs , two of which were called Chelsea and Kensington , corresponding to the two parishes. The borough of Kensington was given the honorific title of royal borough in 1901. The modern borough was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 , which reorganised 86 boroughs and urban districts into 32 London boroughs and also created
6090-422: The lowest proportion working in the retail sector. In December 2006 Sport England published a survey which showed that the borough's residents were the fourth most active in England in sports and other fitness activities. 27.9 percent of the population participate at least three times a week for 30 minutes. A 2017 study by Trust for London and the New Policy Institute found that Kensington & Chelsea has
6177-429: The manor house that became known as the "Earl's Court". Ownership later transferred through marriage in the early 17th century to the family of Sir William Cope . His daughter Isabella married Henry Rich , an ambitious courtier who was created 1st Earl of Holland in 1624. The manor subsequently passed to Rich and the house later constructed at Holland Park would bear his name for posterity as Holland House . Eventually,
6264-405: The new borough would be the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Of its history the council states: "Despite the boroughs being separate originally, Kensington and Chelsea still retain their unique characters. Even the amalgamation of the two boroughs, unpopular as it was at the time, has been accepted. Today conservation combined with the adoption of sympathetic new architecture is seen as
6351-561: The original stable entrance way in Wallgrave Road. The Courtfield Conservation Area is a residential neighborhood surrounded by Cromwell Road to the north, Earl’s Court Road to the west, and Old Brompton Road to the south. The area is characterized by Victorian formal terraces, mature gardens, and generous road widths, with buildings primarily dating from 1870 to 1900. Courtfield boasts a mix of architectural styles, including Italianate and red brick terraces, and mansion blocks. The area
6438-527: The pre–World War II Earls Court Exhibition Centre , as one of the country's largest indoor arenas and a popular concert venue, until its closure in 2014. In practice, the notion of Earl's Court, which is geographically confined to the SW5 postal district, tends to apply beyond its boundary to parts of the neighbouring Fulham area with its SW6 and W14 postcodes to the west, and to adjacent streets in postcodes SW7, SW10 and W8 in Kensington and Chelsea. Earl's Court
6525-488: The prominence of mews, with over twice as many than south of Old Brompton Road, the number of individual units was only about a quarter of the houses. Earl's Court adds to the Royal Borough's tally of almost 50 garden squares. Within SW5 they include: The mews include: Earl's Court preceded Soho and Vauxhall as London's premier centre of gay nightlife, though the number of businesses aimed mostly at gay men has dwindled to
6612-457: The rear views of the houses across the gardens were orderly and uniform. Considerable importance was placed on the mews, with Hesper Mews laid out in 1884-85 as the largest and finest stable block under the supervision of various architects. Colbeck Mews (1876-84) also had architect-designed stables by George and Peto. Most mews had the typical arched entrance, and some like Hesper Mews presented attractive flank fronts to adjacent streets. Despite
6699-524: The station idea having been scrapped seem to be contradicted by the station's placement on an official Transport for London map for the route. A Crossrail station on the original Crossrail route, from Paddington to Reading, has been proposed and endorsed by the council. This station would be located near the northern end of Ladbroke Grove , and would serve the areas of North Kensington and Kensal. The council supports this station concept as it would renew infrastructure and build regeneration benefits in
6786-496: The stations of South Kensington , Gloucester Road , High Street Kensington , Earl's Court , Sloane Square , West Brompton , Notting Hill Gate , Holland Park , Latimer Road , Knightsbridge , Westbourne Park and Ladbroke Grove . Chelsea (SW3, SW10 and partly SW1) has significantly less Underground access than Kensington, the only station within Chelsea being Sloane Square . There have for some time been long-term plans for
6873-478: The world. Already in the 1990s it was threatened with closure as technology had moved on. It finally closed in 2017 having served as a further education college offering electronic engineering and IT courses. The third institution was the Poetry Society , founded in 1909 and housed at 21 Earl's Court Square . It decamped to new premises in the recently refurbished Covent Garden district of Central London in
6960-568: Was a British peer and Member of Parliament . He was the instigator of the infamous Kensington Canal . Kensington was the son of William Edwardes, 1st Baron Kensington , who represented Haverfordwest in the House of Commons for over 50 years, and Elizabeth Warren. He was commander of the Cambrian Rangers a fencible regiment stationed in Gibraltar in 1801 He succeeded his father as second Baron Kensington in 1801 but as this
7047-527: Was an Irish peerage it did not entitle him to an automatic seat in the House of Lords . He was instead elected to succeed his father as Member of Parliament for Haverfordwest in 1802, a seat he held until 1818. Haverfordwest was considered a pocket borough of the Picton Castle estate and both Kensington and his father held the seat as part of an arrangement with Lord Milford , the owner of the estate and Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire . He belonged to
7134-411: Was completely destroyed and 72 lives were lost, drew international attention to the borough. After widespread criticism of the borough council's response to the fire, responsibility for providing services to those affected by the fire was taken away from RBKC. Prime Minister Theresa May previously branded the response to the tragedy "not good enough", with Whitehall civil servants drafted in as part of
7221-430: Was developed East of Earl's Court road between 1865 and 1896. Earl's Court's only hospital was opened in 1887 on the corner of Old Brompton Road and Finborough Road. It was named Princess Beatrice Hospital in honour of Queen Victoria's youngest daughter. The hospital closed in 1978. For most of the century, Earl's Court was home to three notable institutions, all now gone. The first and indeed oldest school of its kind
7308-401: Was granted in 1901 as it included of Kensington Palace , where Queen Victoria was born in 1819 and lived until her accession in 1837. Commissioned by King William III , Christopher Wren enlarged and rebuilt the original house in 1689, turning it into a fitting royal residence. With the King came many court officials, servants and followers. Kensington Square, until then a failing venture, became
7395-565: Was still there when his father died. In 1856 he became Governor of Labuan . He was a "bitter enemy of the Brookes ...deeply jealous of Sarawak" (the adjacent British-ruled, albeit independent, power)., which led to his being relieved of his position as Consul-General to Brunei, and his Governorship terminated, in 1861 after he had incurred British government displeasure for his use of the HEIC steamer Victoria to travel to Muka and threaten to fire
7482-538: Was the Earls Court Exhibition Centre opened, with its striking Art Moderne façade facing Warwick Road. A new entrance to Earl's Court tube station was constructed to facilitate easy access to the Exhibition Centre, including direct entrance from the underground passage which connects the District and Piccadilly lines. This was however closed in the 1980s at around the time the capacity of
7569-591: Was the theatre club, Bolton's that in 1955 transformed into arthouse cinema, the Paris Pullman in Drayton Gardens . The Troubadour is a coffee house and a small music venue, which has hosted emerging talent since 1954 – including Bob Dylan , Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Costello . The Drayton Arms is a Grade II listed public house at 153 Old Brompton Road , which is also a theatrical venue. The Finborough Theatre , which opened in 1980,
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