West Kensington, London
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| West Kensington | |
  West Kensington shown within Greater London |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| London borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | W14 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| European Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Hammersmith and Fulham |
| London Assembly | West Central |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
West Kensington is an area of west London primarily located within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, encompassing some western areas of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located 3.6 miles (5.5 km) west of Charing Cross. West Kensington, the London postal area of W14 is roughly defined as the area between Brook Green & Hammersmith Road to the west, Fulham to the south, Shepherd's Bush to the north and Kensington to the east.
It is best known as home to the Olympia Exhibition Centre and the Queen's Club sports complex [1] .
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[edit] Location in Context
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[edit] Residential
West Kensington is primarily a residential area consisting mainly of Victorian terraced houses, many of which are subdivided into flats. There are excellent examples of Victorian architecture, with several houses and some entire streets listed - including the imposing mansion blocks of Fitzgeorge Avenue (off North End Road). There are also a number of ex-local and local authority buildings around the North End Road, including the recently renovated Lytton Estate. Many of these buildings have been sold off to first-time buyers and young professionals. A more recent private development, St Paul's Court, was built in 1980 on the former site of St Paul's School.
[edit] Businesses & Schools
Business is mostly limited to small shops, offices and restaurants, but the Olympia Exhibition Centre is nearby. There are also several pubs and hotels. Carnival Store is a famous fancy dress and costume shop located in the same premises and family owned for the past 40 years. A Tesco supermarket recently opened nearby in West Cromwell Road, creating new jobs perhaps but undoubtedly having negative impacts for the many local, independently owned shops. Indeed, it is the mix of local shops that give the place its character. There is also easy access to High Street Kensington. West Kensington is also home to the St James Independent School for Junior Boys and Girls and St James Independent School for Senior Girls.
[edit] Transportation
West Kensington is remarkably well serviced by public transport, owing to its central location between Fulham, Hammersmith and Kensington.
- Tube: Four separate Tube lines are within a 5 to 15 minute walk of West Kensington - District Line from West Kensington Station, Piccadilly Line from Barons Court/Earl's Court, Circle and District Line from High Street Kensington and Hammersmith and City Line from Hammersmith station.
- Overground: The London Overground is available from Kensington (Olympia) station.
- Bus: Several Bus routes are available in the area including the 28.
- Road: West Kensington is also conveniently located close to the A4 (West Cromwell Road) with links to the West and Heathrow and High Street Kensington with links to the Central London/West End.
[edit] Nearest Tube Stations
- West Kensington tube station
- Barons Court tube station
- Kensington Olympia station
- Earl's Court tube station - Warwick Road Entrance
- High Street Kensington tube station
- Hammersmith tube station
[edit] Nearest Locations and Places of Interest
- Queen's Club - home to The Queen's Club Championships [2].
- Olympia, London Exhibition Centre
- Sotheby's central London sales room is located at the Olympia, London
- West Brompton - North End Road Market
- Earls Court Exhibition Centre
- Kensington High Street
- Holland Park
- Fulham Broadway
- Hammersmith
[edit] Famous residents
- Peg Entwistle; noted Broadway actress whose 1932 suicide from atop the Hollywood sign forever tagged her as "The Hollywood Sign Girl" had her earliest childhood at 53 Comeragh Road in West Kensington. [3]
- Mahatma Gandhi lived in West Kensington for a year while a student.
- Edward Elgar lived for some years in Avonmore Road [4].
- Tom Felton was born here
- James MacLaren designed 22 and 22A Avonmore Road for sculptor HR Pinkes [5].
- Estelle the West London rapper was born and raised in West Kensington; her song "1980" was written about her experiences growing up in the area.
- Henry Rider Haggard lived for several years in Gunterstone Road, West Kensington, and wrote "King Solomon's Mines" and "She (novel)" while living there.
- Marcus Garvey, Pan Africanist, founder of the Black Star Line shipping company and the UNIA, lived and died in West Kensington.
- Sir Edward Burne-Jones, acclaimed Victorian architect, resided at the Grange, North End Crescent in West Ken [6].
- Sir Stirling Moss, Formula 1 Champion was born in West Kensington - Sep 17th 1929.
- William Butler Yeats lived in Edith Villas with his family in 1867 [7].
- James Hunt Formula 1 Champion lived in Normand Mews between 1980 and 1982 [8].
- Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman 's Long Way Down office was based on Avonmore Road, West Ken [9].
- Konnie Huq owns property in the area [10].
- Billionaire David Reuben has lived at the same West Kensington house for the past 20 years. [11].
[edit] Sociology & Rejuvenation
West Kensington straddles the boarder between the boroughs of Fulham/Hammersmith and Kensington/Chelsea. Although it is true that West Kensington has not experienced the same level of investment and rejuvenation as its neighbours Earl’s Court and Fulham, it does have a major advantage in its location. The lack of rejuvenation in certain parts means that the area around the North End Road/West Ken tube station has a bustling/rough-and-ready vibe. However new building and renovation efforts are ongoing.
An influx of spill-over wealth from Kensington means that the area has already experienced change including the opening of more speciality shops, eateries and gastro pubs. People generally opt for West Kensington over neighbouring areas due to the lower comparative property prices and relative grandeur of the properties. [12] [13] [14] [15]
[edit] Trivia
Heather Graham and Mia Kirshner play upper-middle-class dilettantes from West Kensington in the 2008 movie Buy Borrow Steal [16].
The "Famous Three Kings" pub was the venue of Joy Division’s last London gig [17].
[edit] References & Links
- ^ The Queen's Club
- ^ The Artois Championships
- ^ [1] The Hollywood Sign Girl
- ^ The Elgar Trail
- ^ Olympia and Avonmore Character profile, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
- ^ Melbury Road, Leighton House, and the Holland Park Artists' Houses
- ^ New York Times WB Yeats "A Life"
- ^ Telegraph Article "Colourful Past" Nos 7&8 Normand Mews
- ^ The Long Way Down Office
- ^ Konnie Huq Article - Daily Mail
- ^ Britain's Billionaires
- ^ PropertyInvesting.net UK Property Hotspots in 2007
- ^ Evening Standard Article - Property slump? House prices in London just keep going up
- ^ Information Britain
- ^ Institute for Public Policy Research Article - "Diversity Works"
- ^ Daily Brendan Gunn - Dialogue Coach Article
- ^ Landmarks of Rock
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