South Kensington

South Kensington is situated in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and is located South-West of Charing Cross.

South Kensington was once an agricultural area supplying London with much of its fruit and vegetables, and although very much a built-up area today, building development didn’t begin much before the middle of the19th century.

Commissioners of the 1851 Great Exhibition were able to purchase 87 acres of land in South Kensington, which combined with the intellectual ambition and vision of Prince Albert was to create a permanent centre for public education. Eventually the location became home to an amazing variety of world class institutions of which include museums, colleges, universities and galleries to mention just a few, each a world leader in its field. Overall they attract over nine million visitors a year therefore making it one of the most important cultural destinations in London.

The Natural History Museum is one of three museums situated in South Kensington and houses some 70 million specimens including an exhibition of dinosaur skeletons. Many of the collections have great historical and scientific value, among which is the Charles Darwin specimen collection.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, world famous for art and design, is home to some 3,000 years worth of stunning artefacts from many of the world’s richest cultures including ceramics, furniture, fashion, glass, jewellery, metalwork, photographs, sculpture, textiles and paintings.

The Science Museum holds the world’s largest and most significant collection illustrating the history and contemporary practice of science, technology, medicine and industry.

Three of the cultural institutions in South Kensington are the English National Ballet, the Royal Albert Hall and the Serpentine gallery. The three post-graduate universities in the area being the Imperial College, the Royal College of Art and the Royal College of Music.

South Kensington is sandwiched between two extremely prosperous areas, that of Knightsbridge and Chelsea, however, it is a location that is difficult to define. Although fairly well-off in its own right, it also provides for a large tourist and student population, both of which contribute to an international, albeit predominantly European, multicultural atmosphere to the area. The focal point is at South Kensington station where there are a large number of shops, restaurants and cafes all of which are particularly useful for the tourist.

The range of businesses and services on offer in South Kensington is vast, and is where establishments dating from the Victorian era rub shoulders with the new and exciting ventures set up by the brilliant young entrepreneur of today. You can find anything from world-renowned auction rooms, to estate agents selling exclusive properties and the most avant-garde hairdressers. There is also a huge choice of every-day services such banks, drycleaners, chemists, and so on.

Travelling into or out of London is easy with the Circle, District and Piccadilly lines serving South Kensington and Gloucester Road stations. Heathrow is about an hour away direct on the Piccadilly line, and Piccadilly Circus is only about 15 minutes away. King’s Cross is about 30 minutes.