Welcome to Kensington

Kensington

Hamptons offers you a warm welcome to Kensington

Congratulations, if you are house hunting in Kensington, you have already won. A home in this great area with all it offers, automatically makes you the envy of many. Now in order to make your transition as smooth and hassle free as possible Hamptons have put together this great guide which will help you choose the best schools, learn a little about planning and building control, read tips on where to shop, eat and lot’s more, all packed into one little guide with clickable links. Perhaps most importantly we have researched some of the leading local professionals and experts who can help you add value and personalise your soon to be new home. A big WELCOME and enjoy.

A little bit of history

There has been a settlement here since Saxon times and Kensington is referenced in the Domesday Book of 1086. The area has been home to royalty since the 17th century and Queen Victoria was born in Kensington Palace in 1819. It was at Victoria’s request that Kensington became an official ‘Royal Borough’ on her death in 1901. The rich and famous flock to the area, with prominent residents including Richard Branson, Rowan Atkinson and James Dyson.

Kensington is one of the most expensive areas in London and property here comes at a premium. It is best known for its elegant Georgian townhouses, many with distinctive white stucco frontages, but striking red brick Victorian mansion blocks, charming mews houses and luxury new build apartments also form a key part of the architectural landscape.

Why move to Kensington?

There is truly something for everyone here, with an array of boutiques and shops, high-end restaurants, world class museums and lavish properties. Kensington also borders many of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, including Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Earl’s Court and Notting Hill.

Kensington High Street is home to many firm favourites such as H&M, Waterstones and Decathlon, while Kensington Church Street has an array of independent boutiques and specialty stores, selling everything from clothing and homeware at Cologne & Cotton to fresh local produce at Chegworth Farm Shop.

Exhibition Road in South Kensington is home to such internationally renowned institutions as the Natural History and Science Museums, Imperial College London and the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is the world’s largest art and design museum. The area is also home to the Olympia exhibition centre which is serviced by Kensington (Olympia) overground station.

Chic, educational, and vibrant are just some of the ways to describe London’s South Kensington neighborhood. The neighborhood, part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, has long been associated with culture and luxury spurned by the extensive construction of museums and real estate following the Great Exhibition of 1851. You’d be hard-pressed to find another enclave of the city with such a dense cluster of cultural and academic institutions, from world-class galleries to prestigious universities. It’s also an elegant residential area that attracts the attention of visitors and residents alike.

South Kensington is bordered by equally stylish neighborhoods. It lies north of Chelsea, south of Hyde Park, west of Knightsbridge, and east of Earls Court. Its position in London places it in a prime location near the center of the action! An array of shops, museums, parks, restaurants, and theatres give the area its dynamic character, and make it one of the most popular real estate markets in London. Visitors come for the upscale boutiques, art galleries, antiques dealers, and designer furnishing retailers. Francophiles will love South Kensington for its French influence. As well as the many French expatriates who live here, you’ll find the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle secondary school, the French Institute, and the Consulate General of France in London. To help you visualize the neighborhood, our video guide of Kensington covers the region and the bordering neighborhood of Chelsea.

You’ll feel like a local when you explore the culinary, shopping, and sightseeing delights of South Kensington!

There’s no better way to live like a local than to go where the locals go, including coffee shops, restaurants, and pubs! Thankfully, South Kensington has plenty to offer. The difficult part will be choosing which to sample first!

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FAMOUS RESIDENTS

Kensington and the surrounding area has been a home to rockstars, celebrities, athletes, academics, artists and common or garden members of the upper-crust for generations. Here are a few notable names you may or may not know..

Andrew Lloyd Webber,

Composer

Jennifer Saunders,

Actress

Roman Abramovich, Joan Collins, Actress, Writer Sarah Brightman, Singer, Actress Nigella Lawson, Celebrity Cook Elle Macpherson, Fashion Model Lawrence Hayward, Singer Cara Delevingne and Poppy Delevingne grew up in a Belgravia mansion, Supermodels Fiona Shackleton, Royal Solicitor Aditya Mittal, Chief Financial Officer Matthew Arnold, Poet and Critic Margaret Thatcher, former British Conservative Prime Minister, lived at No. 73 until shortly before her death in 2013 Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, American-born violinist, and conductor Tony Curtis, Actor Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews, film director and his actress wife, lived here for a few years in the early 1970s after their departure from Hollywood Frankenstein Author Mary Shelley, (1797–1851) Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister, (1867–1947) Sir Sean Connery, Actor Sir Roger Moore, Actor