52-566: Drayton Gardens is a residential street linking the areas of Chelsea and South Kensington , London SW10. It runs roughly north to south from Old Brompton Road to Fulham Road . Drayton Gardens was once a "rustic lane" in the hamlet of Brompton , lined with a mix of market gardens and country houses, until more suburban villas began to be built in the early 1800s. Later, some of the older houses were demolished, and mansion blocks appeared, including Drayton Court in 1902, and Onslow Court in 1935. The northern half (1-39 and 4-56) formed part of
104-467: A commemorative blue plaque . The socialite Dorothy Fellowes-Gordon and her lifelong companion, the gossip columnist Elsa Maxwell lived there from 1912. In 1926, Margery Blackie , homeopath to Queen Elizabeth II , established a practice there. Bolton's Picture Playhouse, which opened in 1911, gave way to Bolton's Theatre Club in 1947. Until the passage of Theatres Act 1968 , all public performances were subject to censorship, but by operating as
156-668: A flat belonging to his wife Dora. It was there that his son Kim Philby , the notorious NKVD/KGB agent, betrayed Erich Vermehren to the Russians after his defection from the German Abwehr to MI6 in 1944; and where ten years later he organised a press conference at which he temporarily convinced the public that he was not the "Fourth Man". [REDACTED] Media related to Drayton Gardens at Wikimedia Commons 51°29′19″N 0°10′52″W / 51.4886°N 0.1810°W / 51.4886; -0.1810 Chelsea, London Chelsea
208-529: A number of garden squares, Chelsea has several open spaces including Albert Bridge Gardens, Battersea Bridge Gardens, Chelsea Embankment Gardens, the Royal Hospital Chelsea (the grounds of which are used by the annual Chelsea Flower Show ) and Chelsea Physic Garden . In the 18th century, Chelsea Cricket Club was prominent for a time and played its home matches on what was then Chelsea Common , an area that virtually disappeared under building work in
260-481: A population of 3,000. Even so, Chelsea remained rural and served London to the east as a market garden , a trade that continued until the 19th-century development boom which caused the final absorption of the district into the metropolis. The street crossing that was known as Little Chelsea , Park Walk, linked Fulham Road to King's Road and continued to the Thames and local ferry down Lover's Lane, renamed "Milmans Street" in
312-518: A private members' club, the theatre was able to circumvent this requirement. Many of these plays transferred to the West End . After closure and conversion, the building was reopened in 1955 by James Quinn as the Paris Pullman Cinema , which showed art-house films. The final closure came in 1983, when the building was demolished and replaced by a block of flats. From 1960 until his death in 1968,
364-636: A shrine and literary museum by the Carlyle Memorial Trust, a group formed by Leslie Stephen , father of Virginia Woolf . Virginia Woolf set her 1919 novel Night and Day in Chelsea, where Mrs. Hilbery has a Cheyne Walk home. In a book, Bohemia in London by Arthur Ransome which is a partly fictional account of his early years in London, published in 1907 when he was 23, there are some fascinating, rather over-romanticised accounts of bohemian goings-on in
416-568: Is a major landmark on the Chelsea side of the confluence of Chelsea Creek and the Thames. {{{annotations}}} Chelsea also gives its name to nearby locations, such as Chelsea Harbour in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham , and Chelsea Barracks in the City of Westminster . Chelsea includes large parts of the SW3 and SW10 postal districts, and a small section of SW1. This former fashionable village
468-627: Is an affluent area in West London , England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles (4 km). It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area . Chelsea historically formed a manor and parish in the Ossulstone hundred of Middlesex , which became the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea in 1900. It merged with
520-590: Is at the consultation stage. According to plans published by TfL in 2008, it is envisaged that the station would be located on the Dovehouse Green area of King's Road. In late 2020 central government shelved plans to progress the Crossrail 2 project. Metropolitan Borough of Kensington The Metropolitan Borough of Kensington was a metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965, which since 1901
572-503: Is on the Fulham Road, Chelsea, and is now a private residence. Dring the mid-1800s, Cremorne Gardens, London , was a popular pleasure gardens area established in 1845. It continued to operate until 1877. The area lay between Chelsea Harbour and the end of the King's Road. Chelsea's modern reputation as a centre of innovation and influence originated in a period during the 19th century, when
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#1732876748152624-399: Is quickly catching up with Bond Street as one of London's premier shopping destinations, housing a variety of high-end fashion or jewellery boutiques such as Cartier , Tiffany & Co , Dolce & Gabbana , Prada , Gucci , Harrods , Dior , Louis Vuitton , Jimmy Choo , Giorgio Armani , Yves Saint Laurent , Chanel , Valentino , Bvlgari , Gianni Versace and Graff . As well as
676-647: Is served by many Transport for London bus services. Chelsea has no Underground station, but there are two stations close to its boundary; Sloane Square to the east and Gloucester Road to the north (both of these on the District and Circle lines ). In addition, to the west is the London Overground station Imperial Wharf , on the West London Line . A Chelsea railway station (later renamed Chelsea and Fulham ) previously existed on this line, located between
728-689: The Domesday Book and records the fact that Thurstan, governor of the King's Palace during the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042–1066), gave the land to the Abbot and Convent of Westminster. From at least this time, up to 1900, the Manor and Parish of Chelsea included a 144-acre (0.58 km ) exclave which is now known as Kensal Town . The exclave, which was once heavily wooded, was sometimes also known as Chelsea-in-the-Wilderness . Abbot Gervace subsequently assigned
780-695: The First World War , St Mark's College was requisitioned by the War Office to create the 2nd London General Hospital, a facility for the Royal Army Medical Corps to treat military casualties. It merged with St John's College, Battersea, in 1923, establishing a single institution in Chelsea as the College of St Mark & St John. In 1973 it moved to Plymouth, having outgrown the Chelsea campus. The former chapel of St Mark's College, designed by Edward Blore
832-525: The Household Division . Situated on the Westminster side of Chelsea Bridge Road, it was bought for re-development by a property group from Qatar . St Mark's College, Chelsea , was founded in 1841, based on the beliefs of The Reverend Derwent Coleridge , son of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge , its first principal: that its primary purpose was to widen the educational horizons of its students. During
884-609: The King's Road and the Fulham Road in neighbouring Fulham, but this was closed in 1940 following World War II bomb damage and later demolished. There is a proposal to construct a Chelsea Underground station on the King's Road as part of the Crossrail 2 project (also known as the Chelsea-Hackney line ). The project, run by Transport for London , has not yet been approved or funded but
936-494: The Metropolitan Borough of Kensington , forming the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea upon the creation of Greater London in 1965. The exclusivity of Chelsea as a result of its high property prices historically resulted in the coining of the term " Sloane Ranger " in the 1970s to describe some of its residents, and some of those of nearby areas. Chelsea is home to one of the largest communities of Americans living outside
988-510: The Ossulstone Hundred of the county of Middlesex . The area covered by the civil parish became the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea in 1900, part of a new County of London . At that time, the exclave of Kensal Town , which had been part of Chelsea since at least the time of the 11th-century Saxon King Edward the Confessor , was removed from Chelsea and divided between the new boroughs of Kensington and Paddington (each of which
1040-590: The 18th century and was patronised by the Georgian royalty. At Easter, great crowds would assemble on the open spaces of the Five Fields – subsequently developed as Belgravia . The Bun House would then do a great trade in hot cross buns and sold about quarter of a million on its final Good Friday in 1839. The area was also famous for its "Chelsea China" ware, though the works, the Chelsea porcelain factory – thought to be
1092-403: The 18th century. King's Road , named for Charles II, recalls the King's private road from St James's Palace to Fulham , which was maintained until the reign of George IV . One of the more important buildings in King's Road, the former Chelsea Town Hall , popularly known as "Chelsea Old Town hall" – a fine neo-classical building – contains important frescoes . Part of the building contains
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#17328767481521144-436: The 1960s Swinging London period and the early 1970s. The Swinging Sixties was defined on King's Road, which runs the length of the area. The Western end of Chelsea featured boutiques Granny Takes a Trip and The Sweet Shop, the latter of which sold medieval silk velvet caftans, tabards and floor cushions, with many of the cultural cognoscenti of the time being customers, including Twiggy and many others. The "Chelsea girl"
1196-458: The 19th century. Records have survived of five matches between 1731 and 1789 which involved the Chelsea club and/or were played on the common. Chelsea Football Club is located at Stamford Bridge in neighbouring Fulham , adjacent to the border with Chelsea. As a result of Chelsea's expensive location and wealthy residents, Chelsea F.C. has the wealthiest local supporters in England. Chelsea
1248-595: The Census, which excludes Kensal New Town before 1901, was: Kensington Vestry 1801–1899 Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961 Under the Metropolis Management Act 1855 any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; however the parish of St Mary Abbots Kensington had already been divided into three wards by the Kensington Improvement Act 1851 ( 14 & 15 Vict. c. cxvi). So
1300-466: The Chelsea Flower show is held annually. The former Duke of York's Barracks (built 1801–3) off King's Road is now part of Duke of York Square, a redevelopment including shops and cafes and the site of a weekly "farmers' market". The Saatchi Gallery opened in the main building in 2008. Chelsea Barracks , at the end of Lower Sloane Street, was also in use until recently, primarily by ceremonial troops of
1352-483: The Chelsea Public Library. Almost opposite stands the former Odeon Cinema , now Habitat , with its iconic façade which carries high upon it a large sculptured medallion of the now almost-forgotten William Friese-Greene , who claimed to have invented celluloid film and cameras in the 1880s before any subsequent patents. The memorials in the churchyard of Chelsea Old Church , near the river, illustrate much of
1404-520: The Day Estate, and was a three-acre field known as Rosehall or Rose Hawe, which the Day family acquired by the marriage in 1743 of Benjamin Day, the son of a wealthy Norwich weaver, to Ann Dodemead, daughter and co-heir of Walter Dodemead of Covent Garden . Scientist Rosalind Franklin , who discovered the structure of DNA, lived at number 107 (Donovan Court) until her death, and in 1992, English Heritage placed
1456-613: The King's Road), and saw the birth of the British punk movement. On 27 November 1974, the London unit of the Provisional Irish Republican Army exploded twin bombs on Tite Street , injuring 20 people. Chelsea Manor was served by the ancient parish of Chelsea. (Such parish units were typically in place by the end of the twelfth century with their boundaries, based on those of the constituent manor or manors, rarely if ever changing. ) The manor and parish formed part of
1508-499: The Manor House; Princess Elizabeth – the future Queen Elizabeth I – resided there; and Thomas More lived more or less next door at Beaufort House . In 1609 James I established a theological college, "King James's College at Chelsey" on the site of the future Royal Hospital Chelsea , which Charles II founded in 1682. By 1694, Chelsea – always a popular location for the wealthy, and once described as "a village of palaces" – had
1560-660: The United States, with 6.53% of Chelsea residents having been born in the U.S. The word Chelsea (also formerly Chelceth , Chelchith , or Chelsey , ) originates from the Old English term for "landing place [on the river] for chalk or limestone" ( Cealc-hyð : chalk - wharf , in Anglo-Saxon ). Chelsea hosted the Synod of Chelsea in 787 AD. The first record of the Manor of Chelsea precedes
1612-475: The age of 22, and he remained there until his retirement in 1939; he was appointed Chief Librarian in 1929. In 1980, the building was purchased by Chelsea College of Art and Design . The Chelsea Society , formed in 1927, remains an active amenity society concerned with preserving and advising on changes in Chelsea's built environment. Chelsea Village and Chelsea Harbour are new developments outside of Chelsea itself. Chelsea shone again, brightly but briefly, in
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1664-405: The area became a Victorian artists' colony ( see Borough of artists below ). It became prominent once again as one of the centres of the " Swinging London " of the 1960s, when house prices were lower than in the staid Royal Borough of Kensington . Chelsea once had a reputation as London's bohemian quarter, the haunt of artists, radicals, painters and poets. Little of this seems to survive now –
1716-506: The author and artist Mervyn Peake lived at no 1. His widow Maeve Gilmore , artist and memoirist, continued to live there until her death, having decorated the house with murals. Adelaide Hall , the jazz singer and entertainer, lived at no 74, with her husband Bert Hicks. Sir William Arbuthnot Lane, 1st Baronet and Lady Frittie Arbuthnot Lane lived next door at no 72. St John Philby , the orientalist and explorer, lived in Grove Court in
1768-533: The comfortable squares off King's Road are homes to, amongst others, investment bankers and film stars. The Chelsea Arts Club continues in situ ; however, the Chelsea College of Art and Design , founded in 1895 as the Chelsea School of Art, moved from Manresa Road to Pimlico in 2005. The Chelsea Book Club, at no. 65 Cheyne Walk (Lombard Terrace), a bookshop that also presented exhibitions and lectures, held
1820-591: The first exhibition of African art in London (sculpture from Ivory Coast and Congo) in 1920, and was the first bookshop to stock Joyce's Ulysses in 1922. Sold in 1928 owing to financial problems, it became the Lombard Restaurant. Its reputation stems from a period in the 19th century when it became a sort of Victorian artists' colony: painters such as James Webb , Dante Gabriel Rossetti , J. M. W. Turner , James McNeill Whistler , William Holman Hunt , and John Singer Sargent all lived and worked here. There
1872-406: The first workshop to make porcelain in England – were sold in 1769, and moved to Derby . Examples of the original Chelsea ware fetch high values. The best-known building is Chelsea Royal Hospital for old soldiers, set up by Charles II (supposedly on the suggestion of Nell Gwynne ), and opened in 1694. The beautifully proportioned building by Christopher Wren stands in extensive grounds, where
1924-461: The history of Chelsea. These include Lord and Lady Dacre (1594/1595); Lady Jane Cheyne (1698); Francis Thomas , "director of the china porcelain manufactory"; Sir Hans Sloane (1753); Thomas Shadwell , Poet Laureate (1692). The intended tomb Sir Thomas More erected for himself and his wives can also be found there, though More is not in fact buried here. In 1718, the Raw Silk Company
1976-471: The incorporated vestry inherited these wards and assigned vestrymen to them: The Holy Trinity Brompton (27), St John's Notting Hill & St James' Norland (27) and St Mary Abbots (30). In 1894 as its population had increased the incorporated vestry was re-divided into eight wards (electing vestrymen ): Golborne (18), Norland (15), Pembridge (15), Holland (15), Earl's Court (12), Queen's Gate (15), Redcliffe (15) and Brompton (15). The metropolitan borough
2028-512: The manor to his mother, and it passed into private ownership. By 1086 the Domesday Book records that Chelsea was in the hundred of Ossulstone in Middlesex , with Edward of Salisbury as tenant-in-chief. King Henry VIII acquired the manor of Chelsea from Lord Sandys in 1536; Chelsea Manor Street is still extant. Two of King Henry's wives , Catherine Parr and Anne of Cleves , lived in
2080-584: The quarter. The American artist Pamela Colman Smith , the designer of A. E. Waite 's Tarot card pack and a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn , features as "Gypsy" in the chapter "A Chelsea Evening". A central part of Chelsea's artistic and cultural life was Chelsea Public Library, originally situated in Manresa Road. Its longest-serving member of staff was Armitage Denton, who joined in 1896 at
2132-608: The river's route now used by the West London Line . Chelsea Football Club's Stamford Bridge home, lies just west of the Counter's Creek in Fulham, and takes its name from a bridge which carried the Fulham Road over the river. The bridge was also known as Little Chelsea Bridge. The southern Thames frontages run west from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment past Albert Bridge and Battersea Bridge to Chelsea Creek. Lots Road
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2184-461: Was a particularly large concentration of artists in the area around Cheyne Walk and Cheyne Row , where the Pre-Raphaelite movement had its heart. The artist Prunella Clough was born in Chelsea in 1919. The architect John Samuel Phene lived at No. 2 Upper Cheyne Row between 1903 and his death in 1912. He installed numerous artefacts and objets d'art around the house and gardens and it
2236-505: Was a symbol, media critic John Crosby wrote, of what "men [found] utterly captivating", flaunting a " 'life is fabulous' philosophy". Chelsea at this time was home to the Beatles and to Rolling Stones members Brian Jones , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . In the 1970s, the World's End area of King's Road was home to Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood 's boutique " SEX " (at Number 430,
2288-459: Was absorbed into London during the eighteenth century. Many notable people of 18th-century London, such as the bookseller Andrew Millar , were both married and buried in the district. King's Road is one of the district's major thoroughfares, a street which despite its continuing reputation as a shopping mecca, is now home to many of the same shops found on other British high streets , such as Gap , and McDonald's . Sloane Street and its environs
2340-495: Was also known as the Royal Borough of Kensington. The status was granted after the death of Queen Victoria , in accordance with her wish (she was born at Kensington Palace in the borough). In 1965 it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea to form the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea . A number of street signs in the area still bear the designation "Royal Borough of Kensington". The old Town Hall
2392-485: Was bounded by rivers on three sides with Fulham Road forming part of its northern boundary with Kensington . The eastern boundary with Westminster was formed by the River Westbourne , but was adjusted to follow Chelsea Bridge Road after the river was culverted. The short western boundary with Fulham was formed by the former Counter's Creek , of which the mouth - Chelsea Creek - is the only surviving part, with
2444-544: Was demolished "in controversial circumstances" involving an impending conservation order in June 1982. The coat of arms is derived from those of the former Lords of the Manor, and that of the parish church, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The Kensington borough covered 2,291 acres (9.3 km ) once part of Kensal New Town (a detached part of Chelsea before 1901) became incorporated. The population of Kensington recorded in
2496-434: Was divided into nine wards for elections: Brompton, Earl's Court, Golborne, Holland, Norland, Pembridge, Queen's Gate, Redcliffe and St Charles. For elections to Parliament , the borough was divided into two constituencies: In 1950 the borough's representation was increased to two and a half seats, when part of it was merged with Chelsea : In 2010, the constituencies of Kensington North and South were merged to create
2548-470: Was established in Chelsea Park , with mulberry trees and a hothouse for raising silkworms. At its height in 1723, it supplied silk to Caroline of Ansbach , then Princess of Wales. Chelsea once had a reputation for the manufacture of Chelsea buns , made from a long strip of sweet dough tightly coiled, with currants trapped between the layers, and topped with sugar. The Chelsea Bun House sold these during
2600-402: Was known as the Royal Borough of Kensington , following the death of Queen Victoria , in accordance with her wishes. It bordered Chelsea , Fulham , Hammersmith , Paddington , and Westminster . It included Kensington , South Kensington , Earls Court , Notting Hill , Brompton and part of Kensal Green . In 1901 it was granted the status of a royal borough , and therefore from then
2652-522: Was known locally as the "Gingerbread Castle". It was demolished in 1924. Chelsea was also home to writers such as George Meredith , Algernon Charles Swinburne , Leigh Hunt and Thomas Carlyle . Jonathan Swift lived in Church Lane, Richard Steele and Tobias Smollett in Monmouth House. Carlyle lived for 47 years at No. 5 (now 24) Cheyne Row . After his death, the house was bought and turned into
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#17328767481522704-426: Was otherwise based on its corresponding ancient parish). The parliamentary constituency of Chelsea , which was identical to the parish, retained Kensal Town until 1918. In 1965 the area merged with the Metropolitan Borough of Kensington to form the modern London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea . The parish and borough of Chelsea, which now forms the southern part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea ,
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