South Kensington

See also: Kensington

South Kensington is a district " tray posh" Royal Borough de Kensington and Chelsea, near to the center of London. To note the strong French concentration of this district.

It is with 2.4 miles (3.9 kilometers) of west-south-west of Charing Cross.

It is difficult to define borders of South Kensington, but when people speak about it, they generally refer to the commercial sector around the subway station and places and adjacent streets to the garden (such as Thurloe Square, vis-a-vis Victoria and Albert Museum). The small district around the subway station of Gloucester Road can also be regarded as part of South Kensington, as well as the sector around Exhibition Road, which includes the Muséum of natural history of London, the Science Museum, the Royal Albert Hall, the Imperial College, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Royal College off Music, although is officially part of the small sector known under the name of Knightsbridge. Although zip code SW7 represents South Kensington, some parts of Kensington also fall under this zip code. Only the south of Cromwell Road is regarded as being in South Kensington.

Isolated between the extremely rich districts from Knightsbridge and Chelsea, it is more difficult to characterize South Kensington. Although being a rich sector in general, it also accommodates tourists and students; first is reflected by the type of the stores and restaurants around the subway station, while the last is shown by the residence halls and the great number of schools of language in the sector, which attract a considerable number foreign students.

The foreign students and a great number of the tourists contribute to an atmosphere (mainly European) international with the sector. A great number of French, Spanish and Italian citizens live in the sector. A significant French presence is shown by the consulate, the French Lycée Charles de Gaulle and the Institute French, house of the French cinema. There are also several French bookstores and coffees in the sector.

History

The sector was developed mainly little until the medium of 19th, being an agricultural zone providing to London fruits and vegetables. However, according to the great exposure of 1851 in Hyde Park, a sector of 87 acres (352.000m ²) around what is now Exposition Road was bought by the police chiefs of the exposure, in order to create houses devoted to arts and sciences - having for result the base of the museums and the university. The adjacent landowners started to develop their ground in the years 1860 because of the creation of new roads and the boom in the land development around London, and the absorption of South Kensington in London was sealed by the arrival of the subway with Gloucester Road and South Kensington in 1868, binding the sector directly to the principal railway termini and the political, commercial and financial hearts of the city

Notable residents

Francis Bacon (October 28th, 1909 in Dublin - April 28th, 1992 in Madrid) was a British painter. He lived to the 7 Cromwell Place.
Charles Booth (1840-1916), social Pionnier of research living to the 6 Grenvile Places.
Sir Henry Sticks (1808-1882), first director of the Victoria Museum living to the 33 Thurloe Square.
Benny Hill (1924-1992), actor living to the 1 and 2 Queen' S Spoils.
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1853-1917), actor living to the 31 Rosary Gardens.

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