A borough of Greater London in southeast England on the north bank of the Thames River. Kensington is noted for Kensington Palace, the principal royal residence in the 18th century; Chelsea is known for its literary associations.
Kensington and Chelsea
Dictionary:
Ken·sing·ton and Chel·sea (kĕn'zĭng-tən; chĕl'sē)  |
A borough of Greater London in southeast England on the north bank of the Thames River. Kensington is noted for Kensington Palace, the principal royal residence in the 18th century; Chelsea is known for its literary associations.
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| Columbia Encyclopedia: Kensington and Chelsea |
Kensington and Chelsea, inner borough (1991 pop. 127,600) of Greater London, SE England. Kensington is largely residential with fashionable shopping streets and several luxurious hotels. Portobello Road is a well-known street market. The area has undergone extensive urban renewal and contains blocks of large, tall flats. In the borough are three bridges: Battersea, Albert, and Chelsea. A large park, Kensington Gardens, adjoins Hyde Park. The gardens originally were the grounds of Kensington Palace (Nottingham House), partially designed by Christopher Wren, which was the home of William and Mary, Queen Anne, and George I and George II. Holland House was the residence of the Fox family and, for a time, of William Penn. South Kensington is a center of colleges and museums; it is the site of the natural history section of the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, the Royal College of Art, and the Royal College of Science, among others. Albert Hall, a concert hall, is also there. Chelsea is a literary and artistic quarter. Sir Thomas More, D. G. Rossetti, James Whistler, Charles Dickens, and many others were associated with it. Thomas Carlyle's house is there. Chelsea Old Church, part of which dates from the 13th cent., includes the Chapel of Sir Thomas More (1528). The church, as well as the Royal Hospital for Soldiers also designed (1682-92) by Wren, was badly damaged in World War II.
| Wikipedia: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea |
| Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | |
 Shown within Greater London |
|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Status | London borough Royal borough |
| Area — Total |
Ranked 325th 12.13 km2 (4.7 sq mi) |
| ONS code | 00AW |
| Admin HQ | Kensington |
| Demographics | |
| Population — Total (2008 est.) — Density |
Ranked 92nd (of 326) 180,300 14,864 /km2 (38,498 /sq mi) |
| Ethnicity White British White Irish Other White White & Black Caribbean White & Black African White & Asian Other Mixed Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Other Asian Black Caribbean Black African Other Black Chinese Other |
(2005 estimates)[1] 50.2% 2.7% 24.2% 0.8% 0.6% 1.2% 1.4% 3.0% 1.1% 0.9% 1.4% 2.2% 3.5% 0.6% 2.7% 3.6% |
| Politics | |
| Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council | |
 |
|
| Leadership | Leader & Cabinet |
| Mayor | Cllr Timothy Coleridge |
| Executive | Conservative |
| MPs | Karen Buck (Lab) Malcolm Rifkind (Con) |
| London Assembly — Member |
West Central Kit Malthouse (Con) |
| Coat of Arms | |
 |
|
| Official website | http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/ |
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (often abbreviated to RBKC, usually pronounced 'RBK and C') is a London borough in the west side of central London.
It is an urban area and was named in the 2001 census as the most densely populated local authority in the United Kingdom, with a population of 158,919 at 13,244 per square kilometre (the land area is approximately 12 square kilometres).
The borough is immediately to the west of the City of Westminster, which is at the heart of modern London, and itself contains a substantial number of city centre facilities such as major museums and universities (in "Albertopolis"), department stores like Harrods, and embassies. It also contains many of the most exclusive residential districts in London, which are also some of the most expensive in the world.
Contents |
History
It was created in 1965 from the former boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea. Kensington's Royal Borough status was inherited by the new borough. The new borough was originally to be called just 'Kensington' - the inclusion of Chelsea was locally supported.[2]
Districts in Kensington and Chelsea
The borough includes the areas of:
- Brompton
- Chelsea
- Earl's Court
- Holland Park
- Kensington
- North Kensington
- Notting Hill
- South Kensington
- Kensington High Street
- West Brompton
- West Kensington (Part)
Demographics
According to the 2001 census, the borough has a population of 158,919. It is 79% white, 4% Black African and 3% Black Caribbean. 44% of households are owner–occupiers. As of October 2004[update], statistics released[3] by the Office for National Statistics show that life expectancy at birth for females in Kensington and Chelsea was 84.8 years in 2001-2003, the highest in the United Kingdom. Male life expectancy at birth for the same period was 79.8 years, third highest in the UK. The figures for Kensington and Chelsea during 1991-1993 were significantly lower: 73.0 years for males (ranking 301st in the nation) and 80.0 for females (ranking 129th).
Kensington and Chelsea's affluence is demonstrated by the fact that it has the largest number of high-earners (over £60,000) of any local government district in the country — 16.6%.[4] It has the highest number of workers in the financial sector and the lowest number working in the retail sector.
In December 2006, Sport England published a survey which revealed that residents of Kensington and Chelsea were the fourth most active in England in sports and other fitness activities. 27.9% of the population participate at least three times a week for 30 minutes.[5]
Politics
Originally two separate metropolitan boroughs with their own town halls and administrations, it has today a single united local government authority, the Kensington & Chelsea London Borough Council, based in Kensington. One of its more notable (and controversial) Leaders was Nicholas Freeman, who was Leader from 1977 until 1989. The present Leader of the Council is Merrick Cockell. He was elected in April 2000. Currently there are 45 conservative councillors, 8 Labour and 1 Liberal Democrat.
The borough is divided between two constituencies represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom:
- Kensington and Chelsea, held by Malcolm Rifkind for the Conservative Party, and
- Regent's Park and Kensington North, currently held by Karen Buck for the Labour Party.
It is intended that the constituency be divided so that Kensington becomes independent of Chelsea while Chelsea joins Fulham.
| Evolution of Parliamentary constituencies in Kensington and Chelsea | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From 1885 | From Feb 1974 | From 1997 | From next election |
| Kensington North | Kensington | Part of Regent's Park and Kensington North | Kensington |
| Kensington South | Kensington and Chelsea | ||
| Chelsea | Part of Chelsea and Fulham | ||
Religion
The Royal Borough has a number of notable Christian churches, including:
- Brompton Oratory - Roman Catholic
- Chelsea Old Church (All Saints) - Church of England
- Holy Trinity Brompton - Church of England
- St Columba's, Pont Street - Church of Scotland
It is also home to a small Spanish and Portuguese synagogue, several mosques and the Sikh Central Gurudwara in Holland Park.
Economy
Playfish, an online video game company, has its head office in the borough.[6][7]
Education
Within the council, the education department finances state-operated schools in the borough.[8] Some of them are:
Primary schools
- Ashburnham Community School
- Avondale Park Primary School
- Bousfield Primary
- Chelsea Open Air Nursery
- Christ Church CofE Primary
- Colville Primary
- Fox Primary
- St Thomas
- Holy Trinity CofE Primary
- Instituto Español Cañada Blanch, also secondary school and Spanish Bachillerato.
- Marlborough Primary
- Lycee Français Charles de Gaulle, also a secondary school.
- Middle Row Primary
- Oratory RC Primary
- Our Lady of Victories RC Primary
- Oxford Gardens Primary
- Park Walk Primary
- Servite RC Primary
- St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary
- St Charles RC Primary
- St Clements and St James CofE Primary
- St Cuthbert with St Matthias CofE Primary, a voluntary aided Church of England School in Warwick Road, Earl's Court teaching children from age four to 11 and consisting of two large playgrounds, a 150 year old Victorian building and a more recent extension.
- St Francis of Assisi RC Primary
- St Joseph RC Primary
- St Mary Abbots CofE Primary
- St Mary's RC Primary
- St Thomas CofE Primary
- St Philip's School
- Thomas Jones Primary
Secondary schools
|
|
- Queen's Gate School
Chelsea academy
Universities
- Royal College of Art - the College's main campus lies within South Kensington, although the sculpture department currently resides in Battersea.
- Royal College of Music
- Imperial College London - the College's main campus lies within South Kensington.
- Heythrop College - A Constituent College of the University of London specialising in Theology & Philosophy
- Richmond, The American International University in London - The colleges secondary campus lies in Kensington.
Public libraries
Libraries include the Kensington Central Library, Chelsea Library, Kensal Library, Brompton Library, North Kensington Library and the Notting Hill Gate Library. http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/leisureandlibraries.aspx[9]
References
- ^ Data Management and Analysis Group, Greater London Authority, Demography Update October 2007, (2007)
- ^ Chelsea Name Retained: New Decisions on Three Boroughs. The Times. 3 January 1963
- ^ http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8841 statistics.gov.uk
- ^ http://money.guardian.co.uk/print/0%2C3858%2C4965695-110144%2C00.html money.guardian.co.uk
- ^ http://www.sportengland.org/index/get_resources/research/active_people/active_people_survey_headline_results.htm sportengland.org
- ^ "About Playfish." Playfish. Retrieved on 2 November 2009.
- ^ "Summer in the Borough." Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Retrieved on 2 November 2009.
- ^ http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/az/az.asp?searchletter=F&orgid=1372 rbkc.gov.uk
- ^ "Libraries." Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Retrieved on 13 January 2009.
External links
- http://W14london.ning.com Local community site.
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