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Home > About Kensington
About Kensington|Explore eclectic London from the Tara Hotel
About Kensington
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea first originated from Saxon settlements and was
originally a village outside London's walls to the southwest of the City of London. As London
grew, Kensington and Chelsea were absorbed and soon came to be the place to be seen and home to
countless famous people over the centuries as well as the location of the most fashionable areas
for shopping and social gathering -
Knightsbridge
,
Kensington High Street
and
King's Road
.
Royalty first moved into the area in 1689 when William III moved into
Kensington Palace
. Queen Victoria was born in the Palace in 1819 and continued to reside there until her
accession to the throne in 1837. With Queen Victoria's wishes, the title "Royal Borough" was given
to Kensington in 1901, after her death. The history of Kensington further says that when Queen
Victoria's husband Prince Albert died at an early age, it was in Kensington that the young Queen
chose to build the large and intricate monument to him; which today stands opposite the Royal
Albert Hall on Kensington Road. Princess Diana also lived in the Palace until her death.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea - only united until 1965 - also borders on two
large and well known parks -
Hyde
Park
and
Kensington Gardens
– where a large number of top concerts and events take place every year. Exploring the
Kensington history further, in Victorian times, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea also
became a centre for study, learning and culture, emphasised by such famous and elegant buildings as
the
Natural History
Museum
, with its astounding Gothic façade,
London's Science
Museum
, the
Victoria and Albert
Museum
and the world famous
Royal Albert
Hall. Imperial College, part of the University of London, and the Royal College of
Music were also established in the area.
Also just outside the borough, are two of London's premier exhibition and conference centres - Earls Court and Olympia. Earls Court is home to such major exhibitions as the Ideal Home Exhibition, the Book Fair and the World Travel Market. The exhibition centres are within an easy walk or drive from the Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington. Another popular and famous aspect of Kensington & Chelsea is its myriad shopping
opportunities, most of which have an air of luxury. Names like Harrods, Sloane Street and Harvey
Nichols conjure up ideas of high living and high society, but this is not all that the borough of
Kensington has to offer.
People looking for a quainter and alternative shopping experience may be interested in heading
to
Portobello Market
on Portobello road, a location within walking distance of the Copthorne Tara Hotel that
hosts the world's largest antiques market. The market is run by the Portobello Antiques Dealers
Association, which was founded in 1985 with the aim of promoting the antiques shopping area of
Portobello Road and Westbourne Grove. Today, the shops and stalls of Portobello Road sell a huge
variety of products, ranging in price from just a few pounds to several thousands. Just as
trendy and popular as this famous market is the area to which it belongs, Notting Hill, which is a
short and enjoyable walk from the Copthorne Tara Hotel in Kensington. These days, Notting Hill has
a reputation as one of London's most popular areas, but this was not always the case. The area used
to be known as one of the capital's worst districts and only began to enjoy redevelopment in the
1970s and 80s. The regeneration that the area has experienced has been so pronounced that it is now
the location of one of London's best-known annual events – the
Notting Hill Carnival
. This massive festival is held every August and, having attracted up to two million
people in the past, is the second largest street festival in the world, after Rio de
Janeiro's. |
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